The Newsletter for the South Platte Decision Support System

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SPDSS Colorado Water Conservation boarcl, Colorado Division of Water Resources Groundwater Data A Lesson in Cooperation In pursuit of creating a comprehensive groundwater database, the SPDSS team searched existing data for information on aquifer properties, configuration, and changes in groundwater levels over time. The team successfully compiled reports published by government agencies such as the Colorado Department of Natural Resources, United States Geological Survey, universities, and local water conservancy districts. The huge leap in expanding the existing knowledge base came when the SPDSS team obtained more than 140 previously unpublished reports of existing pumping tests in the bedrock aquifers — a tribute to the cooperation of dozens of water user groups, municipalities and individuals who are assisting in this project. During Phases 1 and 2 of SPDSS, 72 entities from all over the South Platte Basin cooperated in providing data, including Aurora, Castle Rock, Boulder and Sterling just to name a few. These plus other data collected by the SPDSS team more than tripled the amount of information on the properties of the region's aquifers. Phasing Leads to Efficient Field Work The search for existing data shed light on gaps in the existing groundwater information knowledge base that needed to be filled. The data gaps were used to develop a focused field data collection program that began in 2003. Field activities have included: • drilling approximately 40 observation wells in the alluvial aquifer and one in a bedrock aquifer, each equipped with water level data recorders • conducting multi-well aquifer pumping tests at 13 wells in the alluvial aquifer and at 14 wells in the bedrock aquifer using existing irrigation or production wells • measuring water levels in over 100 bedrock wells Field activities have already provided insight into the size and shape of the aquifers, the direction and rate of groundwater flow, the amount of groundwater available in the aquifers, and the effects of pumping on the groundwater resource. The two most heavily used groundwater systems have gained the spotlight: (1) the shallow alluvial aquifer underlying the South Platte River and its tributaries, and (2) the bedrock aquifers underlying the Denver Basin Region that extend from Colorado Springs to Greeley and from the foothills to Limon. Alluvial observation wells (red triangles) and bedrock water level monitoring sites (orange squares) show the widespread coverage of the investigation. Benefits Data collected to date, along with future data collection, will be used to develop a detailed numerical groundwater flow model of the alluvial aquifer system. Such a model can assist in making various water management decisions. / Details on Website \ http://cdss.state.co.us/ The webste contains Technical Memoranda describing various aspects of the groundwater data collection and analyses and contour maps of the information needed to characterize the aquifers. Raw data used in these Technical Memoranda are stored in HydroBase, the State's hydrologic database...,/