|
<br />Natural gas seeps from Fruitland coal-bed
<br />outcrops have been reported in La Plata
<br />County for many years; some of these reports
<br />predate development. No data existed to eval-
<br />uate whether the coal-bed gas development
<br />was contributing to the seepage. In 1995, the
<br />USGS, in cooperation with the Bureau of
<br />Land Management (BLM), the Colorado Oil
<br />and Gas Conservation Commission, La Plata
<br />County, and the Southern Ute Indian Tribe,
<br />began a study of the gas seeps in La Plata
<br />County. In addition to surface geologic map-
<br />ping and fracture studies, the USGS is deter-
<br />mining whether there is a correlation between
<br />the surface coal beds in the seep areas and the
<br />underground coal beds that produce coal-bed
<br />methane near the gas-seep areas. The USGS
<br />also uses the maps of La Plata County being
<br />produced by the Colorado Geological Survey
<br />as part of their STATEMAP program. These
<br />studies of the coal-gas seep areas in La Plata
<br />County are part of an ongoing USGS basin-
<br />wide study of coal-bed methane.
<br />
<br />Studies of Contamination at U.S.
<br />Department of Energy and
<br />Defense Sites
<br />
<br />Several DOE and U.S. Department of
<br />Defense sites in Colorado have some level of
<br />contamination caused by past production,
<br />storage, or destruction of chemical agents,
<br />munitions, or radioactive materials. Near
<br />some of the sites, radioactive and chemical
<br />contaminants have migrated into drinking-
<br />water supplies or have contaminated soils.
<br />The USGS is collecting hydrologic data and
<br />conducting investigative studies at the Rocky
<br />Mountain Arsenal and the Rocky Flats Envi-
<br />ronmental Technology Site near Denver and
<br />the Pueblo Depot Activity near Pueblo. The
<br />purposes of the studies include characteriza-
<br />tion of the hydrology of the sites, definition
<br />of the extent of contamination, evaluation of
<br />monitoring networks, determination of con-
<br />taminant-transport mechanisms, and predic-
<br />tion of the fate of contaminants.
<br />
<br />Studies of Stream Contamination
<br />From Mine Waste
<br />
<br />Significant water-quality problems have
<br />resulted from wastes related to metal mining
<br />in the Rocky Mountains. The USGS is con-
<br />ducting investigations near Summitville in
<br />the AIamosa River Basin, near Leadville in
<br />the upper Arkansas River Basin, in the upper
<br />Animas River Basin near Durango, and
<br />along Clear Creek west of Denver. The stud-
<br />ies assess the extent of the contamination;
<br />define background conditions; aid local,
<br />State, and Federal agencies in making deci-
<br />sions on appropriate remediation strategies;
<br />
<br />determine the processes involved in the
<br />transport of contaminants from the waste
<br />sites; and predict the movement of the con-
<br />taminants. Information from these studies is
<br />being used by the U.S. Environmental
<br />Protection Agency (USEPA) to help site
<br />remediation; the State of Colorado, Federal
<br />land-management agencies (BLM, USFS),
<br />and the mining industry to help understand
<br />and prevent similar environmental problems
<br />at other mines; and downstream water users,
<br />such as farmers, water conservancy districts,
<br />and wildlife refuges, to evaluate potential
<br />effects of mine-waste sites on agriculture and
<br />wildlife habitat.
<br />
<br />Environmental Assessments of
<br />Abandoned Mine Lands
<br />
<br />The BLM and the USFS have been
<br />charged with identifying and prioritizing for
<br />remediation tens of thousands of abandoned
<br />mine sites in Colorado. The USGS, in coop-
<br />eration with the BLM and the Colorado
<br />Geological Survey, has developed a geology-
<br />based regional screening process that was
<br />used to identify and rank Colorado mining
<br />districts according to their likely mine-
<br />drainage hazards. This screening process
<br />allows land-management agencies to focus
<br />their remedial efforts on mining districts
<br />with the greatest potential for environmental
<br />problems, thereby avoiding costly field
<br />assessments of all mining districts. The
<br />BLM, the USFS, and other Federal agencies
<br />are proposing that the USEPA use geology-
<br />based regional screening to help assign and
<br />assess storm water permits for abandoned
<br />mine sites on public lands. The mining
<br />industry also can use this process to predict,
<br />plan for, and mitigate the environmental con-
<br />sequences of mineral-resource development.
