WSP09197

• File Number: 8270.100
• Description: Colorado River Basin Water Quality/Salinity -- Misc Water Quality
• Basin: Colorado Mainstem
• Water Division: 5
• Date: 1/1/1981
• Author: USDOI
• Title: Quality of Water - Colorado River Basin - Progress Report No. 10 - January 1981 -- Part 2 of 2 -- Part X - page 99 through end
• Water Supply Pro - Doc Type: Report/Study

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PART X. SPECIAL STUDIES

A. Flaming Gorge Reservoir

From 1966 to 1975, the Geological Survey carried out a series of
studies on the water quality of Flaming Gorge Reservoir as part of a
program to assess the water quality of the Colorado River Basin. The
results of the latest of these studies are given in BoIke, 1978.(7)

For a synopsis of this study see Progress Report No.9, 1979, "Quality
of Water Colorado River Basin.11

B. Lake Powell

A network of six sampling stations was established in Lake Powell in
1965 and sampling at these sites continued on a quarterly basis until
the fall of 1971. In addition, samples were taken at the mouth of Wahweap
Creek and below the Glen Canyon Dam on a monthly basis. The purpose of
this program was to observe chemical changes in the reservoir. In the fall
of 1971 the quarterly sampling program was iocreased to a monthly program
to obtain sufficient data for a mathematical model of the Colorado River
sys,tem. The seven sites in the reservoir are: (I) Wahweap, (2) Crossing
of the Fathers, (3) Oak Creek, (4) Cha Canyon, (5) Escalante River,
(6) Bullfrog, and (7) Hite Basin. The samples are taken at 50-foot (15 m)
intervals to the bottom of the lake and analyzed for dissolved solids,
COlmTIon ions, specific conductance, pH, temperature, and dissolved oxygen.
Figure 7 ahows the change in salinity concentration with depth for the
period of record at the Wahweap station. It appears that the concen-
tration had stablilized since about 1972 but had risen with the drought of
1977. It appears that the concentration is returning to its lower levels
in 1979-80.

From 1971 to March 1978 a research project entitled "Lake Powell
Research Project" was conducted by a consortium of university groups funded
by the Division of Advanced Environmental Research and Technology in
Research Applied to National Needs (RANN) in the National Science Founda-
tion. The researchers in the consortium sought to bring a wide range of
expertise in natural and social sciences to bear on the general problems of
the effects and ramifications of water resources management in the Lake
Powell region. Their findings are presented in a series of project bulle-
tins. The titles of those bulletins related to water quality and water
quantity topics are shown as References 8 to 18 in the Bibliography.

C. Lake Mead

The Water and Power Resources Service conducted an extensive sampling
program of Lake Mead from 1964-68. The data collected from the sampling
program were published by the Water and Power Resources Service in Report
No. CKE-70, "Water Quality Study of Lake Mead," 1970.

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