WSP04572

• File Number: 8271.300
• Description: Colorado River Basin Salinity Control Program - General Information and Publications-Reports
• Basin: Colorado Mainstem
• Water Division: 5
• Date: 1/1/1981
• Author: R Evans W Walker
• Title: Optimizing Salinity Control Strategies for the Upper Colorado River Basin -- Part 1 of 2 - Title page - 186 -- Abstract - Bibliography
• Water Supply Pro - Doc Type: Report/Study

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Groundwater
The small role of groundwater in the Upper Colorado
River Basin has primarily been one of furnishing domestic
and livestock needs. Groundwater occurs under almost all of
the area. However, many of the wells are small and/or water
quality is poor. The alluvial valley-fill aquifers gener-
ally have the highest potential capacity for wells, although
most are hydraulically connected to the streams. Most of
the valleys are narrow, consequently the water withdrawn
from the wells affect the streams in relatively short time,
periods. Because of the low volumes involved, this is not
expected to be a significant problem in the basin for many
years.
Shallow groundwater is generally of very poor water
quality and not suitable for agricultural or municipal uses
in the upper Basin. In much of the basin, wells capable of
producing 60 Ips (1,000 gpm) or more can be developed pro-
vided that the wells are drilled to sufficient depths. The
most productive aquifers are in sandstone formations in the
southern portion of the basin and in the Green River forma-
tion in the Piceance Creek Basin. In most other areas, the
wells must be drilled thousands of meters deep to tap all of
the available aquifers.
Groundwater is considered as a potential short-term
supplemental water supply to energy development. The USDI
(1974) estimated that the "average annual replenishment" of
the groundwater supply in the Upper Colorado River Basin is