Gore Creek Watershed, Colorado— Assessment of Historical and Current Water Quantity, Water Quality, And Aquatic Ecology, 1968–98
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Gore Creek Watershed, Colorado— Assessment of Historical and Current Water Quantity, Water Quality, and Aquatic Ecology, 1968–98 By Kirby H. Wynn, Nancy J. Bauch, and Nancy E. Driver U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY Water-Resources Investigations Report 99–4270 Denver, Colorado 2001 U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR GALE A. NORTON, Secretary U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY Charles G. Groat, Director The use of firm, trade, and brand names in this report is for identification purposes only and does not constitute endorsement by the U.S. Geological Survey. For additional information write to: Copies of this report can be purchased from: District Chief U.S. Geological Survey U.S. Geological Survey Information Services Box 25046, Mail Stop 415 Box 25286 Denver Federal Center Federal Center Denver, CO 80225–0046 Denver, CO 80225 CONTENTS Abstract.................................................................................................................................................................................. 1 Introduction............................................................................................................................................................................ 2 Purpose and Scope....................................................................................................................................................... 4 Acknowledgments ....................................................................................................................................................... 4 Description of Study Area ..................................................................................................................................................... 4 Data Sources and Compilation .............................................................................................................................................. 7 Methods of Data Review and Analysis.................................................................................................................................. 18 Surface Water......................................................................................................................................................................... 20 Water Quantity............................................................................................................................................................. 20 Water Quality............................................................................................................................................................... 25 Field Properties.................................................................................................................................................. 25 Inorganic Constituents ....................................................................................................................................... 29 Organic Constituents.......................................................................................................................................... 42 Sediment ............................................................................................................................................................ 43 Streambed Sediment and Tissue Chemistry ................................................................................................................ 43 Organochlorine Compounds........................................................................................................................................ 43 Trace Elements .................................................................................................................................................. 44 Ground Water......................................................................................................................................................................... 45 Water Quantity............................................................................................................................................................. 45 Water Quality............................................................................................................................................................... 45 Inorganic Constituents ....................................................................................................................................... 47 Organic Constituents.......................................................................................................................................... 50 Other Constituents ....................................................................................................................................................... 50 Other Ground-Water Data............................................................................................................................................ 50 Dating Analysis ........................................................................................................................................................... 51 Aquatic Ecology .................................................................................................................................................................... 52 Algae............................................................................................................................................................................ 53 Macroinvertebrates ...................................................................................................................................................... 56 Gore Creek......................................................................................................................................................... 56 Black Gore Creek .............................................................................................................................................. 60 Fish .............................................................................................................................................................................. 61 Relations Among Water Quality, Aquatic Ecology, and Bed-Sediment and Tissue Chemistry............................................ 63 Summary................................................................................................................................................................................ 65 References Cited.................................................................................................................................................................... 69 FIGURES 1–6. Maps showing: 1. Location of the Gore Creek watershed............................................................................................................. 3 2. Average annual precipitation (1951–80) in the Gore Creek watershed............................................................5 3. Geology of the Gore Creek watershed ............................................................................................................. 6 4. Land use for the Gore Creek watershed ........................................................................................................... 8 5. Surface-water-quality sampling sites in the Gore Creek watershed................................................................. 13 6. Aquatic-ecology sampling sites, 1995–97........................................................................................................ 14 7. Graph showing distribution of sampling dates and period of record for nutrient samples at surface-water sampling sites .................................................................................................................. 15 8. Distribution of sampling dates and period of record for trace-element samples at surface-water sampling sites ................................................................................................................................ 16 9. Map showing ground-water sampling sites, 1988–97 ............................................................................................. 17 CONTENTS III 10–12. Graphs showing: 10. Mean annual streamflow at selected gaging stations in the Gore Creek watershed......................................... 23 11. Mean monthly streamflow at selected gaging stations in the Gore Creek watershed...................................... 24 12. Mean daily streamflow and specific conductance at the mouth of Gore Creek............................................... 26 13. Graph (A) and map (B) showing: Distribution (A) and spatial distribution (B) of specific conductance .................................................................... 27 14. Graph showing trilinear diagram of major-ion data for site 29, at the mouth of Gore Creek ................................. 30 15. Graph showing distribution of nutrient concentrations for all surface-water sampling sites in the Gore Creek watershed ................................................................................................................................... 31 16–22. Graphs (A) and maps (B) showing: 16. (A) Distribution of ammonia and (B) spatial distribution of median concentrations of ammonia for surface-water sampling sites in the Gore Creek watershed ........................................................ 33 17. (A) Distribution of nitrate and (B) spatial distribution of median concentrations of nitrate for surface-water sampling sites in the Gore Creek watershed.......................................................................