DTIC ADA452443: Nitrogen and Phosphorous Data for Surface Water in the Upper Colorado River Basin, Colorado, 1980-94

20 Pages·1.1 MB·English

by  Defense Technical Information Center

NITROGEN AND PHOSPHORUS DATA FOR
SURFACE WATER IN THE UPPER COLORADO
RIVER BASIN, COLORADO, 1980-94
National Water-Quality
/ Assessment Study Unit
U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY
Open-File Report 97-233
NATIONAL WATER-QUALITY ASSESSMENT PROGRAM
Report Documentation Page Form Approved
OMB No. 0704-0188
Public reporting burden for the collection of information is estimated to average 1 hour per response, including the time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and
maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information. Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information,
including suggestions for reducing this burden, to Washington Headquarters Services, Directorate for Information Operations and Reports, 1215 Jefferson Davis Highway, Suite 1204, Arlington
VA 22202-4302. Respondents should be aware that notwithstanding any other provision of law, no person shall be subject to a penalty for failing to comply with a collection of information if it

does not display a currently valid OMB control number.
1. REPORT DATE 2. REPORT TYPE 3. DATES COVERED
1997 N/A -
4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE 5a. CONTRACT NUMBER
Nitrogen and Phosphorous Data for Surface Water in the Upper
5b. GRANT NUMBER
Colorado River Basin, Colorado, 1980-94
5c. PROGRAM ELEMENT NUMBER
6. AUTHOR(S) 5d. PROJECT NUMBER
5e. TASK NUMBER
5f. WORK UNIT NUMBER
7. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION NAME(S) AND ADDRESS(ES) 8. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION
U.S. Department of the Interior 1849 C Street, NW Washington, DC REPORT NUMBER
20240
9. SPONSORING/MONITORING AGENCY NAME(S) AND ADDRESS(ES) 10. SPONSOR/MONITOR’S ACRONYM(S)
11. SPONSOR/MONITOR’S REPORT
NUMBER(S)
12. DISTRIBUTION/AVAILABILITY STATEMENT
Approved for public release, distribution unlimited
13. SUPPLEMENTARY NOTES
14. ABSTRACT
15. SUBJECT TERMS
16. SECURITY CLASSIFICATION OF: 17. LIMITATION OF 18. NUMBER 19a. NAME OF
ABSTRACT OF PAGES RESPONSIBLE PERSON

a. REPORT b. ABSTRACT c. THIS PAGE SAR 19
unclassified unclassified unclassified
Standard Form 298 (Rev. 8-98)
Prescribed by ANSI Std Z39-18
Nitrogen and Phosphorus Data for
Surface Water in the Upper Colorado
River Basin, Colorado, 1980-94
By Kirby H. Wynn and Norman E. Spahr
U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY
Open-File Report 97-233
Denver, Colorado
1997
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
BRUCE BABBITT, Secretary
U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY
Gordon P. Eaton, 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 US. 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
FOREWORD
The mission of the U.S. Geological Survey Describe how water quality is changing over
l
(USGS) is to assessth e quantity and quality of the time.
earth resourceso f the Nation and to provide informa- Improve understandingo f the primary natural
l
tion that will assistr esourcem anagersa nd policy- and human factors that affect water-quality
makers at Federal, State, and local levels in making conditions.
sound decisions. Assessmento f water-quality condi- This information will help support the development
tions and trends is an important part of this overall and evaluation of management,r egulatory, and moni-
mission. toring decisionsb y other Federal, State, and local
agenciest o protect, use, and enhancew ater resources.
One of the greatestc hallengesf aced by water-
The goals of the NAWQA Program are being
resourcess cientists is acquiring reliable information
achievedt hrough ongoing and proposed investigations
that will guide the use and protection of the Nation’s
of 59 of the Nation’s most important river basins and
water resources.T hat challenge is being addressedb y
aquifer systems,w hich are referred to as study units.
Federal, State, interstate,a nd local water-resource
These study units are distributed throughout the
agenciesa nd by many academici nstitutions. These
Nation and cover a diversity of hydrogeologic settings.
organizations are collecting water-quality data for a
More than two-thirds of the Nation’s freshwater use
host of purposest hat include: compliancew ith permits
occurs within the 59 study units and more than two-
and water-supply standards;d evelopmento f remedia-
thirds of the people served by public water-supply
tion plans for specific contamination problems; opera-
systemsl ive within their boundaries.
tional decisions on industrial, wastewater,o r water-
National synthesiso f data analysis, basedo n
supply facilities; and researcho n factors that affect
aggregationo f comparablei nformation obtained from
water quality. An additional need for water-quality
the study units, is a major component of the program.
