WSP03614

• File Number: 8270.100
• Description: Colorado River Basin Water Quality/Salinity -- Misc Water Quality
• Basin: Colorado Mainstem
• Water Division: 5
• Date: 1/1/1981
• Author: USDOI
• Title: Quality of Water - Colorado River Basin - Progress Report No. 10 - January 1981 -- Part 1 of 2 -- Title Page through Part IX - page 98
• Water Supply Pro - Doc Type: Report/Study

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PART VI. EVALUATIONS OF EXISTING SALINITY CONDITIONS

A. Quality of Water Stations

A primary purpose of this report is to summarize water quality con-
ditions for the Colorado River Basin. This part summarizes chemical
quality under both historical and present conditions of water resource
development and utilization. Anticipated changes in future chemical
quality are discussed in Part VII. Other water quality parameters are
discussed in Part IX.

Evaluations of the aalinity of the water in the basin are based on
quality of water and streamflow records at 20 selected stations. I';ach
station is considered to reflect flow and water quality conditions at its
location. Records were generally available at each station for the time
period considered by this report, 1941 to 1978. Where records were not
available, missing data were estimated by correlation with other stations.

Basic data sUl1D11arized in this report were primarily obtained from
records of the Geological Survey developed by a continuing program for
the collection of "ate" data "hich is suppo"ted in part by a transfer of
funds from the Water and Power Resources Service.

Locations of the 20 key stations are shown on Figure 1. Available
flow and quality records for each station are shown on Figure 2. The
source and method of derivation of basic data for each of the stations are
briefly discussed in the following sections.

1. Key Stations with Complete Records

Records of flow and water quality are available for all of the 1941-78
period for the Green River at Green River, Utah (Station No.6); Colorado
River near Cameo, Colorado (Station No.9); Gunnison River near Grand
Junction, Colorado (Station No. 10); Colorado River near Cisco, Utah
(Station No. 12). Minor extensions only were needed to fill in short
periods of record for a few of these stations. The Colorado River near
Glenwood Springs gage was moved from above to below the Roaring Fork at the
end of the water year 1966. Subsequent records for this station were
adjusted by subtracting the Roaring Fork flows. Most records were obtained
from the Geological Survey publications. Current Geological Survey data
may be obtained from the Geological Survey, Water Resource Division com-
puter data storage banks in Reston, Virginia, or from the Environmental
Protection Agency's STORET system. Much of the current data are provi-
sional and subject to change. For this report Geological Survey data
for October, November, and December of 1978 was unpublished.

2. Key Stations with Partial Records

Green River near Green River, Wyoming (Station No.1). Flow records
are available at this station from April 1951 and quality records from May

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