B I G T H O M P S O N W A T E R S H E D N E W S

2017 | NEWSLETTER OF THE BIG THOMPSON WATERSHED FORUM

W W W . B T W A T E R S H E D . O R G C O N T E N T S

I N T H I S I S S U E

Hello Forum stakeholders and watershed community members. We’re pleased to share some of the highlights of the past year and a half at the Big Thompson Watershed Forum. The Forum continued its robust water quality monitoring and assessment of the Big Thompson River and its major tributaries in 2016-2017. We wish to thank our major and minor contributors, our Board of Directors, our staff, and all of our stakeholders and individuals who help sustain the Forum and allow us to continue our mission to support the protection and improvement of water quality in the Big Thompson Watershed.

W A T E R Q U A L I T Y M O N I T O R I N G A N D A S S E S S M E N T

USGS Cooperative Monitoring Program (pg. 2) In Memoriam: Susan Hartley, USGS (1964-2017) (pg. 3) 2015 Big Thompson River Water Quality Summary Report (pg. 4) Highway 34: Big Thompson Canyon (pg. 6) Volunteer Monitoring Program, 1997-2015 (pg. 7)

E D U C A T I O N A N D O U T R E A C H

2017 BTWF Watershed Conference (pg. 8) Children’s Water Festivals (pg. 9) Annual Waterway Cleanup (pg. 10) BTWF Environmental Scholarship (pg. 10)

F O R U M U P D A T E S

Board of Directors (pg. 11) Staff (pg. 12) Financial Contributors (pg. 12) Forum Mission (pg. 13) Take Action (pg. 13) W A T E R Q U A L I T Y M O N I T O R I N G A N D A S S E S S M E N T

USGS COOPERATIVE Annual review and evaluation of these data provides the opportunity to identify MONITORING PROGRAM water quality issues or improvements over time and in specific sections of the Through the Forum’s Cooperative Monitoring Program, the U.S. river. Geological Survey (USGS) conducts water quality sampling, with analyses completed by the USGS National Water Quality Laboratory, Fort The Forum’s Joint Funding Agreement Collins Water Quality Laboratory, and Loveland Water Quality with the USGS provides for monthly Laboratory. The Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District (Northern sampling of 15 sites in the Big Thompson Water) also conducts monitoring in the C-BT system canals on the East River Watershed. Sample sites are and West Slopes and provides these data to the Forum. located along the length of the river from the headwaters site (M10) within This Cooperative Monitoring Program represents the core data that are Rocky Mountain National Park, to a site collected and analyzed to assess the status of the Big Thompson River. located just upstream of the confluence of the Big Thompson and South Platte Rivers (VM05). In addition to the 12 mainstem sites, three other sites are located on each of the main tributaries to the Big Thompson River, including the North Fork Big Thompson River (T10), Buckhorn Creek (T20), and the Little Thompson River (VT05).

The USGS Cooperative Monitoring Program enables us to develop a comprehensive picture of the water quality in the Big Thompson River, as summarized in our annual and five-year reports. We wish to thank our cooperative partners (Cities of Fort Collins, Greeley, and Loveland; Northern Water, and the Tri-Districts/Soldier Canyon Filter Plant) and the USGS staff for their financial contributions and hard work.

USGS hydrologic technicians collect samples from the Big Thompson River.

P A G E 2 M A P O F C O O P E R A T I V E P R O G R A M S A M P L E S I T E S

I N M E M O R I A M

SUSAN HARTLEY, USGS (1964-2017)

The Forum is sad to announce the passing of Susan (Sue) Hartley on June 10, 2017. Sue was a hydrologic technician with the U.S. Geological Survey and served as the Forum’s primary contact for the USGS Cooperative Monitoring Program for more than a decade. Sue’s efforts were instrumental in the comprehensive collection and validation of much of the data we use at the Forum. She not only coordinated and participated in water sampling efforts, she also knew the river and the associated data better than just about anyone. She was always more than happy to share her knowledge to the benefit of the Big Thompson River and those who depend on it. More importantly, she was a friend to all who had the good fortune to meet her. She will be greatly missed.

