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0008 Leadville Drain .>;. k "" Cfee e-$5~! TUROUOISE LAKE '2, - ~Ip' .... Loke Creek , 0 1..,,1..,,1 , I , I SCALE OF MI LES I 0 2 S 4 II L..d..l I I I I SCALE OF KILOMETERS Figure 3.-Map of the upper Arkansas River study area and sampling stations. 137 km in length and from B to 19 km in width (Digerness, 1977 {3BII. It is from this "Mineral Belt': that most of the heavy metals pollution in the area originates. Little is known of the historical heavy metals pollution in the upper Arkansas, but man's activities such as mining and manipulation of natural flows have un- doubtedly had an impact. The water quality of the upper Arkansas basin is generally relatively good. Streams in the basin show high levels of dissolved oxygen, and low levels of organic materials, nitrogen, phosphorus, fecal coliform counts. and total dissolved solids (TDS). An exception to the good quality water found in the Arkansas River basin is in the Leadville area, where the river contains toxic concentrations of heavy metals. This is the most severely contaminated section of the river and it is nearly barren of fish and aquatic in- vertebrates between California Gulch and Lake Fork (Colorado Department of Local Affairs. 1979 129] ). Two of the most severe heavy metals pollution sources on the upper Arkansas River are the Leadville Drainage Tunnel and California Gulch. These discharges drain large areas of predom- inantly abandoned mines. According to LaBounty et al. (1975) [94], heavy metals pol- lution of the upper Arkansas River from the Leadville Drainage Tunnel. California Gulch, and diffuse sources has had, and will continue to have, a major role in the degradation of water quality in the upper section of the river. The dilution of heavy metal concentrations in the river by the inflows from Lake Fork. Halfmoon Creek, Tennessee Creek, and Lake Creek has 3