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Research about Colorado

Source-linked reports with geographic coverage including Colorado.

At least 865 records · Page 48Linked to original sources
USGS2006

Evaluation of metal loading to streams near Creede, Colorado, August and September 2000

Decisions about remediation of mine drainage on the watershed scale require an understanding of metal contributions from all sources to be able to choose the best sites for remediation. A hydrologic framework to study metal loading in the Willow Creek watershed, a tributary to the Rio Grande River, was established by conducting a series of tracer-injection studies. Each study used the tracer-dilution method in conjunction with synoptic sampling to determine the spatial distribution of discharge and concentration. Discharge and concentration data were then used to develop mass-loading curves for the metals of interest. The discharge and load profiles (1) identify the principal sources of load to the streams; (2) demonstrate the scale of unsampled, dispersed subsurface inflows; and (3) estimate the amount of natural attenuation. The greatest source of metal loads was from the Nelson Tunnel on West Willow Creek, which contributed 158 kilograms per day of zinc to the stream. Additional loading from other dispersed, subsurface inflows along West Willow Creek added substantial loads, but these were small in comparison to the loads from the Nelson Tunnel. No significant contributions of metal load from potential sources occurred along East Willow Creek. The lack of measurable loading may be a result of previous remedial actions along that stream. The lower Willow Creek section had relatively small contributions of load compared to what had been contributed upstream. This watershed approach provides a detailed snapshot of metal load for the watershed to support remediation decisions and quantifies processes that affect metal transport.

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USGS2006

Application of a stream-aquifer model to Monument Creek for development of a method to estimate transit losses for reusable water, El Paso County, Colorado

The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with Colorado Springs Utilities, the Colorado Water Conservation Board, and the El Paso County Water Authority, began a study in 2004 to (1) apply a stream-aquifer model to Monument Creek, (2) use the results of the modeling to develop a transit-loss accounting program for Monument Creek, (3) revise the existing transit-loss accounting program for Fountain Creek to incorporate new water-management strategies and allow for incorporation of future changes in water-management strategies, and (4) integrate the two accounting programs into a single program with a Web-based user interface. The purpose of this report is to present the results of applying a stream-aquifer model to the Monument Creek study reach. Transit losses were estimated for reusable-water flows in Monument Creek that ranged from 1 to 200 cubic feet per second (ft 3 /s) and for native streamflows that ranged from 0 to 1,000 ft 3 /s. Transit losses were estimated for bank-storage, channel-storage, and evaporative losses. The same stream-aquifer model used in the previously completed (1988) Fountain Creek study was used in the Monument Creek study. Sixteen model nodes were established for the Monument Creek study reach, defining 15 subreaches. Channel length, aquifer length, and aquifer width for the subreaches were estimated from available topographic and geologic maps. Thickness of alluvial deposits and saturated thickness were estimated using lithologic and water-level data from about 100 wells and test holes in or near the Monument Creek study reach. Estimated average transmissivities for the subreaches ranged from 2,000 to 12,000 feet squared per day, and a uniform value of 0.20 was used for storage coefficient. Qualitative comparison of recorded and simulated streamflow at the downstream node for the calibration and verification simulations indicated that the two streamflows compared reasonably well. No adjustments were made to the model parameters. Differences between recorded and simulated streamflow volumes for all calibration and verification simulations ranged from about –8.8 to 7.5 percent; the total error for all simulations was about –0.7 percent. The model was used to estimate bank-storage losses for 10 to 15 native streamflows for each reusable-water flow of 1, 3, 5, 7, 10, 15, 20, 30, 40, 50, 100, and 200 ft 3 /s. Then the 10 to 15 bank-storage loss values were used in least-squares linear regression to estimate a relation between bank-storage loss and native streamflow for each of the 12 reusable-water flow rates. The 12 regression relations then were used to develop “look-up” tables of bank-storage loss for reusable-water flows ranging from 1 to 200 ft 3 /s (in 1-ft 3 /s increments). Additional model simulations indicated that (1) when the ratio of downstream native streamflow to upstream native streamflow was less than 1, bank-storage loss generally increased and (2) when the ratio of downstream native streamflow to upstream native streamflow was larger than 1, bank-storage loss generally decreased. These results were used to develop a bank-storage loss adjustment factor based on the ratio of native streamflow at the downstream node to native streamflow at the upstream node. The model also was used to estimate a recovery period, which is the length of time needed for the bank-storage loss to return to the stream. The recovery period was 1 day for six subreaches; 2 days for four subreaches; between 3 and 12 days for four subreaches; and 28 days for one subreach. Channel-storage losses are about 10 percent of the reusable-water flow for most of the subreaches, except for two subreaches, where the channel-storage losses are about 20 percent, and one subreach, where the losses are about 30 percent, owing to the greater channel lengths. Evaporative losses were estimated by the use of monthly pan-evaporation data and the incremental increase in stream width resulting from any reusable-water flows. Monthly pan-evaporation data were converted to a daily rate. The daily rate, when multiplied by the stream-width increase (in feet) that results from reusable-water flow and by the subreach length (in miles) gives the daily evaporative loss in cubic feet per second.

