A Characterization of the Status and Impacts of Peat Excavation in the State of Colorado February 1990

• Description: Report for a study on commercial peat extraction in Colorado, and the characteristics of Colorado Peat.
• State: CO
• Basin: Statewide
• Date: 2/1/1990
• Author: Stevens, Josephy; Doerfer, John; Humphries, Bruce
• Title: A Characterization of the Status and Impacts of Peat Excavation in the State of Colorado February 1990
• Water Supply Pro - Doc Type: Report/Study

0 TABLE OF CONTENTS
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . i
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
LIST OF FIGURES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . viii
LIST OF TABLES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . x
1.0 INTRODUCTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
1.1 Purpose and Scope of the Report . . . . . . . . . . 1
1.2 Peatland Morphology and Types . . . . . . . . . . . 2
1.3 Functions and Uses of Peatlands . . . . . . . . . . 6
2.0 LOCATION AND AREA ESTIMATES OF COLORADO PEATS . . . . . 10
2.1 Location of Colorado Peat Resources . . . . . . . . 10
2.2 Colorado Peat Resource Area Estimate . . . . . . . 12
3.0 PEAT EXTRACTION OPERATIONS AND RATES OF EXTRACTION . . . 20
3.1 Peat Extraction Operators and Industry . . . . . . 20
3.2 Sites of Peat Extraction Operations . . . . . . . . 22
3.3 Rate of Peat Extraction in Colorado . . . . . . . . 24
4.0 PHYSICAL ATTRIBUTES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
4.1 Edaphic Factors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
4.1.1 Classifications of Peat and Peaty Soils . . 29
4.1.2 Characteristics of Colorado Peat Soils . . . 31
4.2 Hydrologic Factors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
4.2.1 Hydrology of excavated and non - excavated
peatlands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
4.2.2 Chemistry of Water from Excavated and Non -
Excavated Peatlands . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
5.0 BIOLOGICAL ATTRIBUTES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
5.1 Botanical Aspects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
5.2 Wildlife Aspects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
6.0 ECONOMICS OF PEATLAND EXCAVATION . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
6.1 Annual Revenues of the Peat Extraction Industry . . 54
6.2 Non - Market Peatland Values . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
7.0 REGULATION OF PEATLAND EXCAVATION AND RECLAMATION . . 61
7.1 Characteristics and Effectiveness of the Existing
Regulatory Framework . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
7.2 Recommendations for the Regulation of Peat
Excavation and Reclamation at Peat Excavation
Sites . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
7.2.1 Considerations for Rules and Guidelines . . 66
0 vi