Water Quality Data for the Arkansas River Basin 1990-93

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0335 Water - Quality Data for the Arkansas River Basin, Southeastern Colorado, 199Q -93 By Russell G. Dash and Roderick F. Ortiz Abstract Water - quality data were collected and com- piled for 59 surface -water stations in the Arkansas River Basin of Colorado. The purpose of the data collection was to describe selected water- quality characteristics of the Arkansas River from the headwaters downstream to the Colorado- Kansas State line. Data are presented for 19 Arkansas River stations, 31 tributary stations, 2 mine - drainage stations, and 7 transmountain diversion stations. Water - quality data presented in this report include instantaneous discharge; onsite measurements of specific conductance, pH, water temperature, and dissolved oxygen; analytical concentrations of bacteria, dissolved solids, major nutrients, trace elements, pesticides, radiochemi- cals, and suspended sediment; and quality - assurance data for selected water - quality constitu- ents. Sampling began in April 1990 and continued through March 1993 at the 59 surface -water stations. The basinwide water - quality study was initiated in 1988 by the U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with 14 local agencies and the Bureau of Reclamation. INTRODUCTION Water resources in the Arkansas River Basin of Colorado are critically important to southeastern Colorado. The Arkansas River originates in the Rocky Mountains near Leadville (fig. 1) and drains an area of about 25,400 mi As the river flows southward and then eastward toward the State of Kansas, the flow is affected by diversions for agriculture, power development, and municipal, industrial, and recre- ational usage. These water uses can affect water quality in the drainage basin. In recent years, operation of the existing water - supply system and proposed changes in water -use administration have focused attention on water quality in the Arkansas River Basin. The concern that water quality could limit some water uses resulted in the initiation of a U.S. Geological Survey study in 1988, in cooperation with the Colorado Springs Utilities, Water Resources Department; Pueblo Board of Water Works; Southeastern Colorado Water Conservancy District; Pueblo County, Department of Planning and Development; City of Aurora, Department of Utilities; St. Charles Mesa Water District; Upper Arkansas Area Council of Governments; Upper Arkansas Water Conservancy District; City of Pueblo, Department of Utilities; Pueblo West Metropolitan District; Fremont Sanitation District; Cities of Rocky Ford, Las Animas, and Lamar; and the Bureau of Reclamation. In the early phases of the study, 13 water - quality issues in the Arkansas River Basin were identified by the cooperating agencies and the U.S. Geological Survey. The issues of highest priority were the deter- mination of existing water - quality characteristics in the basin and the establishment of a consistent basinwide network to identify and monitor water - quality changes. Subsequently, a basinwide surface -water monitoring network was designed to provide reliable water - quality information that could be used to (1) evaluate down- stream and seasonal variations in water quality; (2) assess variations in water quality that occur during different flow periods; and (3) assess regional effects on water quality that might occur as a result of water and land uses, tributary inflows, point and nonpoint source discharges, and natural, climatic, and geological conditions. Abstract