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USGS2006

Impacts on water quality and biota from natural acid rock drainage in Colorado's Lake Creek watershed

Colorado's Lake Creek watershed hosts natural acid rock drainage that significantly impacts surface water, streambed sediment, and aquatic life. The source of the ARD is a group of iron-rich springs that emerge from intensely hydrothermally altered, unexploited, low-grade porphyry copper mineralization in the Grizzly Peak Caldera. Source water chemistry includes pH of 2.5 and dissolved metal concentrations of up to 277 mg/L aluminum, 498 mg/L iron, and 10 mg/L copper. From the hydrothermally altered area downstream for 27 kilometers to Twin Lakes Reservoir, metal concentrations in streambed sediment are elevated and the watershed experiences locally severe adverse impacts to aquatic life due to the acidic, metal-laden water. The water and sediment quality of Twin Lakes Reservoir is sufficiently improved that the reservoir supports a trout fishery, and remnants of upstream ARD are negligible.

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USGS2006

What's weathering? Mineralogy and field leach studies in mine waste, Leadville and Montezuma mining districts, Colorado

Weathering is important in the development of rock fabrics that control porosity in mine-waste materials, and in turn, porosity affects metal transport through and from mine-waste piles into watersheds. Mine-waste piles are dynamic physical and chemical systems as evidenced by remnant Fe-oxide boxwork structures after sulfide minerals, development of alteration rinds and etch pits on grains, and precipitation of secondary minerals under low temperature conditions. These microscale changes in the mine-waste materials are the result of partial to total dissolution of sulfide and other minerals. Mine-waste materials from the Dinero, Lower Chatauqua, and Saints John sites, Leadville and Montezuma mining districts, Colorado, exhibit rock fabrics that indicate that weathering products, e.g., Fe oxyhydroxides, jarosite, and clays, have been transported in suspension through the waste piles and deposited in voids and as coatings on rock fragments. Microscale characterization of weathered, partially dissolved minerals lends insight into the source of leachable metals in these mine-waste sites. Mineralogic studies show that galena in the Lower Chatauqua waste is enriched in Ag. Qualitative and semiquantitative microanalysis of weathered, altered galena grains from all three sites show that the Ag-bearing galena is more susceptible to dissolution. It is not surprising, then, that solutions experimentally leached from Lower Chatauqua waste are higher in Pb (2310 ppb) compared to leachates from the Dinero (31 ppb) and Saints John (1360 ppb) wastes. The mobility of metals is increased at acidic pH. Using the USGS Field Leach Test protocol, leachate derived from the Dinero waste has a pH of 3 and high concentrations of Al (443 ppb), Fe (441 ppb), and Zn (7970 ppb). Leachate from Sts. John tailings has a pH about 4 and high concentrations of Mn (1520 ppb), Zn (2240 ppb), and Pb (1360 ppb). Leachate from the Lower Chatauqua waste has an intermediate pH of 5, but in addition to the high Pb level already mentioned, it contains high levels of K (1.9 ppm), Mn (6720 ppb), and Zn (1550 ppb). The high concentration of metals, despite the intermediate pH of the leachate, may be explained by acidic microenvironments that exist at the surfaces of sulfide minerals, where sulfur-and iron-oxidizing microbes may flourish. It is at the reactive mineral-oxygen-water interface where metals are released and low-pH sulfate precipitates such as jarosite-beudantite form.

