The Denver Basin aquifer system is composed of Late Cretaceous to Tertiary-age sandstone bedrock aquifers and intervening claystone confining units that occur in the uppermost layers of the structural Denver Basin above the Cretaceous Pierre Shale confining layer.

From oldest to youngest, the four primary aquifers are the Laramie-Fox Hills, Arapahoe, Denver, and Dawson. The Arapahoe and Dawson aquifers are further differentiated into upper and lower units in parts of the basin. Thus, the six Denver Basin bedrock aquifers and five intervening confining units used to develop geologic layers for the groundwater flow model, from oldest to youngest, are the Laramie-Fox Hills aquifer, Laramie confining unit, lower Arapahoe aquifer, Arapahoe confining unit, upper Arapahoe aquifer, lower Denver confining unit, Denver aquifer, upper Denver confining unit, lower Dawson aquifer, Dawson confining unit, and upper Dawson Aquifer. Alluvial sand, gravel, and clay deposits overlie the bedrock formations primarily along stream channels in the South Platte and Arkansas River basins, and these materials form an unconfined alluvial aquifer where saturated.
The data below are supplemental to Groundwater Availability of the Denver Basin aquifer system, Colorado (USGS Professional Paper 1770). The report includes a description of methods used to derive the data.
Click on the links below to download files for this aquifer. For information about the available file types, see Aquifer data: Explanation of spatial data formats.
Spatial datasets (shapefiles and metadata) for six Denver Basin bedrock aquifers and five intervening confining units including, from oldest to youngest:
- Laramie-Fox Hills aquifer (KLF)
- Laramie confining unit (KLC)
- lower Arapahoe aquifer (LKA)
- Arapahoe confining unit (KAC)
- upper Arapahoe aquifer (UKA)
- Denver lower confining unit (TKDLC)
- Denver aquifer (TKD)
- Denver upper confining unit (TKDUC)
- lower Dawson aquifer (LTDW)
- Dawson confining unit (TDWC)
- upper Dawson aquifer (UTDW).
Below are other science projects associated with aquifer.
Principal Aquifers of the United States
Regional Groundwater Availability Studies
Below are publications associated with this aquifer.
Groundwater availability of the Denver Basin aquifer system, Colorado
Ground Water Atlas of the United States
- Overview
The Denver Basin aquifer system is composed of Late Cretaceous to Tertiary-age sandstone bedrock aquifers and intervening claystone confining units that occur in the uppermost layers of the structural Denver Basin above the Cretaceous Pierre Shale confining layer.
Sources/Usage: Public Domain. Visit Media to see details.From oldest to youngest, the four primary aquifers are the Laramie-Fox Hills, Arapahoe, Denver, and Dawson. The Arapahoe and Dawson aquifers are further differentiated into upper and lower units in parts of the basin. Thus, the six Denver Basin bedrock aquifers and five intervening confining units used to develop geologic layers for the groundwater flow model, from oldest to youngest, are the Laramie-Fox Hills aquifer, Laramie confining unit, lower Arapahoe aquifer, Arapahoe confining unit, upper Arapahoe aquifer, lower Denver confining unit, Denver aquifer, upper Denver confining unit, lower Dawson aquifer, Dawson confining unit, and upper Dawson Aquifer. Alluvial sand, gravel, and clay deposits overlie the bedrock formations primarily along stream channels in the South Platte and Arkansas River basins, and these materials form an unconfined alluvial aquifer where saturated.
The data below are supplemental to Groundwater Availability of the Denver Basin aquifer system, Colorado (USGS Professional Paper 1770). The report includes a description of methods used to derive the data.
Click on the links below to download files for this aquifer. For information about the available file types, see Aquifer data: Explanation of spatial data formats.
Spatial datasets (shapefiles and metadata) for six Denver Basin bedrock aquifers and five intervening confining units including, from oldest to youngest:
- Laramie-Fox Hills aquifer (KLF)
- Laramie confining unit (KLC)
- lower Arapahoe aquifer (LKA)
- Arapahoe confining unit (KAC)
- upper Arapahoe aquifer (UKA)
- Denver lower confining unit (TKDLC)
- Denver aquifer (TKD)
- Denver upper confining unit (TKDUC)
- lower Dawson aquifer (LTDW)
- Dawson confining unit (TDWC)
- upper Dawson aquifer (UTDW).
- Science
Below are other science projects associated with aquifer.
Principal Aquifers of the United States
This website compiles USGS resources and data related to principal aquifers including Aquifer Basics, principal aquifers maps and GIS data, and the National Aquifer Code Reference List.Regional Groundwater Availability Studies
Regional groundwater availability studies enable information about groundwater to be integrated and consistent, so that this resource can be analyzed and understood on an aquifer–wide scale. These studies provide decision–makers with a better understanding of the status and trends in the Nation's groundwater availability. - Publications
Below are publications associated with this aquifer.
Groundwater availability of the Denver Basin aquifer system, Colorado
The Denver Basin aquifer system is a critical water resource for growing municipal, industrial, and domestic uses along the semiarid Front Range urban corridor of Colorado. The confined bedrock aquifer system is located along the eastern edge of the Rocky Mountain Front Range where the mountains meet the Great Plains physiographic province. Continued population growth and the resulting need forGround Water Atlas of the United States
PrefaceThe Ground Water Atlas of the United States presents a comprehensive summary of the Nation's ground-water resources and is a basic reference for the location, geography, geology, and hydrologic characteristics of the major aquifers in the Nation. The information was collected by the U.S. Geological Survey and other agencies during the course of many years of study. Results of the Regional AAuthors