Data Series 331
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Abstract 
Population growth and changes in land use have the potential to affect water quality and quantity in the upper Gunnison River Basin. In 1995, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the Bureau of Land Management, City of Gunnison, Colorado River Water Conservation District, Crested Butte South Metropolitan District, Gunnison County, Hinsdale County, Mount Crested Butte Water and Sanitation District, National Park Service, Town of Crested Butte, Upper Gunnison River Water Conservancy District, and Western State College, established a water-quality monitoring program in the upper Gunnison River Basin to characterize current water-quality conditions and to assess the effects of increased urban development and other land-use changes on water quality. The monitoring network has evolved into two groups of stations—stations that are considered long term and stations that are considered rotational. The long-term stations are monitored to assist in defining temporal changes in water quality (how conditions may change over time). The rotational stations are monitored to assist in the spatial definition of water-quality conditions (how conditions differ throughout the basin) and to address local and short-term concerns. Some stations in the rotational group were changed beginning in water year 2007. Annual summaries of the water-quality data from the monitoring network provide a point of reference for discussions regarding water-quality monitoring in the upper Gunnison River Basin. This summary includes data collected during water years 2004 and 2005. The introduction provides a map of the sampling sites, definitions of terms, and a one-page summary of selected water-quality conditions at the network stations. The remainder of the summary is organized around the data collected at individual stations. Data collected during water years 2004 and 2005 are compared to historical data, State water-quality standards, and Federal water-quality guidelines. Data were collected following USGS protocols. |
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Spahr, N.E., Hartle, D.M, and Diaz, Paul, 2008, Comparison of water years 2004–05 and historical water-quality data, upper Gunnison River Basin, Colorado: U.S. Geological Survey Data Series Report 331, 54 p.
Introduction
Definitions of Terms
385224106590100 Coal Creek above Mouth at Crested Butte, CO
385325106581200 Washington Gulch below Woods Creek at Mount Crested Butte, CO
09111500 Slate River near Crested Butte, CO
384950106544200 East River above Slate River near Crested Butte, CO
09112200 East River below Cement Creek, CO
09112500 East River at Almont, CO
09113500 Ohio Creek near Baldwin
09113980 Ohio Creek above Mouth, near Gunnison, CO
09114500 Gunnison River near Gunnison, CO
383126106475600 Tomichi Creek below Cochetopa Creek, CO
09119000 Tomichi Creek at Gunnison, CO
383103106594200 Gunnison River at County Road 32 below Gunnison, CO
380133107190000 Henson Creek at Mouth at Lake City
380233107180701 Lake Fork Gunnison River near Lake City
385229106583100 Crested Butte Wastewater Treatment Plant
References