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USGS2005

Aqueous stability of gadolinium in surface waters receiving sewage treatment plant effluent Boulder Creek, Colorado

In many surface waters, sewage treatment plant (STP) effluent is a substantial source of both regulated and unregulated contaminants, including a suite of complex organic compounds derived from household chemicals, pharmaceutical, and industrial and medical byproducts. In addition, STP effluents in some urban areas have also been shown to have a positive gadolinium (Gd) anomaly in the rare earth element (REE) pattern, with the Gd derived from its use in medical facilities. REE concentrations are relatively easy to measure compared to many organic wastewater compounds and may provide a more widely utilized tracer of STP effluents. To evaluate whether sewage treatment plant-associated Gd is a useful tracer of treatment plant effluent, an investigation of the occurrence, fate, and transport of rare earth elements was undertaken. The rare earth element patterns of four of five STP effluents sampled display positive Gd anomalies. The one site that did not have a Gd anomaly serves a small community, population 1200, with no medical facilities. Biosolids from a large metropolitan STP are not enriched in Gd even though the effluent is, suggesting that a substantial fraction of Gd remains in the aqueous phase through routine treatment plant operation. To evaluate whether STP-derived Gd persists in the fluvial environment, a 14-km study reach downstream of an STP was sampled. Gadolinium anomalies were present at all five downstream sites, but the magnitude of the anomaly decreased. Effluent from STPs is a complex mixture of organic and inorganic constituents, and to better understand the chemical interactions and their effect on REEs, the aqueous speciation was modeled using comprehensive chemical analyses of water samples collected downstream of STP input. These calculations suggest that the REEs will likely remain dissolved because phosphate and carbonate complexes dominate over free REE ions. This study supports the application of Gd anomalies as a useful tracer of urban wastewater.

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USGS2005

Controls on 222Rn variations in a fractured crystalline rock aquifer evaluated using aquifer tests and geophysical logging

Concentrations of 222 Rn in ground water may vary considerably within megascopically homogeneous rocks over relatively short distances. Calculations indicate that different hydraulic apertures of water‐bearing fractures may account for variations in dissolved 222 Rn concentration measured in domestic water wells completed in fractured Pikes Peak Granite, assuming that all other factors influencing dissolved 222 Rn concentrations are constant. Concentrations of dissolved 222 Rn range from 124 to 840 kBq m ‐3 [3,360 to 22,700 picocuries per liter (pCi L ‐1 )] within a 2.5 km 2 well field. Aquifer tests show that transmissivities range from 0.072 to 160 m 2 day ‐1 within the well field. Acoustic televiewer and heat‐pulse flow meter logging of four wells reveals that, despite tens to hundreds of fractures that intersect each well, a single fracture supplies all the flow to three wells, and one fracture provides 65% of the flow to the fourth well. Aquifer tests indicate that two pairs of the four wells are hydraulically connected. Type‐curve interpretation of early‐time data from aquifer tests reveals classic half‐slope behavior on log‐log plots of drawdown versus time for two wells, suggesting linear flow to a single fracture. Drawdown versus time for the other two wells indicates radial or pseudo‐radial flow, which suggests a higher degree of fracture interconnectivity near those boreholes. Hydraulic apertures calculated using the cubic law are 0.024 and 0.038 cm for producing fractures in the first hydraulically connected well pair and 0.011 and 0.020 cm for flowing fractures in the second well pair. Assuming uniform distribution of 226 Ra along fracture walls and long residence time of water relative to 222 Rn decay, the ratio of fracture apertures should equal the inverse ratio of 222 Rn concentration in each well. Assuming 50% error in hydraulic aperture estimation and 10% analytical uncertainty in 222 Rn measurement, differences in 222 Rn concentration between wells in the hydraulically connected pairs can be attributed solely to differences in hydraulic aperture. Different hydraulic apertures, however, do not explain different 222 Rn concentrations between well pairs. Allowing for measurement error, a cubic meter of rock transfers from 1.3 to 20 times more 222 Rn to ground water in the first pair of wells than in the second pair. Nonuniform distribution of 226 Ra along fracture walls, heterogeneous emanating power in the rock‐water system, or short ground‐water residence time along the transmissive fracture network may account for the difference between well pairs.

