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Water quality at Fountain Creek at Colorado Springs and at Fountain Creek <br />below Janitell Road below Colorado Springs, upstream and downstream from the <br />Colorado Springs Wastewater - Treatment Plant, were compared. The following <br />property and constituents were not statistically different: water tempera- <br />ture, nitrite plus nitrate as nitrogen, and fecal coliform bacteria. The <br />following properties and constituents had statistically significant increases <br />downstream: instantaneous streamflow, specific conductance, total ammonia as <br />nitrogen, un- ionized ammonia as nitrogen, total recoverable copper, total <br />recoverable zinc, and 5 -day biochemical oxygen demand. The following proper- <br />ties and constituents had statistically significant decreases downstream: pH, <br />dissolved oxygen, suspended solids, and total recoverable iron. <br />Time- series trends in water quality were investigated at all stations for <br />the period of record; the significant trends varied at each station. All <br />stations on Monument and Fountain Creeks had significant temporal trends of at <br />least one water - quality property or constituent. <br />INTRODUCTION <br />Rapid population growth occurred in Colorado Springs and the surrounding <br />area from the mid- 1970's to the mid- 1980's. Although the projected <br />accelerated growth did not continue during the late 1980's, future growth is <br />anticipated. Water resources in this developing area are not abundant, and <br />maintaining water quality is a concern. Development of land and ground water <br />in the Colorado Springs area is likely to cause changes in the water quality <br />of Monument and Fountain Creeks, the principal streams that drain the area <br />(fig. 1) and which have relatively low flows during most of the year. Such <br />changes could cause water quality to become a limiting factor for some stream <br />uses, such as recreation, aquatic life, water supply, and agriculture. <br />In 1975, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the Pikes <br />Peak Area Council of Governments, began a study to monitor water quality and <br />to compile a data base, for use by local agencies in the development of an <br />areawide water - quality - management plan, and to characterize surface- water- <br />quality conditions. General water - quality characteristics of Monument and <br />Fountain Creeks, with emphasis on relation of water quality to stream classi- <br />fications, for 1975 -83, are reported by Edelmann (1990). Because the period <br />of record was not adequate at most sites for many water - quality constituents, <br />detection of water - quality trends was limited. In 1985, an additional study <br />was begun by the USGS in cooperation with the Colorado Springs Department of <br />Utilities, to evaluate water - quality variations and trends based on an <br />extended period of record through 1988. <br />Purpose and Scope <br />This report describes water - quality variations and trends of Monument and <br />Fountain Creeks. Data from nine water - quality stations that had periods of <br />record ranging from 5 years (water years 1984 -88) to 13 years (water years <br />1976 -88) were used in the analysis. Spatial variations in streamflow and <br />30 individual water - quality properties and constituents were evaluated quali- <br />tatively using data from most stations in a graphical box -plot analysis. In <br />K <br />