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Arapahoe Counties (in Townships 6 and 7 S, Range 67W), water levels in the Arapahoe Aquifer <br />are declining at an average rate of at least 25 feet per year. <br />Water levels in wells located in the Laramie-Fox Hills Aquifer have generally declined except <br />for a few locations (Figure 26), described below. In the northern portion of the aquifer, north of <br />Township 3S, water levels have generally declined at an average rate of 5 feet per year. There is <br />a unique phenomenon in Township 3S, Range 63W where there are two Laramie-Fox Hills wells <br />in close proximity that show opposite trends. One Laramie-Fox Hills well shows a stable water <br />level elevation over time while the other well exhibits a 10 feet per year decline; this may <br />account for the lobe of increased drawdown present on the Figure in Township 3S, Range 62W. <br />A single well in Arapahoe County shows a large water level decline, on the order of 40 feet per <br />year, in Township 5S, Range 66W, that may have contributed to the extent of the zone of >20 <br />foot per year water level decline shown in western Arapahoe County. In addition, there is one <br />well located in western Adams County (Township 2S, Range 68W that has experienced an 86- <br />foot increase in water level during this period and accounts for the region of water level rise <br />shown on the Figure; a review of historic water level measurements at this well indicates a <br />steady increase since 1990. <br />3.3 Hydrographs <br />Hydrographs were created for 40 wells located throughout the Denver Basin Region. The wells <br />selected are spatially distributed throughout the Denver Basin in each of the Denver Basin <br />Aquifers and labeled by well_id, as shown in Figure 27. A total of 2 wells in the Upper Dawson, <br />2 wells in the Dawson, 4 wells in the Lower Dawson, 8 wells in the Denver, 3 wells in the Upper <br />Arapahoe, 4 wells in the Arapahoe, 2 wells in the Lower Arapahoe, and 15 wells in the Laramie- <br />Fox Hills Aquifers were selected. Hydrographs for the 40 wells in the Denver Basin are shown <br />in Figures 28 to 37. <br />Based upon visual inspection of the water level hydrographs, the water levels in the Denver <br />Basin bedrock aquifers generally have declined over time. Water level declines could be a result <br />of local pumping or less recharge while increases in the water levels in a well could be a result <br />of additional recharge, groundwater flux from adjacent aquifers or less pumping in the vicinity <br />of the wells being monitored. <br />Water level elevations in the hydrographs of wells in the Dawson Aquifer show declines over <br />time in most of the sites. Denver Aquifer wells show varying patterns of water level change, <br />from a small increase in water level at we1162 to a 170-foot drop at we11212, possibly the result <br />of recent pumping. The Arapahoe Aquifer water levels vary from little change over time to a <br />dramatic decline by approximately 400 feet in 14 years (we11153). The Laramie- Fox Hills <br />Aquifer wells also show a range of trends, from slight increases to generally strong declines in <br />water levels over time as seen in we11145. <br />4.0 Summary and Conclusions <br />CDM has completed SPDSS Task 44, Phase 3: the collection, analysis, and mapping of historic <br />water level data for the Denver Basin Region. This TM examines the sources and types of data <br />available during Phases 1, 2 and 3 of the SPDSS, the data formats, data availability, and data <br />SPDSS Phase 3 Task 44.2 TM -Final 15 <br />11/28/2006 <br />