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USGS2005

Hydraulic and geochemical performance of a permeable reactive barrier containing zero-valent iron, Denver Federal Center

The hydraulic and geochemical performance of a 366 m long permeable reactive barrier (PRB) at the Denver Federal Center, Denver, Colorado, was evaluated. The funnel and gate system, which was installed in 1996 to intercept and remediate ground water contaminated with chlorinated aliphatic hydrocarbons (CAHs), contained four 12.2 m wide gates filled with zero‐valent iron. Ground water mounding on the upgradient side of the PRB resulted in a tenfold increase in the hydraulic gradient and ground water velocity through the gates compared to areas of the aquifer unaffected by the PRB. Water balance calculations for April 1997 indicate that about 75 % of the ground water moving toward the PRB from upgradient areas moved through the gates. The rest of the water either accumulated on the upgradient side of the PRB or bypassed the PRB. Chemical data from monitoring wells screened down‐gradient, beneath, and at the ends of the PRB indicate that contaminants had not bypassed the PRB, except in a few isolated areas. Greater than 99 % of the CAH mass entering the gates was retained by the iron. Fifty‐one percent of the CAH carbon entering one gate was accounted for in dissolved C 1 and C 2 hydrocarbons, primarily ethane and ethene, which indicates that CAHs may adsorb to the iron prior to being dehalogenated. Treated water exiting the gates displaced contaminated ground water at a distance of at least 3 m downgradient from the PRB by the end of 1997. Measurements of dissolved inorganic ions in one gate indicate that calcite and siderite precipitation in the gate could reduce gate porosity by about 0.35 % per year. Results from this study indicate that funnel and gate systems containing zero‐valent iron can effectively treat ground water contaminated with CAHs. However, the hydrologic impacts of the PRB on the flow system need to be fully understood to prevent contaminants from bypassing the PRB.

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USGS2005

Contemporaneous trachyandesitic and calc-alkaline volcanism of the Huerto Andesite, San Juan Volcanic Field, Colorado, USA

