Blue River Water-Quality Data Completed
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.
Below are publications associated with this project.
Analysis of water quality in the Blue River watershed, Colorado, 1984 through 2007
Ore deposits of the Kokomo-Tenmile District, Colorado
Geology and ore deposits of the Breckenridge mining district, 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.
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.
- 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-qualiAuthorsNancy J. Bauch, Lisa D. Miller, Sharon YacobFilter Total Items: 14Ore deposits of the Kokomo-Tenmile District, Colorado
No abstract available.AuthorsM.H. Bergendahl, Albert Herbert KoschmannGeology and ore deposits of the Breckenridge mining district, Colorado
No abstract available.AuthorsT. S. Lovering - 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.
Filter Total Items: 14