The Blue River drains approximately 680 square miles west of the Continental Divide in central Colorado before flowing northward into the Colorado River near Kremmling, Colorado. The Blue River watershed (BRW) is almost entirely located in Summit County and includes the towns of Breckenridge, Dillon, Frisco, Montezuma, and Silverthorne. Dillon Reservoir and Green Mountain Reservoir are major water storage facilities in the watershed. The Blue River watershed upstream from Dillon Reservoir is in the Colorado Mineral Belt, a zone of economically significant metals deposits. Hard-rock mining was the major industry in this area from 1859 through the first half of the 1900s. With the development of ski areas beginning in 1945 and the construction of Interstate-70, Summit County has become a major four-season resort destination. Ski resorts such as Arapahoe Basin, Breckenridge, Copper Mountain, and Keystone have brought rapid population growth and increased tourism and development to the area.
Mineralized bedrock, historical mining activities, and more recent urban development related to population growth, tourism, second-home development, and recreation have affected water quality and aquatic biota in the Blue River watershed . High concentrations of trace elements can occur naturally from the weathering on mineralized rock and acid mine drainage. Septic and wastewater systems and runoff from developed lands can affect nutrient concentrations in water bodies, and highway sanding in winter can increase sediment loading to nearby streams. With these considerations, the USGS, in cooperation with the Summit Water Quality Committee, is conducting a study to compile and assess water quality in the Blue River watershed.
Specific objectives of the study are to:
- Develop a water-quality database (Data Repository) from available data in the Blue River watershed.
- Characterize available water-quality data for the watershed,
- Analyze historical data and describe the spatial and seasonal distribution and temporal trends of water-quality data, and
- Identify, describe, and explain, where possible, the natural and human factors that could be affecting observed water-quality conditions.
Below are other science projects associated with the Colorado Water-Quality Data Repository.
Upper Yampa Watershed Water-Quality Data
Eagle River Water-Quality Data
Piceance Basin Water-Quality Data
Upper Gunnison River Water-Quality Data
Southwest Study Area Water-Quality Data
Roaring Fork Watershed Water-Quality Data
Arkansas River Water-Quality Data
Below are publications associated with this project.
Analysis of water quality in the Blue River watershed, Colorado, 1984 through 2007
Characterization of anthropogenic and natural sources of acid rock drainage at the Cinnamon Gulch abandoned mine land inventory site, Summit County, Colorado
Water and sediment study of the Snake River watershed, Colorado, Oct. 9-12, 2001
Water quality at basic fixed sites in the upper Colorado River basin National Water-Quality Assessment study unit, October 1995-September 1998
Annual maxima in Zn concentrations during spring snowmelt in streams impacted by mine drainage
Using water, bryophytes, and macroinvertebrates to assess trace element concentrations in the Upper Colorado River Basin
Trace elements in streambed sediment and fish liver at selected sites in the Upper Colorado River basin, Colorado 1995-96
Occurrence, transport, and fate of trace elements, Blue River Basin, Summit County, Colorado: an integrated approach
Hydrologic effects of annually diverting 131,000 acre-feet of water from Dillon Reservoir, central Colorado
Identification of water-quality trends using sediment cores from Dillon Reservoir, Summit County, Colorado
Below are partners associated with this project. All are members of the Summit Water Quality Committee.
*The Upper Blue Sanitation District was formerly Breckenridge Sanitation District.
- Overview
The Blue River drains approximately 680 square miles west of the Continental Divide in central Colorado before flowing northward into the Colorado River near Kremmling, Colorado. The Blue River watershed (BRW) is almost entirely located in Summit County and includes the towns of Breckenridge, Dillon, Frisco, Montezuma, and Silverthorne. Dillon Reservoir and Green Mountain Reservoir are major water storage facilities in the watershed. The Blue River watershed upstream from Dillon Reservoir is in the Colorado Mineral Belt, a zone of economically significant metals deposits. Hard-rock mining was the major industry in this area from 1859 through the first half of the 1900s. With the development of ski areas beginning in 1945 and the construction of Interstate-70, Summit County has become a major four-season resort destination. Ski resorts such as Arapahoe Basin, Breckenridge, Copper Mountain, and Keystone have brought rapid population growth and increased tourism and development to the area.