Locally, voluminous andesitic volcanism both preceded and followed large eruptions of silicic ash-flow tuff from many calderas in the San Juan volcanic field. The most voluminous post-collapse lava suite of the central San Juan caldera cluster is the 28 Ma Huerto Andesite, a diverse assemblage erupted from at least 5–6 volcanic centres that were active around the southern margins of the La Garita caldera shortly after eruption of the Fish Canyon Tuff. These andesitic centres are inferred, in part, to represent eruptions of magma that ponded and differentiated within the crust below the La Garita caldera, thereby providing the thermal energy necessary for rejuvenation and remobilization of the Fish Canyon magma body. The multiple Huerto eruptive centres produced two magmatic series that differ in phenocryst mineralogy (hydrous vs anhydrous assemblages), whole-rock major and trace element chemistry and isotopic compositions. Hornblende-bearing lavas from three volcanic centres located close to the southeastern margin of the La Garita caldera (Eagle Mountain–Fourmile Creek, West Fork of the San Juan River, Table Mountain) define a high-K calc-alkaline series (57–65 wt % SiO 2 ) that is oxidized, hydrous and sulphur rich. Trachyandesitic lavas from widely separated centres at Baldy Mountain–Red Lake (western margin), Sugarloaf Mountain (southern margin) and Ribbon Mesa (20 km east of the La Garita caldera) are mutually indistinguishable (55–61 wt % SiO 2 ); they are characterized by higher and more variable concentrations of alkalis and many incompatible trace elements (e.g. Zr, Nb, heavy rare earth elements), and they contain anhydrous phenocryst assemblages (including olivine). These mildly alkaline magmas were less water rich and oxidized than the hornblende-bearing calc-alkaline suite. The same distinctions characterize the voluminous precaldera andesitic lavas of the Conejos Formation, indicating that these contrasting suites are long-term manifestations of San Juan volcanism. The favoured model for their origin involves contrasting ascent paths and differentiation histories through crustal columns with different thermal and density gradients. Magmas ascending into the main focus of the La Garita caldera were impeded, and they evolved at greater depths, retaining more of their primary volatile load. This model is supported by systematic differences in isotopic compositions suggestive of crust–magma interactions with contrasting lithologies.

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USGS2005

Mercury transport in a high-elevation watershed in Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado

Mercury (Hg) was measured in stream water and precipitation in the Loch Vale watershed in Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado, during 2001–2002 to investigate processes controlling Hg transport in high-elevation ecosystems. Total Hg concentrations in precipitation ranged from 2.6 to 36.2 ng/L and showed a strong seasonal pattern with concentrations that were 3 to 4 times higher during summer months. Annual bulk deposition of Hg was 8.3 to 12.4 μ g/m 2 and was similar to deposition rates in the Midwestern and Northeastern U.S. Total Hg concentrations in streams ranged from 0.8 to 13.5 ng/L and were highest in mid-May on the rising limb of the snowmelt hydrograph. Stream-water Hg was positively correlated with dissolved organic carbon suggesting organically complexed Hg was flushed into streams from near-surface soil horizons during the early stages of snowmelt. Methylmercury (MeHg) in stream water peaked at 0.048 ng/L just prior to peak snowmelt but was at or below detection (< 0.040 ng/L) for the remainder of the snowmelt season. Annual export of total Hg in Loch Vale streams ranged from 1.2 to 2.3 μ g/m 2 , which was less than 20% of wet deposition, indicating the terrestrial environment is a net sink of atmospheric Hg. Concentrations of MeHg in stream water and corresponding watershed fluxes were low, indicating low methylation rates or high demethylation rates or both.

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USGS2005

Estimating stand structure using discrete-return lidar: an example from low density, fire prone ponderosa pine forests

The ponderosa pine forests of the Colorado Front Range, USA, have historically been subjected to wildfires. Recent large burns have increased public interest in fire behavior and effects, and scientific interest in the carbon consequences of wildfires. Remote sensing techniques can provide spatially explicit estimates of stand structural characteristics. Some of these characteristics can be used as inputs to fire behavior models, increasing our understanding of the effect of fuels on fire behavior. Others provide estimates of carbon stocks, allowing us to quantify the carbon consequences of fire. Our objective was to use discrete-return lidar to estimate such variables, including stand height, total aboveground biomass, foliage biomass, basal area, tree density, canopy base height and canopy bulk density. We developed 39 metrics from the lidar data, and used them in limited combinations in regression models, which we fit to field estimates of the stand structural variables. We used an information&ndash;theoretic approach to select the best model for each variable, and to select the subset of lidar metrics with most predictive potential. Observed versus predicted values of stand structure variables were highly correlated, with r 2 ranging from 57% to 87%. The most parsimonious linear models for the biomass structure variables, based on a restricted dataset, explained between 35% and 58% of the observed variability. Our results provide us with useful estimates of stand height, total aboveground biomass, foliage biomass and basal area. There is promise for using this sensor to estimate tree density, canopy base height and canopy bulk density, though more research is needed to generate robust relationships. We selected 14 lidar metrics that showed the most potential as predictors of stand structure. We suggest that the focus of future lidar studies should broaden to include low density forests, particularly systems where the vertical structure of the canopy is important, such as fire prone forests.