information is to provide a basis on which regional-
This effort focuseso n selectedw ater-quality topics
and national-level policy decisionsc an be based.W ise
using nationally consistenti nformation. Comparative
decisionsm ust be basedo n sound information. As a
studiesw ill explain differences and similarities in
society we need to know whether certain types of
observedw ater-quality conditions among study areas
water-quality problems are isolated or ubiquitous,
and will identify changesa nd trends and their causes.
whether there are significant differences in conditions
The first topics addressedb y the national synthesisa re
among regions, whether the conditions are changing
pesticides,n utrients, volatile organic compounds, and
over time, and why these conditions changef rom
aquatic biology. Discussionso n these and other water-
place to place and over time. The information can be
quality topics will be published in periodic summaries
used to help determine the efficacy of existing water-
of the quality of the Nation’s ground and surfacew ater
quality policies and to help analystsd etermine the
as the information becomesa vailable.
need for and likely consequenceso f new policies.
This report is an element of the comprehensive
To addresst hesen eeds,t he U.S. Congressa ppropri- body of information developeda s part of the NAWQA
ated funds in 1986 for the USGS to begin a pilot pro- Program. The program dependsh eavily on the advice,
gram in sevenp roject areast o develop and refine the cooperation,a nd information from many Federal,
National Water-Quality Assessmen(tN AWQA) State,i nterstate,T ribal, and local agenciesa nd the
Program.I n 1991 , the USGS beganf ull implementation public. The assistancea nd suggestionso f all are
of the program. The NAWQA Programb uilds upon an greatly appreciated.
existing baseo f water-quality studieso f the USGS, as
. Federal,S tate,a nd local agencies.
well as those of the Federal, State, and local agencies.
the are to:
The objectives of the NAWQA Program are to
oDescibe current water-quality conditions for a Describe current water-quality conditions for a
la Robert M. Hirsch
rivers, and aquifers. Chief Hydrologist
FOREWORD ill
CONTENTS
. . .
Foreword. .........................................................................................................................................................................1.1.1.. ..
Abstract. ............................................................................................................................................................................1.. ...
Introduction .......................................................................................................................................................................1.. ..
Purposea nd Scope. ...................................................................................................................................................1.. .
Description of Study Unit .........................................................................................................................................2.. .
Nitrogen and PhosphorusD ata ...........................................................................................................................................2.. .
Sources.. ..................................................................................................................................................................2.. ...
Retrieval. .................................................................................................................................................................2.. ...
Screening. ...............................................................................................................................................................2.. ...
Compilation .............................................................................................................................................................2.. ..
Data-SetS ummary.. ...........................................................................................................................................................5.. ..
Description of Data-SetD iskette. .....................................................................................................................................1..4.. .
ReferencesC ited... ...........................................................................................................................................................1..4.. ..
FIGURES
1. Map showing location of study unit and samplings itesf or nutrient datac ollection ,................................................ 3
2. Graph showing distribution of samplingd atesf or National Water Information System( NWIS) and
STOragea nd RETrieval (STORET) surface-waters itesf or nutrient datac ollection .. .. .. . .. .. . .. .. .. . .. .. . .. .. . .. .. .. . .. .. . .. .. . .. 9
TABLES
I. Parameterc odesf or datac ompiled on data-setd iskette. ........................................................................................4
2. Site identification numbersa nd site namesf or map referencen umbersi n figure 1 ............................................... 6
3. Number of samplesc ollectedp er site andn umbero f samplesc ollectedp er site for eacho f the five
combinedn utrient parameters.. ...........................................................................................................................1..1..
[Data-Set Diskette in Pocket]
CONVERSION FACTORS AND VERTICAL DATUM
Multiply BY To obtain
cubic foot per second( fi3/s) 0.028 cubic meter per second
mile (mi) 1.609 kilometer
Degree Celsius (“C) may be converted to degreeF ahrenheit( OF)b y using the following equation:
“F=(1.8x°C)+32
CONTENTS v
Nitrogen and Phosphorus Data for Surface Water in
the Upper Colorado River Basin, Colorado, 1980-94
By Kirby H. Wynn and Norman E. Spahr
Abstract 1994). A major part of eachN AWQA study is
retrospectivea nalysis of existing water-quality data.
This report documents,s ummarizes,a nd The four goals of the retrospective analysis are:
provides on 3 S-in. diskette the surface-water
1. Develop an improved conceptual model of spatial
data collected from January. 1980 through
and temporalp atternso f concentrationsa nd loads
August 1994 for nitrogen and phosphorusi n the
within the study unit;
Upper Colorado River Basin from the Colorado-
2. Guide additional data collection;
Utah State line to the Continental Divide.
