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Water quality at Fountain Creek at Colorado Springs and at Fountain Creek below Janitell Road below Colorado Springs, upstream and downstream from the Colorado Springs Wastewater-Treatment Plant, were compared. The following property and constituents were not statistically different: water tempera- ture, nitrite plus nitrate as nitrogen, and fecal coliform bacteria. The following properties and constituents had statistically significant increases downstream: instantaneous streamflow, specific conductance, total ammonia as nitrogen, un-ionized ammonia as nitrogen, total recoverable copper, total recoverable zinc, and 5-day biochemical oxygen demand. The following proper- ties and constituents had statistically significant decreases downstream: pH, dissolved oxygen, suspended solids, and total recoverable iron. ~ Time-series trends in water quality were investigated at all stations for the period of record; the significant trends varied at each station. All stations on Monument and Fountain Creeks had significant temporal trends of at least one water-quality property or constituent. INTRODUCTION Rapid population growth occurred in Colorado Springs and the surrounding area from the mid-1970's to the mid-1980's. Although the projected accelerated growth did not continue during the late 1980's, future growth is anticipated. Water resources in this developing area are not abundant, and maintaining water quality is a concern. Development of land and ground water in the Colorado Springs area is likely to cause changes in the water quality of Monument and Fountain Creeks, the principal streams that drain the area (fig. 1) and which have relatively low flows during most of the year. Such changes could cause water quality to become a limiting factor for some stream uses, such as recreation, aquatic life, water supply, and agriculture. In 1975, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the Pikes Peak Area Council of Governments, began a study to monitor water quality and to compile a data base, for use by local agencies in the development of an areawide water-quality-management plan, and to characterize surface-water- quality conditions. General water-quality characteristics of Monument and Fountain Creeks, with emphasis on relation of water quality to stream classi- fications, for 1975-83, are reported by Edelmann (1990). Because the period of record was not adequate at most sites for many water-quality constituents, detection of water-quality trends was limited. In 1985, an additional study was begun by the USGS in cooperation with the Colorado Springs Department of Utilities, to evaluate water-quality variations and trends based on an extended period of record through 1988. Purpose and Scope This report describes water-quality variations and trends of Monument and Fountain Creeks. Data from nine water-quality stations that had periods of record ranging from 5 years (water years 1984-88) to 13 years (water years 1976-88) were used in the analysis. Spatial variations in streamflow and 30 individual water-quality properties and constituents were evaluated quali- tatively using data from most stations in a graphical box-plot analysis. In 2