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USGS2005

Experimental investigation of CO2-brine-rock interactions at elevated temperature and pressure: Implications for CO2 sequestration in deep-saline aquifers

Deep-saline aquifers are potential repositories for excess CO 2 , currently being emitted to the atmosphere from anthropogenic activities, but the reactivity of supercritical CO 2 with host aquifer fluids and formation minerals needs to be understood. Experiments reacting supercritical CO 2 with natural and synthetic brines in the presence and absence of limestone and plagioclase-rich arkosic sandstone showed that the reaction of CO 2 -saturated brine with limestone results in compositional, mineralogical, and porosity changes in the aquifer fluid and rock that are dependent on initial brine composition, especially dissolved calcium and sulfate. Experiments reacting CO 2 -saturated, low-sulfate brine with limestone dissolved 10% of the original calcite and increased rock porosity by 2.6%. Experiments reacting high-sulfate brine with limestone, both in the presence and absence of supercritical CO 2 , were characterized by the precipitation of anhydrite, dolomitization of the limestone, and a final decrease in porosity of 4.5%. However, based on favorable initial porosity changes of about 15% due to the dissolution of calcite, the combination of CO 2 co-injection with other mitigation strategies might help alleviate some of the well-bore scale and formation-plugging problems near the injection zone of a brine disposal well in Paradox Valley, Colorado, as well as provide a repository for CO 2 . Experiments showed that the solubility of CO 2 is enhanced in brine in the presence of limestone by 9% at 25 °C and 6% at 120 °C and 200 bar relative to the brine itself. The solubility of CO 2 is enhanced also in brine in the presence of arkosic sandstone by 5% at 120 °C and 300 bar. The storage of CO 2 in limestone aquifers is limited to only ionic and hydraulic trapping. However, brine reacted with supercritical CO 2 and arkose yielded fixation and sequestration of CO 2 in carbonate mineral phases. Brine desiccation was observed in all experiments containing a discrete CO 2 phase, promoting porosity-reducing precipitation reactions in aquifers near saturation with mineral phases.

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USGS2005

Effects of conifers and elk browsing on quaking aspen forests in the central Rocky Mountains, USA

Elk browsing and conifer species mixing with aspen ( Populus tremuloides Michx.) present current challenges to aspen forest management in the western United States. We evaluated the effects of conifers and elk browsing on quaking aspen stands in and near Rocky Mountain National Park using tree rings to reconstruct patterns of aspen establishment, growth, and mortality over the past 120 years. High conifer encroachment and elk browse were both associated with decreased aspen recruitment, with mean recruitment dropping over 30% from pure aspen to mixed stands and over 50% from low-browse to high-browse stands. Maximum aspen recruitment was lower in mixed stands than in pure stands with the same tree basal area. High levels of elk browsing were also associated with a 30% decrease in stand-level growth of aspen. Neither high conifer abundance nor elk browse affected the growth of individual trees or aspen mortality. Aspen establishment was negatively influenced by conifers and elk browsing; however, aspen growth and mortality appeared to be resilient to these two external influences. Overall, these results suggest that long-term preservation of aspen forests could be achieved by enhancing aspen recruitment.

