|
<br />Aquifers of the Denver Basin, Colorado'
<br />
<br />RALF TOPPER'
<br />
<br />1. M.ln05cripl recei\'t>d St.'J>lembEor 1.1004; Accepted S,;'plcmbe< J..4. 2004
<br />1. Colorado Geological Survry, 1 J 1:1 Srn-rm..m Strect, Room 71 S. ()('oVt"f. CO 60103; !.-mail: rdlfJuppt.rOSI.llt...CO.us
<br />
<br />ABSlllAcr
<br />
<br />Development of the Denver Uasin for water supply has been ongoing since the bte 1800.... The Denver
<br />Basin aquifer syslem nmsis(s of the W:III..'T+)'idding slr.Ita of Teniary and Cretaceous sedimcn\:lry rocks
<br />within four overlying formations. The four st.lI11lory aquifers contained in these formations are named
<br />Ihe O;1\vsoo.. Denver. Arapahoe. and Llr.lmie-Fox Hills. For water right.;; administrative purpo.<;es, the out-
<br />crop/subcrop of tht;" Laramie-Fox Hills aquifer defines the margins of the Rasin. Initial cSli!n;lt(;'s of the
<br />total recover.tble grounJ\v:uer rescrYes in stomgc, under this 6700-mi2 area, were 295 million acre-fr.
<br />Recent geologic cviden(:e indicates that the aquifer:; arc V{'ry hetcrogt'ncous and their composition varies
<br />significantly \vith di.stance from the source area of the sediments. As a result. available recoverable
<br />reserves may be one-third less than previously estimatcd. Tht're is no legal protcction for pressure leveLs
<br />in the aquifer, and water managers arc becnmin~ increasingly cont't'rned about the rapid water level
<br />declines (30 fVyr). Approximately 33,iOO wells of r(.'"('oru have been completed in the st.'dimental)' r(x-k
<br />aquifers of the Denn:'r Basin for municipal. indus(ri~ll. agricultural. and domestic uscs.
<br />
<br />INTRODUCTION ,..,..,.
<br />LOCATION AND GEOLOGIC SETTING
<br />HYDROGEOLOGIC UNITS. , . . . . . , , , .
<br />
<br />........145
<br />. .14&
<br />....14&
<br />
<br />WATER LEVElS AND WATER STORAGE
<br />GROUf\<DWATER WITHDRAWAlS. . . ,
<br />
<br />.147
<br />.149
<br />
<br />ll\TRODn:TION
<br />
<br />Once the drivinR foro: opt'ratin).: Ihe dev;Hor.< in tht'
<br />Bro,vn Palace Hotel and running the hellows for tilt, Trinity
<br />Church organ, the unJerwounJ water.< of the [knvt'r Basin
<br />han' bct"n put to n.,.nefidal USt' since the lale IHOC).;, (Yan
<br />Diesl. 189D. To timher the undeNanding of this re~ourCt'.
<br />eYalu;]tion.~ of the geology and hydrology of the formation...
<br />in the B;I....in soon Followl'u (Cra...s ~t al.. IKH-t; Emmons el
<br />a!., 18%). By lilt' early 19HCk, more than I.HO(! rcpon.... deal-
<br />ing with th~ gt-",(Jlogy and hydroloJ.,'Y of the lknver Basin
<br />had Oel'n puhlishl'tl (Rohson. 19B71. nil' imponanct" of tht'
<br />DenH'r (bsin, as a major bcdrcx:k aquifer sy...tem. in ilK'
<br />StalL' of Colorado for .~uppk:mt'ming Iimik--d ...urhce '\-"ah.'r
<br />resource~ is well Jocumentt"d 1 Topper et al.. 200.',.).
<br />This spt.-dal i,slle of 7l1l' .l/ol/llfail1 Geolo~ist focu"t-'S on
<br />thLs (f{.nlt'ndolls and contron"rsbl grOlllldwater rl'~'rn)lr.
<br />
<br />In.-,lIom'',,'',, c;''',I'-,!<:L,r, Yol -II. ."0 -I ((kt,>h..'r .!(lC~Il, p J.\;.1;2
<br />
<br />Invitt-'(! pap....~ Contained herein preSt'nt th~ gt"ology and
<br />hyJrology of tht" Denyer Rasin. the regllbtory fr,H1lt:work
<br />t.st:lbhshed for the adrninistr,nion of waler right...., structural
<br />and str.uigr.lphic rdationships inflllencin,l.: Ihe hasin\
<br />hydrogeology, r{'Lhargt.,'di"'Lharge consiJ.."r:uions, and
<br />innovati\'t" technologies :I\-ailahrl' to optimize ).:fOundw:Ul'r
<br />withdrawab. Thi,,,, introductory paper est.lhlishes the frame-
<br />work for lImJt'rSlanJin).: the hydrc)gt.'ology of the aquifer.<
<br />in the Dl'Jl\'Cr Ih...in am.! Ihe demand.. placed on this
<br />resourct' ~1udl of the information pr~x.nted here is
<br />d...rh.....d from tilt.' Denver ltv,in chapter of lhe rl'('emly
<br />puhlishl"(l Grou1UIII'ater Atlas (if Colorado hy th~ Colorado
<br />Gl"olo~k;!1 Surn'v (ToPPlT t't aI., 200;H. 111al alIas is :1
<br />l'omprt'hen...i\'t', n1;Jp.h;I~t'd puhlication that prl'senb !he
<br />r(X::lIlon. gt"{))<:r-.lphy. g~ology, water quality. ;lod hydro-
<br />logic char~lClt.-ristils of the stale's major ;lquift.-rs in an ;!ftLs,
<br />tic, undt"Tsl;lndahle m;lllnt'r.
<br />
<br />11;
<br />
<br />Th.. 110.:1<\ .\joum.lon "'_""-'u~rl' 'n of G.'O!<Jg"b
<br />
|