USGS Colorado Water Science Center

Welcome to the USGS Colorado Water Science Center. These pages are your source for water-resource information collected and interpreted by the U.S. Geological Survey in Colorado.

USGS Colorado Water Science Center Highlights

Featured Activities

USGS Scientists Study Effects of Gold King Mine Release

On August 5, while investigating the Gold King Mine in southwestern Colorado, the U.S Environmental Protection Agency accidentally triggered the release of approximately three million gallons of acidic, metal-rich mine wastewater from the Gold King Mine into Cement Creek, a tributary of the Animas River. The Animas River flows south into the San Juan River, which is a tributary to the Colorado River.

Snowpack Sublimation: Measurements and Modeling in the Colorado River Basin

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is conducting a study of snowpack sublimation in the Colorado River Basin as part of the USGS National Water Census program, in cooperation with the Colorado Water Conservation Board. The primary goal is to develop snowpack sublimation estimates for the Colorado River Basin using ground-based measurements and moderate-resolution and high-resolution gridded models. The results support hydrologic modeling studies, water-availability studies, and water-use assessments.

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Water-Quality Summaries for Several Major River Basins in Colorado

Summaries of water-quality monitoring data are now available for several major river basins in Colorado. For each basin, current data from a network of sites are compared to previously collected data and instream standards. Lowess curves are provided on plots for selected constituents where a sufficient period of record and limited censored data are available.

Featured Publications

2016
U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2016-5145 Characterization and relation of precipitation, streamflow, and water-quality data at the U.S. Army Garrison Fort Carson and Piñon Canyon Maneuver Site, Colorado, water years 2013-14 By Michael J. Holmberg, Robert W. Stogner, and James F. Bruce
U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2016-5134 Groundwater and surface-water interaction, water quality, and processes affecting loads of dissolved solids, selenium, and uranium in Fountain Creek near Pueblo, Colorado, 2012-2014 By L. Rick Arnold, Roderick F. Ortiz, Christopher R. Brown, and Kenneth R. Watts
U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2016-5099 Paleoflood investigations to improve peak-streamflow regional-regression equations for natural streamflow in eastern Colorado, 2015 By Michael S. Kohn, Michael R. Stevens, Tessa M. Harden, Jeanne E. Godaire, Ralph E. Klinger, and Amanullah Mommandi
Data Series 1012 Macroinvertebrate community sample collection methods and data collected from Sand Creek and Medano Creek, Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve, Colorado, 2005-07 By Morgan A. Ford, Robert E. Zuellig, David M. Walters, and James F. Bruce

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Of Current Interest

Cooperative Water Program

The Cooperative Water Program monitors and assesses water in every State, protectorate, and territory of the U.S. in partnership with nearly 1,600 local, State, and Tribal agencies.

Video - Streamgages: The Silent Superhero

Whether you drink water from your tap, use electricity or canoe down your local river, chances are you benefit from USGS streamgage information. So what is a streamgage and what does it do for you? This CoreCast episode gives you the inside scoop on your silent superhero.

DATA CENTER

ABOUT THE CO WATER SCIENCE CENTER

USGS IN YOUR STATE

Water Resources of Colorado

Streamflow Conditions in Colorado

Summary and Alerts