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USGS2005

Mineralogy and provenance of clays in miarolitic cavities of the Pikes Peak batholith, Colorado

Clay samples from 105 cavities within miarolitic granitic pegmatites throughout the Pikes Peak batholith, in Colorado, were analyzed by powder X-ray diffraction (XRD). Smectite (beidellite), illite, and kaolinite were found within the cavities. Calculation of crystallite-thickness distribution (CTD), mean thickness of the crystallites, and variance in crystallite thickness, as deduced from XRD patterns, allowed a determination of provenance and mode of formation for illite and smectite. Authigenic miarolitic-cavity illite and smectite show lognormal CTDs and larger mean thicknesses of crystallites than do their soil-derived counterparts; non-lognormal illite in a cavity results from mixing of cavity and soil illite. Analysis of mean thickness and thickness variance shows that crystal growth of illite is initiated by a nucleation event of short duration, followed by surface-controlled kinetics. Crystallization of the miarolitic cavity clays is presumed to occur by neoformation from hydrothermal fluids. The assessment of provenance allows a determination of regional and local distributions of clay minerals in miarolitic cavities within the Pikes Peak batholith.

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USGS2005

Roads and traffic: Effects on ecology and wildlife habitat use; applications for cooperative adaptive management

The land of the United States in dissected by more than 4 million miles of roads that fragment wildlife habitat on both public and private lands. Traffic on these roads causes additional effects. On secondary roads, which provide access to the most natural habitat, the levels, timing, and types of traffic are seldom known. In order to understand the effects of traffic on wildlife, USGS is conducting research cooperatively with the Bureau of Land Management, the U.S. Forest Service, the National Park Service, and the Colorado Division of Wildlife.

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USGS2005

Descriptions of the Animas River-Cement Creek confluence and mixing zone near Silverton, Colorado, during the late summers of 1996 and 1997

Acidic waters from Cement Creek discharge into the circum-neutral Animas River in a high-elevation region of the San Juan Mountains near Silverton, Colorado. Cement Creek is acidic and enriched in metals and sulfate because it is fed by discharges from abandoned mines and natural mineral deposits. Mixing with the Animas River raises the pH and produces precipitates of iron and aluminum (oxy)hydroxides, which in turn can adsorb other metals. This confluence was studied in 1996 and 1997 to better understand mixing and sorption processes which are common during the neutralization of acidic streams. The photographs in this report show flow braiding and other features that influenced the way the two streams mixed during the late summers of the two years. They also show 'banding' due to incomplete mixing and 'opalescence' due to chemical reactions and the formation of colloidal-size particles in the mixing zone.

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USGS2005

Quantification and simulation of metal loading to the Upper Animas River, Eureka to Silverton, San Juan County, Colorado, September 1997 and August 1998