P A G E 3 2015 BIG THOMPSON RIVER WATER QUALITY SUMMARY REPORT

With the guidance of the BTWF Science and Monitoring Committee (Judy Billica, Northern Water; Al Paquet, CH2M; and Jill Oropeza, City of Fort Collins), the Forum prepared a water quality report to summarize key data collected in the Big Thompson River in 2015 and compare it to the previous five years of data. Andy Fayram, the Forum's monitoring program manager, is currently working on the 2016 annual report, which will be available at the Forum's Watershed Conference on November 1, 2017.

Based on an overall evaluation of water quality parameters collected in 2015 and compared to data collected from 2010-2014, water quality in the Big Thompson River was generally good. This conclusion is based on an examination of data from water samples collected at 27 sites throughout 2015 by the USGS and volunteers as part of the USEPA Volunteer Monitoring Program.

U P P E R W A T E R S H E D

Generally, water quality in the upper watershed of the Big Thompson River was very good. This conclusion is not surprising given the geology, lack of development, and absence of large- scale disturbances in this portion of the watershed. Concentrations of metals and nutrients, as well as Escherichia coli ( E . c o l i ) levels, were all very low.

L O W E R W A T E R S H E D

The lower watershed is characterized by a combination of urban and agricultural land uses, alluvial groundwater, sedimentary geology, and the presence of wastewater treatment plant effluent. Flow is generally lower in this portion of the watershed due to the City of Loveland water treatment plant intake and irrigation ditch diversions. Land use patterns and wastewater treatment plant effluent result in higher nutrient and E . c o l i levels than are present in the upper watershed. In addition, the underlying geology of the lower watershed includes Pierre Shale, which is a source of selenium and sulfate, This graph shows how water quality parameters (phosphorus in this case) resulting in elevated levels of these typically change from the upper watershed to the lower watershed. The parameters in this portion of the river. red dot represents the median value for 2015, and the blue boxes represent the range of values from each river section between 2010 and 2014.

P A G E 4 C O N T I N U E D : 2 0 1 5 W A T E R Q U A L I T Y S U M M A R Y R E P O R T

T R I B U T A R I E S

The main tributaries of the Big Thompson River are the North Fork of the Big Thompson River, Buckhorn Creek, and the Little Thompson River. Water quality in the tributaries is generally similar to that of the Big Thompson River in the sections where these tributaries enter the mainstem. However, each tributary does differ in some ways when compared to the mainstem. In 2015, the North Fork had slightly elevated mercury, the Little Thompson had elevated sulfate and E . c o l i , and Buckhorn Creek had elevated total organic carbon levels relative to the mainstem.

O V E R A L L

Meteorological conditions caused relatively warm water temperatures and slightly elevated flow in 2015. Although some parameters of interest exceeded levels associated with good water quality, Most parameters of interest were at levels that suggest good water quality in 2015, when compared to the reference period of 2010-2014. Copper levels were occasionally elevated, but median values were relatively low in 2015 compared to the reference period of 2010- 2014. Similarly, virtually all parameters that reflect nutrient availability conducive to the growth of algae were relatively low in 2015 when compared to the reference period. Hopefully, the relatively low level of nutrients is indicative of a trend that will continue.

Selenium levels seem to be relatively high, particularly in the lower river, but these high values are the result of the bedrock geology of this portion of the river (Pierre shale), which is rich in selenium. It is unclear the degree to which elevated levels of selenium affect the aquatic communities of the lower river. Developing a deeper understanding of the relationship between the aquatic communities in the lower portion of the river and selenium levels would clarify the need to meet or adjust selenium water quality standards in this portion of the river. E . c o l i levels were also relatively high in 2015, particularly in the lower portion of the mainstem and in the Little Thompson River. Continued monitoring of E . c o l i levels will aid in documenting this potential issue and in suggesting potential causes and solutions.

Read the full report: btwatershed.org/water-quality-report

Greenback cutthroat trout in Dream Lake, Rocky Mountain National Park

P A G E 5 HIGHWAY 34: BIG THOMPSON CANYON

Roads and bridges on Highway 34 in the Big Thompson Canyon suffered significant damage during the 2013 flood. As a result of this event, as well as the 1976 flood event, CDOT has been studying the river’s hydraulic flow in the canyon, in an effort to develop safety improvements and resiliency solutions to prevent and protect against damage from future flood events.