Mineralized bedrock, historical mining activities, and more recent urban development related to population growth, tourism, second-home development, and recreation have affected water quality and aquatic biota in the Blue River watershed . High concentrations of trace elements can occur naturally from the weathering on mineralized rock and acid mine drainage. Septic and wastewater systems and runoff from developed lands can affect nutrient concentrations in water bodies, and highway sanding in winter can increase sediment loading to nearby streams. With these considerations, the USGS, in cooperation with the Summit Water Quality Committee, is conducting a study to compile and assess water quality in the Blue River watershed.
Photo of the Snake River at 9,000 feet, Rocky Mountains. Credit: Jeff Simley Specific objectives of the study are to:
- Develop a water-quality database (Data Repository) from available data in the Blue River watershed.
- Characterize available water-quality data for the watershed,
- Analyze historical data and describe the spatial and seasonal distribution and temporal trends of water-quality data, and
- Identify, describe, and explain, where possible, the natural and human factors that could be affecting observed water-quality conditions.
- Science
Below are other science projects associated with the Colorado Water-Quality Data Repository.
Upper Yampa Watershed Water-Quality Data
The Upper Yampa River Watershed (UYRW) drains approximately 1,798 square miles west of the Continental Divide in northwestern Colorado. The Upper Yampa River Watershed includes the Yampa River Basin upstream from Elkhead Creek and the Elkhead Creek Basin and primarily is in Routt County. The city of Steamboat Springs and the towns of Hayden, Oak Creek, and Yampa are in the watershed. The Yampa...Eagle River Water-Quality Data
The Eagle River drains approximately 970 square miles (sq mi) west of the Continental Divide in central Colorado before flowing into the Colorado River. The Eagle River watershed (ERW) is located primarily within Eagle County and includes the towns of Vail, Minturn, Avon, Edwards, Eagle, and Gypsum. The eastern boundary of the Eagle River watershed is drained by Gore Creek, located at Vail Pass...Piceance Basin Water-Quality Data
As large-scale energy development continues in the Piceance Basin, there is potential for changes in surface-water and groundwater resources. In the southern Piceance Basin, a water task force consisting of numerous local governments, municipalities, and energy companies collectively identified the need for a common data repository. In the northern Piceance Basin, similar efforts were underway in...Upper Gunnison River Water-Quality Data
The Upper Gunnison River Watershed, located in the Rocky Mountains 150 miles southwest of Denver, Colorado, drains approximately 3,965 square miles. Forest and rangeland comprise 89 percent of land within the watershed, but the traditional western ranching economy is increasingly supplemented through a tourism economy centered around Crested Butte Mountain Resort and the Curecanti National...Southwest Study Area Water-Quality Data
In southwest Colorado, drought, wildfires, mining activities, agriculture, and population growth have altered the landscape from its natural condition. These changes have potentially degraded the water-quality of streams, rivers, reservoirs, and groundwater by introducing or increasing levels of metals, nutrients, synthetic organic chemicals, and sediment. Recognizing the need to understand how...Roaring Fork Watershed Water-Quality Data
The Roaring Fork Watershed, located in the Rocky Mountains 150 miles west of Denver, Colorado, has seen rapid development and population growth in recent years. The USGS, in cooperation with Pitkin County, Colorado Water Conservation District, Ruedi Water and Power Authority, and other local entities, conducted a comprehensive surface- and ground-water resource assessment in the Roaring Fork River...Arkansas River Water-Quality Data
The Arkansas River Basin drains an area of 24,904 square miles of southeastern Colorado. Like other basins on the Front Range, the Arkansas Basin has experienced growth and is expected to have significant increases in growth in the future. Demands on the limited water resources also will increase as changes in water storage, water releases, and/or transfer of waters within or outside of the basin... - Publications
Below are publications associated with this project.