Ancillary data for parameters,s uch as water 3. Contribute data to the National SynthesisP rogram
of NAWQA; and
temperature, streamflow, specific conductance,
dissolved oxygen, pH, and alkalinity, also are 4. Document findings for future NAWQA work.
compiled, if available. Data were retrieved from
The UCOL study-unit team has done a
the U.S. Geological Survey National Water
retrospectivea nalysis of available surface-water
Information System and the U.S. Environmental data for nitrogen and phosphorus,w hich are essential
Protection Agency STORET (STOrage and nutrients for plant and animal growth. Results of
RETrieval) system. The water-quality data are nutrient retrospectivea nalysis have guided the design
presented for sites having five or more nutrient of the UCOL surface-water-qualitys ampling network.
analyses that reflect ambient stream conditions. Many of the selecteds ampling sites lack historic
The compiled data base contains 4,927 samples water-quality data (Spahr and others, 1996), and
one of the priorities of network design was to select
from 123 sites. The median sample period of
some sites without current or historic water-quality
record for individual sites is 2.5 years, and the
monitoring to expandt he spatial extent of available
seventy-fifth percentile is about 12 years. Sixteen
data.
sites have only five samples each. The median
number of samples per site is 14 samples, whereas
the seventy-fifth percentile is 65 samples. The
Purpose and Scope
compiled data set was used in the design of a
basinwide sampling network that incorporates This report documents,s ummarizes,a nd
sites that lack historic surface-water-quality data. provides on 3.5-m diskette the surface-watern utrient
data that were collected from January 1980 through
August 1994. Interpretive analyseso f the data are in
INTRODUCTION Spahra nd Wynn (1997). Ancillary data for parame-
ters, such as water temperature,s treamflow, specific
The Upper Colorado River Basin (UCOL) is conductance,d issolved oxygen, pH, and alkalinity,
1 of 59 U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) National also are included on the data diskette, if available, but
Water-Quality Assessment( NAWQA) study units. are not summarizedi n this report. The compiled data
The UCOL study began in October 1993 (Driver, basec ontains 4,927 samplesf rom 123 sites.
Abstract 1
Description of Study Unit Retrieval
The UCOL study unit (fig. 1) consistso f the Water-quality data for January 1, 1980,
Colorado River and its tributaries that drain the through August 3 1, 1994, were retrieved for sites
mountains of central and western Colorado. The major within the UCOL study unit. Only records containing
tributaries to the Colorado River within the study unit data for concentrationso f nitrate, ammonia, total
are the Blue, Eagle, Roaring Fork, and Gunnison nitrogen, total phosphorus,o rthophosphate,o r a
Rivers. The Colorado River, the largest river within related constituent were retained. Effort was made to
the study-unit basin, flows southwestf or about 230 mi exclude samples itest hat do not reflect ambient stream
from its headwatersi n the mountains of central conditions; therefore, data collected at point sources
Colorado to the Colorado-Utah State line. are not included in this report. In December 1994,
Land use is the major factor affecting nutrient STORET records for sites were retrieved. Updates
loading within the study unit. Areas that have a rapidly or changesm ade to data in the STORET system after
developing infrastructure to support recreational December 1994 are not included in this report.
activities within the Fraser and Eagle River Basins and
agricultural areasw ithin the Grand Valley and lower
Screening
Gunnison River Basin are most associatedw ith
elevated nutrient loading (Spahr and Wynn, 1997).
Many sites and samplesw ere excluded from the
The study unit is primarily rural and has a population
final data set if definitive correctionsifor erroneous
of 234,000 people (Bureau of Census, 1990). More
location information, site type, or nutrient data values
than a quarter of the population resides in the
were not possible. In some instances,d ata entry errors
immediate vicinity of Grand Junction, Colo. Although
were discovered and then corrected after verifying
not accountedf or in Bureau of Censusf igures, tourism
data values with the agency that collected the data.
attracts a large influx of people to the basin during
The data set was compiled to determine water-quality
summer and winter (Driver, 1994). An extensive
patterns on a regional scale; therefore, some sites were
analysis of the environmental setting of the UCOL
retained that have only generalized latitude and
study unit, including land use, physiography, climate,
longitude values. These sites are iden’tifiable by
ecoregion, and hydrologic characteristics,i s presented
latitude and longitude values that end in “00.” Other
in Apodaca and others (1996).
sitest hat had comparatively large errors in latitude and
longitude or did not representa mbient surface-water
conditions were excluded. Additional screening of
NITROGEN AND PHOSPHORUS DATA
sites basedo n quantity of data was performed during
data compilation.