From October 2016 to May 2017, CDOT limited travel on Highway 34 between Estes Park and Loveland to only Big Thompson Canyon residents, seven days a week. Permitted residents were allowed access between the hours of 6:00 - 8:30 a.m. and 4:00 - 7:00 p.m. This summer, the highway will remain open to traffic in both directions, with occasional short-duration lane closures for general construction activities and traffic stops for rock-blasting work. People driving through this area should plan for up to 20- to 30-minute delays throughout the summer.

In March 2017, CDOT announced that Highway 34 will again be closed through the canyon from October 2017 through May 2018. This second long-term closure, which will extend from the Narrows past the Town of Drake, is expected to cut more than a year off the original expected reconstruction time, thereby minimizing impacts to local residents and travelers during the busy tourist season.

For more information, visit CDOT’s Highway 34 project web page at: https://www.codot.gov/news/projects/floodrelatedprojects/us-34-big-thompson-canyon-1

Above: Construction crews work on Highway 34 in Big Thompson Canyon during winter 2017.

Right: A cabin damaged in the 2013 flood sits along the Big Thompson River near the Town of Drake

P A G E 6 VOLUNTEER MONITORING PROGRAM, 1997-2015

In 1997, the Forum developed a volunteer monitoring and assessment program to help determine baseline water- quality conditions throughout the Big Thompson Watershed. The sampling locations were selected to fill in the gaps from the USGS Cooperative Monitoring Program and included sites in the Big Thompson River, North Fork of the Big Thompson River, Little Thompson River, Fall River, and Glacier Creek.

From 1997 to 2015, the 12 sites were sampled by Forum staff and volunteers trained by the Forum, in partnership with US Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) Region 8. The USEPA Region 8 laboratory in Golden, CO, analyzed 26 water-quality constituents, including nutrients, metals, bacteria, total organic carbon, and major ions.

The USEPA Volunteer Monitoring Program was discontinued in late 2015, after nearly 20 years of volunteer sampling in the Big Thompson River. The Forum wishes to thank the following volunteers who participated in the program, as well as Tim Schmitt, who helped run the program and maintained the Forum’s lab and equipment:

Emilie Abbott Robert Alexander Kalvin Andrade Erik Anglund Kali Arenas Elisa Baebler Joe Chaplin Scott Cornell Zach Dahlgren Lindsey Davis Tracy Phelps Emmanuel Krystle Ervin Jeri Feil Charlie Ferrantelli Greg Harp Clint Jones Crystal Lesmeister Nicolette Lind John Matis Kelsey McCarty Donal O'Leary Arden Piland Fred Renner Tim Schmitt Abiah Shaffer Traci Shambo Jennifer Stephenson Chris Stewart Eddie Trevino Samantha Voss Amanda Weber Volunteer Amanda Weber takes water samples from one of the Forum’s sample sites.

P A G E 7 E D U C A T I O N A N D O U T R E A C H

2017 BTWF WATERSHED R E G I S T E R N O W Register before October 1 to get the early bird rate of $65. The registration fee CONFERENCE includes continental breakfast and buffet lunch. S A V E T H E D A T E Please join the Big Thompson Watershed Forum on November 1, For more information, contact Laurie 2017, for its 15th biennial watershed conference. We will welcome Schmidt at [email protected]. 14 speakers who will present on topics ranging from abandoned mines in the Big Thompson Watershed, to status updates on To register and view the full agenda, visit: Highway 34 construction. btwatershed.org/watershed-conference/.

P A G E 8 CHILDREN'S WATER The Loveland and Fort Collins Children’s Water Festivals were both FESTIVALS held in in May this year. More than 2,400 students attended the festivals— 1,800 third-graders from Fort Collins and 600 fifth-graders from Loveland.