Analysis of water quality in the Blue River watershed, Colorado, 1984 through 2007
Water quality of streams, reservoirs, and groundwater in the Blue River watershed in the central Rocky Mountains of Colorado has been affected by local geologic conditions, historical hard-rock metal mining, and recent urban development. With these considerations, the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Summit Water Quality Committee, conducted a study to compile historical water-qualiFilter Total Items: 14Characterization of anthropogenic and natural sources of acid rock drainage at the Cinnamon Gulch abandoned mine land inventory site, Summit County, Colorado
Colorado's Cinnamon Gulch releases acid rock drainage (ARD) from anthropogenic and natural sources. In 2001, the total discharge from Cinnamon Gulch was measured at 1.02 cfs (29 L/s) at base flow and 4.3 cfs (122 L/s) at high flow (spring runoff). At base flow, natural sources account for 98% of the discharge from the watershed, and about 96% of the chemical loading. At high flow, natural sourcesWater and sediment study of the Snake River watershed, Colorado, Oct. 9-12, 2001
The Snake River watershed, located upstream from Dillon Reservoir in the central mountains of Colorado, has been affected by historical base-metal mining. Trout stocked in the Snake River for recreational purposes do not survive through the winter. Sediment cores analyzed by previous investigators from the reservoir revealed elevated concentrations of base metals and mercury. We collected 36 sWater quality at basic fixed sites in the upper Colorado River basin National Water-Quality Assessment study unit, October 1995-September 1998
The Upper Colorado River Basin study unit of the U.S. Geological Survey National Water-Quality Assessment Program consists of the Colorado River watershed upstream from near the Colorado-Utah State line. The basin is about equally divided between the Southern Rocky Mountains and the Colorado Plateau physiographic provinces. Data were collected at pairs of indicator sites for mining, increasing urbAnnual maxima in Zn concentrations during spring snowmelt in streams impacted by mine drainage
Long-term hydrochemical monitoring and 2 years of intensive sampling were used to identify annual patterns in Zn export from three neighboring catchments in Summit County, Colorado. These catchments are characterized by a snowmelt-dominated hydrologic cycle, but range in the level of mining impact from little to severe. Zn concentrations increased during snowmelt along stream reaches with a historUsing water, bryophytes, and macroinvertebrates to assess trace element concentrations in the Upper Colorado River Basin
This study examined trace elements concentrations and macroinvertebrate community structure at 32 sites in 22 streams in Colorado. Sites affected by mining activities (mining sites) and sites that were minimally disturbed (nonmining sites) were selected for the assessment. Water and transplanted aquatic bryophyte samples were analyzed for trace elements. Macroinvertebrate samples were collected toTrace elements in streambed sediment and fish liver at selected sites in the Upper Colorado River basin, Colorado 1995-96
Trace elements were analyzed in streambed-sediment samples collected from 16 sites and in fish-liver samples collected from 14 sites in the Upper Colorado River Basin in Colorado as part of the National Water-Quality Assessment program. Sites sampled represented agricultural, mining, mixed, and urban/recreation land uses and background conditions. The results for 15 trace elements in streambed-sedOccurrence, transport, and fate of trace elements, Blue River Basin, Summit County, Colorado: an integrated approach
Mining activities in the Blue River Basin, Summit County, Colorado, have affected the trace-element chemistry and biota along French Gulch and the Blue River. Elevated concentrations of As, Cd, Cu, Pb, and Zn were present in the bed and suspended sediments. Bed sediment trace-element concentrations were high in the streams in and near mining activities in the basin and remained high as water floweHydrologic effects of annually diverting 131,000 acre-feet of water from Dillon Reservoir, central Colorado
Because of the increased demands for water in eastern Colorado, principally in the urbanizing Denver metropolitan area, increased diversions of water from Dillon Reservoir are planned. Estimates of end-of-month storage in Dillon Reservoir, assuming the reservoir was in place and 131,000 acre-feet of water were diverted from the reservoir each year, were reconstructed by mass balance for the 1931-7Identification of water-quality trends using sediment cores from Dillon Reservoir, Summit County, Colorado
Since the construction of Dillon Reservoir, in Summit County, Colorado, in 1963, its drainage area has been the site of rapid urban development and the continued influence of historical mining. In an effort to assess changes in water quality within the drainage area, sediment cores were collected from Dillon Reservoir in 1997. The sediment cores were analyzed for pesticides, polychlorinated biphen - Partners
Below are partners associated with this project. All are members of the Summit Water Quality Committee.
*The Upper Blue Sanitation District was formerly Breckenridge Sanitation District.
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