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<br /> <br />Water Quality Standards <br /> <br />All streams in the State of Colorado are currently classified as either <br />co1dwater or warmwater fisheries for the purpose of establishing water <br />quality standards. These are further subdivided as to the suitability <br />or nonsuitability for primary contact recreation. Basically the <br />only difference in the water quality standards for primary and <br />secondary contact activities concern permissible bacteriological <br />counts. For primary contact activities the present standards are <br />as follows: fecal co1iforms, a geometric mean of 200 or less fecal <br />coliform groups per 100 ml per a minimum of 5 samples within 30 days <br />and no more than 10 percent in excess of 400 groups per 100 m1; total <br />co1iforms, a geometric mean of 1000 or less total coliform groups per <br />100 mlas above, with no more than 20 percent in excess of2000 co1iforms <br />per 100m1; in addition, the fecal streptococcus count will not exceed <br />an average of 20 per 100ml based on the mean of 5 slimpl es withi n 30 <br />days. <br /> <br /> <br />The State of Colorado is in the process of revising its water quality <br />standards. The second draft of the proposed standards wasdi stri buted <br />for review and comment on December 1, 1977. With respect to primary <br />contact recreation, the .standards fortota 1co1 i forms and fecal streptococcus <br />would be deleted. However, a standard would be established for algae; ,. <br />the currently proposed standardi s: "free from objecti onabl e and toxi c <br />algae." Although no numerical limitation has been established, the. <br />standard would apply to both the species composition and standing crop. <br />In addition to the above changes in standards, the definition of primary <br />contact recreation would be changed to exclude water skiing; therefore, <br />only swimming would be considered a primary contact activity. <br /> <br />BaCterio 1 o.gi cal . Study <br /> <br />Samples were collected weekly for 8 weeks, between August 22 and <br />October 11, 1977, at two sites on the South Platte River in the vicinity <br />of the Narrows Unit by Bureau personnel, One site was located at <br />approximately the inflow point to the reservoir, while the other was <br />located approximately at the damsite. The samples were cultured for <br />tota 1 and fecal co1 i forms and fecal streptococc i at the Northeast <br />Colorado Health Department laboratory in Ster1 ing. <br /> <br />The results of the study showed that bacterial levels in the river. <br />were highly variable from week to week. Mean values obtained at the <br />Masters (inflow) site and the Narrows (damsite) sites are shown in <br />the following tabulation: <br /> <br />.:"'~', <br /> <br />17 <br /> <br /> <br /> <br />< ,:-' <br /> <br />. >-~-, <br />