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<br />:~ <br /> <br />002854 <br /> <br />the Yampa River just downstream from the town of Craig (fig. 1) exhibited <br />llilusua11y high concentrations of Cr (40 to 45 and 70 to 80 ~g/g) in bottom <br />sediments (see fig. lOB). Because Cr values just upstream from Craig fall <br />within the median range (5 to 10 ~g/g), the source of Cr appears to be relsted <br />to some industrial process in Craig discharging to the Yampa River. <br /> <br />NUTRIENTS <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />Dissolved and total nitrogen, phosphorus, and organie carbon were deter- <br />mined for water samples collected during August~September 1975. An examina- <br />tion of the data using the outlier-analysis technique indicates several areas <br />with anomalously high levels of one or more of these nutrients. The follow- <br />ing sites and variables are delineated: (1) Y-26 , 3.0 mg/L as N, dissolved <br />nitrite plus nitrate; (2) Y-46, 0.17 mg/L as P, dissolved phosphorus; (3) Y-54, <br />0.46 mg/L as P, total phosphorus; and (4), Y-52, Y-4, and Y-17 with 27, 33, <br />and 18 mg/L, respectively, of dissolved organic carbon. <br /> <br />DISSOLVED OXYGEN AND AQUATIC BIOLOGY <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />Dissolved oxygen was measured at all sites sampled during the August- <br />September 1975 reconnaissance. Nine measurements were below the lower allow- <br />able limit of 7 mg/L established by the Colorado Department of Health (1976, <br />table 1, p. 1) for cold-water biota; whereas, only two measurements were less <br />than the lower limit of 5 mg/L applicable to warm-water biota. Of course, at <br />higher altitudes, dissolved-oxygen solubility decreases for a given tempera- <br />ture. For example, at 150C, the altitude of a sampling site would have to ex- <br />ceed 10,000 ft (305 m) before the saturation level of dissolved oxygen would <br />fall below 7 mg/L. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />A Surber sampler (American Public Health Association, 1976, p. 1063-1064) <br />was used to collect samples of the aquatic macroinvertebrate populations at <br />72 stream sites in the Yampa River basin during August-September 1975. As <br />part of the analysis performed on the benthic macroinvertebrate samples, di- <br />versity indices were computed using the formula given by Slack, Averett, <br />Greeson, and Lipscomb (1973): <br /> <br />d = -it C~) 10g2 C~], <br /> <br />where d is the diversity per individual, n is the total number of individuals, <br />ui is the number of individuals in each taxon, and t is the number of taxa. <br />The calculations were made down to the genus level. When plotted in the form <br />of a histogram (fig. 11), the distribution of d for the 72 sampled sites is <br />seeu to be negatively skewed, and most d values fall in the range from 2.0 to <br />4.0. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />According to Wilhm and Dorris (1968), values of d "* * * less than 1 <br />have been obtained in areas of heavy pollution, values from 1 to 3 in areas <br />of moderate pollution, and values exceeding 3 in clean water areas." Forty- <br />five percent of the d values measured as part of the basinwide reconnaissance <br />were greater than 3. Ooly three values of d were less than 1--at sites Y-24, <br />Y-48, and Y-76. <br /> <br />20 <br /> <br />,.:. ,~<-;;;;L: <br />