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. Gore Creek flows along I-70 through the town of Vail before its confluence with the main stem Eagle River near the town of Minturn. The Eagle River continues to flow along I-70 to its western boundary near Dotsero.
Increased tourism and development in Eagle County is in part due to the high mountain environment and accessible location within close proximity to the I-70 corridor. As a result, Eagle County has become known as a four-season resort destination. Ski resorts such as Vail and Beaver Creek have brought increased tourism and development to the area.
From the early mining days along the Eagle River to the current tourism based economy, the Eagle River watershed has undergone a sequence of land use changes that has influenced the hydrology, habitat, and water quality of the area. With continued remediation of mine affected areas, expansion of development and tourism, and continued effects related to transportation infrastructure, there are continued and varied demands on water resources within the watershed.
Local entities in the Eagle River watershed who rely on and manage these resources are interested in the assessment of water quantity and water quality to anticipate future management actions to aid in the preservation of the Eagle River watershed.
Water-quality data for the Eagle River watershed have been gathered together so that interested citizens can evaluate historical changes and current quality of stream water and groundwater within the watershed.
OBJECTIVES:
Specific objectives of the study are:
- To characterize existing water-resources and stream-biota data for the Eagle River watershed.
- To analyze historical data and assess the broad-scale geographic and seasonal distribution of current water-quantity and quality and stream-biota conditions in the Eagle River watershed.
- To summarize the current knowledge of the environmental setting and identify, describe, and explain, where possible, the major natural and human factors that affect observed water-quantity and -quality conditions.
- To develop a water-quantity, water-quality, and stream-biota data base.
- To design a water-quality sampling scheme to address water-quality and water-resource management concerns based on results of the retrospective analysis.
- To implement a monitoring program to describe current water-quality, water-quantity, and stream-biota conditions in the Eagle River watershed.
Below are other science projects associated with the Colorado Water-Quality Data Repository.
Upper Yampa Watershed 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
Blue River Water-Quality Data
- Overview
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. Gore Creek flows along I-70 through the town of Vail before its confluence with the main stem Eagle River near the town of Minturn. The Eagle River continues to flow along I-70 to its western boundary near Dotsero.
Increased tourism and development in Eagle County is in part due to the high mountain environment and accessible location within close proximity to the I-70 corridor. As a result, Eagle County has become known as a four-season resort destination. Ski resorts such as Vail and Beaver Creek have brought increased tourism and development to the area.
Sources/Usage: Public Domain.Eagle River Watershed From the early mining days along the Eagle River to the current tourism based economy, the Eagle River watershed has undergone a sequence of land use changes that has influenced the hydrology, habitat, and water quality of the area. With continued remediation of mine affected areas, expansion of development and tourism, and continued effects related to transportation infrastructure, there are continued and varied demands on water resources within the watershed.
Local entities in the Eagle River watershed who rely on and manage these resources are interested in the assessment of water quantity and water quality to anticipate future management actions to aid in the preservation of the Eagle River watershed.
Water-quality data for the Eagle River watershed have been gathered together so that interested citizens can evaluate historical changes and current quality of stream water and groundwater within the watershed.
Sources/Usage: Public Domain.Eagle River, Colorado OBJECTIVES:
Specific objectives of the study are:
- To characterize existing water-resources and stream-biota data for the Eagle River watershed.
- To analyze historical data and assess the broad-scale geographic and seasonal distribution of current water-quantity and quality and stream-biota conditions in the Eagle River watershed.
- To summarize the current knowledge of the environmental setting and identify, describe, and explain, where possible, the major natural and human factors that affect observed water-quantity and -quality conditions.
- To develop a water-quantity, water-quality, and stream-biota data base.
- To design a water-quality sampling scheme to address water-quality and water-resource management concerns based on results of the retrospective analysis.
- To implement a monitoring program to describe current water-quality, water-quantity, and stream-biota conditions in the Eagle River watershed.
- 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...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...Blue River Water-Quality Data
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... - Multimedia
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