<br />
<br />Research on Biological Systems
<br />
<br />The USGS Biological Resources Division
<br />(formerly the National Biological Service)
<br />has three major stations in Colorado. The
<br />Midcontinent Ecological Science Center in
<br />Fort Collins studies the effects of native and
<br />introduced grazing animals on ecosystems;
<br />mountain plover, black-footed ferret, and
<br />prairie dog ecosystems; declining amphib-
<br />ian populations; global climate change; the
<br />Colorado squawfish; and the effects of the
<br />Conservation Reserve Program on Great
<br />Plains ecosystems. Other research includes
<br />aquatic and riparian ecology, atmospheric
<br />and watershed ecosystem change, vertebrate
<br />ecology, habitat modeling, remote sensing
<br />and geographical information system map-
<br />ping, socioeconomic issues, and air quality
<br />impacts on U.S. Department of the Interior
<br />(DOl) lands.
<br />
<br />The Information and Technology Office's
<br />Technology Transfer Center (TIC) in Lake-
<br />wood is implementing the National Biologi-
<br />callnformation Infrastructure so that users
<br />can retrieve and integrate electronic biologi-
<br />cal data directly from different sources simul-
<br />taneously on the Internet. The TIC also
<br />develops data and standards for biological
<br />resources and partnerships for natural
<br />resources technology and information trans-
<br />fer. The TIC's home page can be viewed at:
<br />http://www.nbs.gov/ttc/
<br />
<br />The Colorado Cooperative Fish and Wild-
<br />life Research Unit at Colorado State Univer-
<br />sity conducts research on vegetation, large
<br />mammals, fisheries, and landscape ecology.
<br />
<br />Irrigation Water Quality
<br />
<br />Since 1985, the DOl has been studying the
<br />effects of Federal irrigation projects in the
<br />Western United States. These studies have
<br />been done to determine if irrigation drainage
<br />is causing problems related to human health,
<br />water quality, and fish and wildlife resources.
<br />Beginning in 1987, the USGS, in cooperation
<br />with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the
<br />Bureau of Indian Affairs, and the Bureau of
<br />Reclamation (BaR), has studied irrigation
<br />drainage in the lower Gunnison, the
<br />Uncompahgre, the Dolores, and the Los
<br />Pinos Rivers; Grand Valley in western Colo-
<br />rado; and the Arkansas River Basin in the
<br />eastern part of the State. The USGS found
<br />high concentrations of selenium in water and
<br />sediment in some of the irrigated areas.
<br />Because selenium can have adverse effects on
<br />fish and wildlife, investigations are continu-
<br />ing in the lower Gunnison River Basin and
<br />the Grand Valley to determine if measures
<br />can be implemented to mitigate selenium
<br />contamination. Although the emphasis has
<br />been on determining the effects of selenium
<br />on fish and wildlife, results of the investiga-
<br />tions will aid water-resources managers and
<br />planners in developing mitigation measures
<br />that could include methods of improving
<br />irrigation practices, conserving water, and
<br />improving the water quality of the Colorado
<br />and the Arkansas Rivers.
<br />
<br />Topographic Mapping
<br />
<br />Among the most popular and versatile
<br />products of the USGS are its I :24,000-scale
<br />topographic maps (I inch on the map repre-
<br />sents 2,000 feet on the ground). These maps
<br />show natural and cultural features of the land-
<br />scape, such as lakes and streams, highways
<br />and railroads, boundaries, and geographic
<br />names. Colorado is covered by 1,926 maps at
<br />this scale. These maps have long been favor-
<br />ites with the general public for outdoor uses,
<br />
|