Sources
Compilation
Data used in the surface-watern utrient analyses
were obtained from two sources:( 1) The USGS The NWIS and STORET data were combined
National Water Information System( NWIS) (Maddy into a single data set for analysis after screening for
and others, 1990), and (2) the U.S. Environmental errors. The parameterc odes for the STORET data
Protection Agency (USEPA) STORET (STOrage were converted, as necessary,t o their NWIS equiva-
and RETrieval) system. The STORET systemi s used lents before merging the two data sets into a single
as a repository for water-quality data by many data base.A ll the NWIS parameter codes and their
agencies.T he following agenciesp rovided data for definitions in the order that they appear on the data
this report: USGS; Colorado Department of Public diskette provided with this report are listed in table 1.
Health and Environment; U.S. Department of Additional parametersc reatedd uring data compilation
Agriculture, Forest Service; and Denver Board of or analysis are included in table 1 and on the data
Water Commissioners. diskette.
2 Nitrogen and Phosphorus Data for Surface Water In the Upper Colorado River Basin, Colorado, 198fHM
Upper Colorado River Basin study unit
I
I
107”
Ai!...-
109”
40 KILOMETERS
EXPLANATION
SAMPLING SITES
(Number designates map reference
number (“mapno” parameter in table 1 and table 2)]
A Data from U.S. Geological Survey National Water
Information System
. Data from U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
STOrage and RETrieval System
Figure 1. Location of study unit and sampling sites for nutrient data collection.
NITROGENA ND PHOSPHORUSD ATA 3
Table 1. Parameter codes for data compiled on data-set diskette
[mg/L,m illigramsp er liter; @/cm,m icrosiemeopse rc entimetear t 25 degreeCs elsiusN; , nitrogenN; H,+a mmoniumio n; N03, nitrate;P , phosphorus;
Pod,p hosphate“C; , degreeCs elsiusf;t 3/s,c ubicf eetp ers econdC, aC03c, alciumc arbonate]
Parameter Definltlon
mapno Map referencen umber
staid Site identification number
lat Latitude, degrees
Ion Longitude, degrees
date Sampled ate
time Samplet ime
name Site name
nitrate Nitrate, as N (mg/L); computed’
ammon Ammonia, as N (mg/L); computed’
totaln Total nitrogen, as N (mg/L); computed’
phos Total phosphorus,a s P (mg/L); computed’
ortho Orthophosphatea, s P (mg/L); computed’
PO0608 Nitrogen, ammonia,d issolved (mg/L as N)
~71846 Nitrogen, ammonia,d issolved (mg/L as NH4)
pOO610 Nitrogen, ammonia,t otal (mg/L as N)
~71845 Nitrogen, ammonia,t otal (mg/L as NH4)
~00613 Nitrogen, nitrite, dissolved (mg/L as N)
~71856 Nitrogen, nitrite, dissolved (mg/L as NOz)
~00615 Nitrogen, nitrite, total (mg/L as N)
~00631 Nitrogen, nitrite plus nitrate, dissolved (mdL as N)
~00630 Nitrogen, nitrite plus nitrate, total (mg/L as N)
PO0618 Nitrogen, nitrate, dissolved( mg/L as N)
~71851 Nitrogen, nitrate, dissolved( mg/L as N03)
~00620 Nitrogen, nitrate, total (mg/L as N)
pOO600 Nitrogen, total (mg/L as N)
~71887 _ Nitrogen, total (mg/L as N03)
~00625 Nitrogen, ammonia plus organic, total (mg/L as N)
~00671 Phosphorus,o rthophosphated, issolved (mg/L as P)
PO0660 Phosphateo, rtho, dissolved (mg/L as PO4)
p70507 Phosphorus,o rthophosphatet,o tal (mgIL. as P)
~00650 Phosphatet,o tal (mg/L as P04)
~00665 Phosphorust,o tal (mg/L as P)
~71886 Phosphorus,t otal (mg/L as Pod)
PO0666 Phosphorusd, issolved (mg/L as P)
temp Water temperature( “C)
pOOO60 Discharge( ft’/s)
~00061 Discharge,i nstantaneous(e /s)
SC Specific conductance@ S/cm)
labsc Specific conductance,la boratory (pS/cm)
do Oxygen, dissolved, field (mg/L)
ph pH, water, whole, field, standardu nits
labph pH, water, whole, laboratory, standardu nits
PO0410 Alkalinity, water, whole, total, fixed endpoint titration, field (mg/L as CaC03)
p90410 Alkalinity, titration to pH 4.5, laboratory (mgiL as CaCO3)
p39086 Alkalinity, water, dissolved,t otal, incrementalt itration, field (mg/L as CaC03)
yr Year samplec ollected
mo Month samplec ollected
&Y Day samplec ollected
agency Agency collecting sample
‘Valuec omputedfr om a relatedp arametetrie ld usingm ethodo f Muellera ndo thers( 1995,p . 7).
4 Nitrogen and Phosphorus Data for Surface Water In the Upper Colorado River Basin, Colorado, 198M