Andy Fayram, the Forum’s monitoring program manager, presented a program to the students titled: "Water Quality: What Do Little Bugs and Big Data Tell Us?" His presentation explained how macroinvertebrate communities can provide valuable information about water quality: If lots of intolerant macroinvertebrate species are present in the water, then it’s reasonable to say that the water quality is good.

To prepare for his program, Andy got out the Forum’s water buckets, put his waders on, and scooped up some macroinvertebrates from two places on the Big Thompson River: one location that had reasonably poor Above: Forum monitoring program manager Andy Fayram explains “big water quality, and another that had data” to students at the 2017 Loveland Children’s Water Festival. relatively good water quality. The student teams were given trays of Below: Students look at macroinvertebrates during the Forum’s presentation at the 2017 Fort Collins Children’s water Festival. water from each sample, along with plastic spoons to explore the different species swimming around. They were then asked to guess which tray was from the high-quality water sample, based on the macroinvertebrates they found. Nearly every group correctly identified which sample had higher water quality.

Andy also explained another way to evaluate water quality: by collecting large amounts of data to detect trends and to account for interactions among all the water components using statistics. Although this approach wasn’t quite as “hands-on” and fun as catching bugs with plastic spoons, some of the students showed an interest in big data and even asked Andy some statistics questions.

P A G E 9 ANNUAL WATERWAY CLEANUP

The City of Loveland and Big Thompson Watershed Forum held the 13th Annual Waterway Cleanup on Saturday, October 8, 2016. About 190 volunteers and staff members helped remove trash and remaining flood debris from the Big Thompson River and Loveland area ponds and canals. Collected totals included 30 cubic yards of trash at Oxbow Natural Area, 49 gallons of recyclables at World Beverage, and 90 gallons of trash at Benson Park. The “highlight finds” of the day included a sofa, stove, 15 shopping carts, and an unopened can of Budweiser.

S A V E T H E D A T E F O R T H E 2 0 1 7 C L E A N U P :

The next Annual Waterway Cleanup will take place on Saturday, October 7, 2017, from 9:00am to noon. For more information or to register, visit www.cityofloveland.org/waterwaycleanup or call Volunteers participate in the City of Loveland’s annual Waterway Cleanup on the Big Thompson River. 970-962-2555.

BTWF ENVIRONMENTAL H O W T O A P P L Y F O R T H E 2 0 1 7 - 2 0 1 8 S C H O L A R S H I P SCHOLARSHIP

Pictured: Diane Meraz, 2016-2017 recipient of the Forum’s Environmental Scholarship, accepts her award from Board member Chuck Olmsted.

P A G E 8

Each year, the Big Thompson Watershed Forum awards a $1,500 Environmental Scholarship to a student attending Colorado State University or the University of Northern Colorado and enrolled in an approved academic program with a primary focus in hydrology, environmental health, biology, sociology, water resources, watershed science, water pollution, and/or water quality. The selected candidate must agree to volunteer their time at several outreach events related to the Big Thompson River over a 12-month period, beginning in October. The scholarship provides the winning candidate with many volunteer opportunities, valuable learning experiences, and networking possibilities.

In 2016-2017, the Forum awarded its annual Environmental Scholarship to Diane Meraz, a sophomore in the Department of Ecosystem Science and Sustainability at Colorado State University. Diane is working on her bachelor’s degree in watershed science and is interested in water quality and water education. She grew up loving the outdoors and environment in Greeley, Colorado, and she has worked as an intern for the Poudre Learning Center and is an ESS S-STEM Fellow. Upon completing her studies, Diane hopes to work as a hydrologist and continue to serve as a community volunteer in water education.

The call for 2017-2018 scholarship applicants will be announced in August. To be considered, candidates must be a freshman, sophomore, junior, or senior by the Fall semester and must have a minimum GPA of 3.0. For more information about the award and instructions for submitting an application, please check our web site at btwatershed.org or contact Laurie Schmidt at [email protected].

