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<br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br /> <br />of nitrogen pollution can include wastewater treatment plant discharges, fertilizers, and <br />animal waste. <br /> <br />Bacteria concentrations were of particular concern, as the North Fork has recently <br />adopted more stringent water quality standards for recreation. Our sample results <br />indicated that the river is meeting all state standards, except near the Town of Hotchkiss. <br />Between the months of April through September, our samples measured a geometric <br />mean concentration of 172 E. Coli colonies per 100 milliliters, which exceeds the state <br />standard of 126 E. Coli colonies per 100 milliliters. It should be noted that these samples <br />were collected above the Hotchkiss wastewater treatment plant discharges. The North <br />Fork Monitoring Program will be continued to monitor this location more closely in the <br />future. <br /> <br />Future Directions <br /> <br />The North Fork Volunteer Water Quality Monitoring Project will continue to collect <br />water samples monthly in the years 2002-2003. This is due in large part to the continued <br />support of our project sponsors, state, federal, and local. <br /> <br />In the coming year we have made some changes to our sampling program to address <br />emerging issues and attempt to better answer questions about the water quality in the <br />area. Our major changes included removal of the Anthracite Creek site. Data from this <br />site indicated good water quality during the 2001-2002 period, and it was decided to <br />focus our monitoring activities elsewhere. To address potential problem areas, we added <br />an additional site between Paonia and Hotchkiss, and moved our Hotchkiss site to below <br />the mouth of Leroux Creek and the location of the wastewater treatment plant discharges. <br /> <br />If you would like to participate as a volunteer in the North Fork Volunteer Water Quality <br />Monitoring Project, or if you could offer other support, please contact Teresa Steely, <br />Assistant Director for NFRIA, at 970/872-2433. <br /> <br />September 30, 2002 <br /> <br />Karla Brown <br />CSU Cooperative Extension <br />& Project Technical Advisor <br /> <br />ES-2 <br />