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0918 WATER-QUALITY DATA FOR THE SOUTHERN UTE INDIAN RESERVATION, SOUTHWESTERN COLORADO By E. Carter Hutchinson and Robert E. Brogden ABSTRACT This report contains basic water-quality data from a study by the U.S. Geological Survey on the Southern Ute Indian Reservation in southwestern Colo- rado. Data collected during 1973-76 from 338 ground-water and surface-water samples are presented in two tables. All of the samples were analyzed for ma- jor cations and anions, and selenium and arsenic. Data presented in the ta- bles are keyed by numbers to maps showing the locations of the sampling sites. Many of the samples contained arsenic, chloride, dissolved solids, fluoride, iron, magnesium, manganese, nitrate, nitrite-pIus-nitrate as nitrogen, sele- nium, and sulfate in concentrations exceeding re~ommended or mandatory stand- ards for drinking water established by the Colorado Department of Health and the U.S. Public Health Service. INTRODUCTION Information on the chemical quality of ground water and surface water on the Southern Ute Indian Reservation (fig. 1) is presented in this report. The basic data were collected by the U.S. Geological Survey from 1973 through 1976. The investigation was conducted in cooperation with the Southern Ute Tribal Council, the Four Corners Regional Planning Commission, and the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs. Purpose The purpose of the investigation was to inventory the chemical charac- teristics of shallow ground water and surface water on the reservation. Information presented in the water-quality tables can provide present well owners and future water users with data on the chemical characteristics of shallow ground water and streams on the reservation. The information will allow the Tribal Council to better plan their future land use and will assist in determining the suitability of the resource for developing water supplies for municipal, domestic, and agricultural uses. 1