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<br />
<br />Urban
<br />Agriculture
<br />
<br />~ Rangeland
<br />
<br />Forest
<br />Water
<br />Tundra
<br />
<br />20 40 MILES
<br />I I
<br />
<br />o 20 40 KILOMETERS
<br />
<br />Figure 5. Land use in the Upper Colorado River Basin study unit
<br />(modified from Marschner, 1967).
<br />
<br />SELECTION OF WATER-QUALITY SITES
<br />
<br />Results from evaluation of the environmental setting were used
<br />to design the surface-water- and ground-water-quality sampling
<br />networks for the UCOl study unit. For the surface-water-quality
<br />sampling network (fig. I), 14 sites have been established to assess
<br />natural background water-quality conditions; effects of mining,
<br />urban/recreational, and agricultural land uses; and the water quality
<br />of larger streams that integrate multiple land uses upstream from
<br />the sampling site. Sampling selection was based on drainage area,
<br />land use, amount of available data, importance to local, State, and
<br />Federal agencies, extent of ongoing and past studies in the area, and
<br />ability to compare the water-quality data collected in the basin
<br />with the other study units of the NA WQA program on a national
<br />perspective. Flow characteristics; concentrations and loads of
<br />nutrients, major ions, metals, and suspended sediment; and aquatic
<br />biological communities will be measured, sampled, or described at
<br />these sites.
<br />
<br />Ground-water sampling will focus on the effects of mining,
<br />urban, and agricultural land uses on the shallow ground-water
<br />quality in the basin. For the ground-water-quality sampling
<br />network, about 30 wells will be sampled for selected land uses in
<br />the UCOl basin. In contrast, a general assessment of major
<br />ground-water sources in the Southern Rocky Mountains physio-
<br />graphic province of the basin also is planned, with about 30 wells to
<br />be sampled. The general assessment sampling will investigate
<br />both natural and human factors on water quality.
<br />
<br />April 1996
<br />
<br />References Cited
<br />
<br />Apodaca, L.E., Driver, N.E., Stephens, Vc., and Spahr, N.E., 1996,
<br />Environmental setting and implications on water quality, Upper
<br />Colorado River Basin, Colorado and Utah: U.S. Geological Survey
<br />Water-Resources Investigations Report 95-4263, 33 p.
<br />
<br />Bureau of Census, 1990, 1992, 1990-1992 census of population
<br />and housing: Washington, D.C., data on CD-ROM.
<br />
<br />Colorado Climate Center, 1984, Colorado average annual
<br />precipitation 1951 to 1980: Fort Collins, Colorado Climate Center,
<br />scale 1:500,000.
<br />
<br />leahy, P.P., Rosenshein, l.S., and Knopman, D.S., 1990,
<br />Implementation plan for the National Water-Quality Assessment
<br />Program: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 90-174, 10 p.
<br />
<br />Marschner, F.J., 1967, Major land uses of the United States,
<br />adapted from U.S. Department of Agriculture: National Atlas of
<br />the United States, p. 158-159, scale 1:7,500,000.
<br />
<br />Schruben, P.G., Arndt, R.E., and Bawlec, W.J., 1974, Geology
<br />of the conterminous United States at I :2,500,000-A digital
<br />representation of the 1974 P.B. King and H.M. Beikman map:
<br />U.S. Geological Survey Digital data series, DDS-II, on CD-ROM.
<br />
<br />U.S. Department of the Interior, 1995, Quality of water Colorado
<br />River Basin-Progress report no. 17: U.S. Department of the
<br />Interior, 96 p.
<br />
<br />Wentz, D.A., 1974, Effect of mine drainage on the quality of
<br />streams in Colorado, 1971-72: Water Conservation Board,
<br />Water Resources Circular 21, 117 p.
<br />
<br />Information on technical reports and
<br />hydrologic data related to the NA WQA program can be
<br />obtained from:
<br />
<br />
<br />Fact Sheet FS-109-96
<br />
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