Drainage from abandoned and inactive mines and from naturally mineralized areas in the San Juan Mountains of southern Colorado contributes metals to the upper Animas River near Silverton, Colorado. Tracer-injection studies and associated synoptic sampling were performed along two reaches of the upper Animas River to develop detailed profiles of stream discharge and to locate and quantify sources of metal loading. One tracer-injection study was performed in September 1997 on the Animas River reach from Howardsville to Silverton, and a second study was performed in August 1998 on the stream reach from Eureka to Howardsville. Drainage in the upper Animas River study reaches contributed aluminum, calcium, copper, iron, magnesium, manganese, sulfate, and zinc to the surface-water system in 1997 and 1998. Colloidal aluminum, dissolved copper, and dissolved zinc were attenuated through a braided stream reach downstream from Eureka. Instream dissolved copper concentrations were lower than the State of Colorado acute and chronic toxicity standards downstream from the braided reach to Silverton. Dissolved iron load and concentrations increased downstream from Howardsville and Arrastra Gulch, and colloidal iron remained constant at low concentrations downstream from Howardsville. Instream sulfate concentrations were lower than the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's secondary drinking-water standard of 250 milligrams per liter throughout the two study reaches. Elevated zinc concentrations are the primary concern for aquatic life in the upper Animas River. In the 1998 Eureka to Howardsville study, instream dissolved zinc load increased downstream from the Forest Queen mine, the Kittimack tailings, and Howardsville. In the 1997 Howardsville to Silverton study, there were four primary areas where zinc load increased. First, was the increase downstream from Howardsville and abandoned mining sites downstream from the Cunningham Gulch confluence, which also was measured during the 1998 study. The second affected reach was downstream from Arrastra Gulch, where the increase in zinc load seems related to a series of right-bank inflows with low pH Quantification and Simulation of Metal Loading to the Upper Animas River, Eureka to Silverton, San Juan County, Colorado, September 1997 and August 1998By Suzanne S. Paschke, Briant A. Kimball, and Robert L. Runkeland elevated dissolved zinc concentrations. A third increase in zinc load occurred 6,100 meters downstream from the 1997 injection site and may have been from ground-water discharge with elevated zinc concentrations based on mass-loading graphs and the lack of visible inflow in the reach. A fourth but lesser dissolved zinc load increase occurred downstream from tailings near the Lackawanna Mill. Results of the tracer-injection studies and the effects of potential remediation were analyzed using the one- dimensional stream-transport computer code OTIS. Based on simulation results, instream zinc concentrations downstream from the Kittimack tailings to upstream from Arrastra Gulch would approach 0.16 milligram per liter (the upper limit of acute toxicity for some sensitive aquatic species) if zinc inflow concentrations were reduced by 75 percent in the stream reaches receiving inflow from the Forest Queen mine, the Kittimack tailings, and downstream from Howardsville. However, simulated zinc concentrations downstream from Arrastra Gulch were higher than approximately 0.30 milligram per liter due to numerous visible inflows and assumed ground-water discharge with elevated zinc concentrations in the lower part of the study reach. Remediation of discrete visible inflows seems a viable approach to reducing zinc inflow loads to the upper Animas River. Remediation downstream from Arrastra Gulch is more complicated because ground-water discharge with elevated zinc concentrations seems to contribute to the instream zinc load.

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USGS2005

Geochemistry of Red Mountain Creek, Colorado, under low-flow conditions, August 2002

Red Mountain Creek, an acid mine drainage stream in southwestern Colorado, was the subject of a synoptic study conducted in August 2002. During the synoptic study, a solution containing lithium chloride was injected continuously to allow for the calculation of streamflow using the tracer-dilution method. Synoptic water-quality samples were collected from 48 stream sites and 29 inflow locations along a 5.4-kilometer study reach. Data from the study provide profiles of pH, concentration, and mass load with a high degree of spatial resolution. Despite the presence of 10 circumneutral inflows, pH remained below 3.4 at all stream sites. Concentration profiles indicate that dissolved concentrations of aluminum, cadmium, copper, lead, and zinc exceed chronic aquatic-life standards established by the State of Colorado along the entire study reach. Comparison of total recoverable and dissolved concentrations suggests that most constituents were transported conservatively. Exceptions to this pattern include arsenic, iron, molybdenum, and vanadium, four constituents that were subject to precipitation and(or) sorption reactions as the addition of a circumneutral tributary resulted in a slight increase in instream pH. Evaluation of data from the 29 inflow locations indicates a sharp contrast between the east and west sides of the watershed; inflows from the east side have high constituent concentrations and acidic pH, whereas inflows from the west side have lower concentrations and generally higher pH. Loading profiles, the product of streamflow and concentration, are used to rank potential sources of metals and acidity within the watershed. Four sources account for 83, 72, 70, 69, 64, and 61 percent of the aluminum, iron, arsenic, zinc, copper, and cadmium loading within the study reach, respectively. All four sources appear to be the result of surface inflows that have been affected by mining activities. The relatively small number of major sources and the fact that they are attributable to surface inflows are two factors that may facilitate effective remediation.

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