P A G E 1 0 F O R U M U P D A T E S

BOARD OF DIRECTORS 2 0 1 7 B T W F B O A R D O F D I R E C T O R S : In 2016, the Forum bid farewell to two of its Board Tim Bohling, City of Loveland (Chair) members. John Matis served on the Board for seven Judy Billica, Northern Water (Vice-Chair) years. He began as a director in 2010, and in 2014 he Gabrielle Vergara, Weld County (Treasurer) became Chair of the Board, serving in that position Chris Harris, Tri-Districts/Soldier Canyon Filter Plant through the end of 2016. Board member Ralph David Jessup, At-Large Trenary also stepped down at the end of 2016, after Randy Mitchell, City of Greeley having served as a director for five years. We thank Charles Olmsted, At-Large both John and Ralph for their dedication and time to Jill Oropeza, City of Fort Collins BTWF and wish them both well in their future Al Paquet, At-Large endeavors. Ed Young, At-Large

John Matis Ralph Trenary

P A G E 1 1 STAFF

F A R E W E L L T O Z A C K S H E L L E Y

Last October, BTWF Program Director Zack Shelley left the Forum to relocate to Texas, where his wife accepted a position in higher education. Zack began his position in 2008 under the direction of Forum founder Rob Buirgy. For eight years, he wore many hats and juggled the tasks of managing the office, finances, and the monitoring and volunteer programs. Just about anyone in the Big Thompson Watershed community knew Zack, and he will be missed by all who worked with him. We thank Zack for his years of service to the Forum and wish him well in his new location.

N E W S T A F F

The Forum welcomed two new staff members, both of whom started their positions in October. Andy Fayram is the monitoring program manager and coordinates the Forum’s monitoring and assessment programs, data analysis, and reporting strategies. Originally from Wisconsin, he received a BS degree in zoology from the University of Wisconsin, a MS degree in fisheries and aquatic sciences from the University of Washington, and a PhD in biological sciences from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Andy previously worked for the National Marine Fisheries Service and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, where he served in various capacities including Treaty Fisheries Coordinator, Quantitative Fisheries Policy Analyst, Great Lakes Monitoring Coordinator, Great Lakes Representative for the National Water Quality Monitoring Council, and co-chair of the Lake Michigan Monitoring Coordination Committee.

Laurie Schmidt, the new watershed program administrator, provides leadership and overall management of the Forum, including operations, planning, financial management, and education/outreach activities. Laurie earned a MS degree in journalism/science communication at Colorado State University. She also holds a BA degree in English, with a minor in geography, from the University of South Florida. Prior to joining the Forum, she was the editor of Mines Magazine at the Colorado School of Mines. Her career also includes developing science content for NASA projects and the Phoenix Mars Mission, working as a freelance science writer, and managing projects at the National Snow and Ice Data Center, Natural Hazards Center, and Colorado Water Institute at CSU.

FINANCIAL CONTRIBUTORS

The Forum’s Board of Directors and City of Fort Collins Thompson School District R2J staff wish to thank the following City of Fort Morgan Town of Estes Park contributors for their continued City of Greeley Town of Milliken financial support. We appreciate City of Loveland Public Works Tri-Districts/Soldier Canyon your efforts to ensure the success City of Loveland Water and Power Filter Plant and integrity of the Big Thompson Larimer County U.S. Geological Survey Watershed Forum, and we look Northern Water (NCWCD) Weld County forward to continued partnerships North Front Range Water Quality and collaboration. Planning Association (NFRWQPA)

P A G E 1 2 The mission of the Big Thompson Watershed Forum is to support the MISSION protection and improvement of water quality in the Big Thompson River Watershed through collaborative monitoring, assessment, and education/outreach projects.

TAKE ACTION P L E A S E H E L P S U P P O R T T H E L E A D I N G W A T E R Q U A L I T Y P R O T E C T I O N O R G A N I Z A T I O N I N O U R R E G I O N :

With your tax-deductible financial support, we can continue to collect a wide array of water quality monitoring data, produce periodic assessment reports, and be involved in more community outreach and education efforts.

Please visit our web site to make a donation via PayPal, or send a check along with your email address to:

Big Thompson Watershed Forum 800 South Taft Avenue Loveland, CO 80537

F O L L O W U S :

Web: btwatershed.org Facebook: @BigThompsonWatershedForum Twitter: @btwatershed Subscribe to our email list: eepurl.com/cC0Phj

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