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The alluvial aquifer of the upper Black Squirrel Creek Basin, about 15 miles east of Colorado Springs, supplies most of the water for irrigation and domestic use in the Upper Black Squirrel Creek Designated Ground Water Basin (UBSCDGWB) and, since 1964, supplies water for export to the Colorado Springs area. Substantial residential growth in the UBSCDGWB, which utilizes both domestic septic systems and centralized wastewater facilities for wastewater treatment, as well as long-term agricultural land use (both livestock and crop land), led to a greater need for detailed understanding of groundwater availability and quality in the area. Because of those concerns, stakeholders began a multi-year, multi-phase water-quality study in 2011.
During additional phases in 2013 (Phase 2) and 2018-20 (Phase 3), the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the Upper Black Squirrel Creek Ground Water Management District, sampled 48-50 production, stock-watering, irrigation, and monitoring wells and identified nutrients (primarily nitrate, a form of nitrogen ) as a primary constituent of concern in the UBSCDGWB, as well as identifying potential factors that may contribute to susceptibility and vulnerability of the aquifer to nitrate and the presence of pharmaceutical compounds and personal-care products in some groundwater samples.
Understanding the water quality of the Upper Black Squirrel Creek Basin alluvial aquifer is central for decision makers to manage the long-term sustainability of the aquifer. The objective of Phase 4 (2021–24) study is to continue monitoring groundwater quality in the alluvial aquifer in the UBSCDGWB (begun in 2013), assess potential changes to water quality, and identify trends. A secondary objective is to understand the human effects on the alluvial aquifer. During Phase 4, a subset of the original (2013) wells will be sampled annually in addition to another subset (rotating three of the phase 3 wells per year) to increase the geospatial coverage. Constituents included in this sampling include Perfluoroalkyl and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS), trace metals and rare-Earth elements, pesticides, major ions, nutrients, physical properties, isotopes of water, isotopes of nitrate, isotopes of strontium, and pharmaceutical compounds and personal-care products. Sampling is conducted each fall (October–November) following USGS protocols and procedures.
Sampling of a production well from an outdoor spigot in the Upper Black Squirrel Creek Designated Ground Water Basin in Colorado.
Sampling of a production well from an outdoor spigot in the Upper Black Squirrel Creek Designated Ground Water Basin in Colorado.
Image of observation well with Grundfos Redi-Flo 2 pump at Upper Black Squirrel Creek Designated Ground Water Basin location.
Image of observation well with Grundfos Redi-Flo 2 pump at Upper Black Squirrel Creek Designated Ground Water Basin location.
Image of sample processing equipment in truck at Upper Black Squirrel Creek Designated Ground Water Basin study location.
Image of sample processing equipment in truck at Upper Black Squirrel Creek Designated Ground Water Basin study location.
The alluvial aquifer of the upper Black Squirrel Creek Basin, about 15 miles east of Colorado Springs, supplies most of the water for irrigation and domestic use in the Upper Black Squirrel Creek Designated Ground Water Basin (UBSCDGWB) and, since 1964, supplies water for export to the Colorado Springs area. Substantial residential growth in the UBSCDGWB, which utilizes both domestic septic systems and centralized wastewater facilities for wastewater treatment, as well as long-term agricultural land use (both livestock and crop land), led to a greater need for detailed understanding of groundwater availability and quality in the area. Because of those concerns, stakeholders began a multi-year, multi-phase water-quality study in 2011.
During additional phases in 2013 (Phase 2) and 2018-20 (Phase 3), the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the Upper Black Squirrel Creek Ground Water Management District, sampled 48-50 production, stock-watering, irrigation, and monitoring wells and identified nutrients (primarily nitrate, a form of nitrogen ) as a primary constituent of concern in the UBSCDGWB, as well as identifying potential factors that may contribute to susceptibility and vulnerability of the aquifer to nitrate and the presence of pharmaceutical compounds and personal-care products in some groundwater samples.
Understanding the water quality of the Upper Black Squirrel Creek Basin alluvial aquifer is central for decision makers to manage the long-term sustainability of the aquifer. The objective of Phase 4 (2021–24) study is to continue monitoring groundwater quality in the alluvial aquifer in the UBSCDGWB (begun in 2013), assess potential changes to water quality, and identify trends. A secondary objective is to understand the human effects on the alluvial aquifer. During Phase 4, a subset of the original (2013) wells will be sampled annually in addition to another subset (rotating three of the phase 3 wells per year) to increase the geospatial coverage. Constituents included in this sampling include Perfluoroalkyl and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS), trace metals and rare-Earth elements, pesticides, major ions, nutrients, physical properties, isotopes of water, isotopes of nitrate, isotopes of strontium, and pharmaceutical compounds and personal-care products. Sampling is conducted each fall (October–November) following USGS protocols and procedures.
Sampling of a production well from an outdoor spigot in the Upper Black Squirrel Creek Designated Ground Water Basin in Colorado.
Sampling of a production well from an outdoor spigot in the Upper Black Squirrel Creek Designated Ground Water Basin in Colorado.
Image of observation well with Grundfos Redi-Flo 2 pump at Upper Black Squirrel Creek Designated Ground Water Basin location.
Image of observation well with Grundfos Redi-Flo 2 pump at Upper Black Squirrel Creek Designated Ground Water Basin location.
Image of sample processing equipment in truck at Upper Black Squirrel Creek Designated Ground Water Basin study location.
Image of sample processing equipment in truck at Upper Black Squirrel Creek Designated Ground Water Basin study location.