Water Quality Variations and Trends in Monument and Fountain Creeks

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0131 WATER - QUALITY VARIATIONS AND TRENDS IN MONUMENT AND FOUNTAIN CREEKS, EL PASO AND PUEBLO COUNTIES, COLORADO, WATER YEARS 1976 -88 By Barbara C. Ruddy ABSTRACT Water - quality data were collected at four stations on Monument Creek and five stations on Fountain Creek during water years 1976 through 1988. These data were statistically analyzed to determine variations and trends in water - quality properties and constituents. A qualitative comparison using boxplots of water quality among all stations was done for the period of record. A spatial trend analysis was done to compare the water - quality changes among seven of the nine stations for water years 1980 through 1988. Analysis of time - series trends at each station was done to determine if changes in water - quality conditions occurred during the period of record. Median values of the water - quality properties and constituents were compared to the appropriate State water - quality standards. Median values of the water-quality properties and constituents were within the State standards except for the following trace -metal concentrations: dissolved manganese at Monument Creek above North Gate Boulevard at U.S. Air Force Academy and Fountain Creek above Little Fountain Creek below Fountain; total recoverable copper at Monument Creek at Pikeview and Monument Creek at Bijou Street at Colorado Springs; and total selenium at Fountain Creek at Pueblo. Occasional violations of the State water - quality standards occurred at all stations. Generally, median concentrations of most water - quality properties and constituents were larger downstream. Nutrient concentrations, except for nitrite plus nitrate as nitrogen, were largest at Fountain Creek below Janitell Road below Colorado Springs, which is downstream from the wastewater - treatment plant at Colorado Springs; the concentrations then were smaller downstream. Statistical comparisons of median values of selected water - quality properties and constituents for determining trends among seven of the nine stations were made for water years 1980 through 1988. For Monument Creek, the comparisons indicated that median concentrations of most constituents at Monument Creek at Palmer Lake were significantly different from median con- centrations of most constituents at Monument Creek at Pikeview and Monument Creek at Bijou Street at Colorado Springs, which are more similar to each other. Median concentrations of most constituents at Fountain Creek near Colorado Springs, upstream from the mouth of Monument Creek, were signifi- cantly different from the median concentrations of most constituents at downstream stations on Fountain Creek, with a few exceptions. Median concentrations of most constituents at Fountain Creek at Colorado Springs, downstream from the mouth of Monument Creek, were more similar to median concentrations at Monument Creek at Bijou Street at Colorado Springs than to median concentrations at Fountain Creek near Colorado Springs. 1