Characterization of Water Quality and Biology in the Fountain Creek Watershed
Monument and Fountain Creeks and their respective watersheds, located in the Front Range of Colorado, serve as important drainages for surface runoff, waste-water treatment operations, and as a water supply for downstream agricultural needs. As population growth continues in these watersheds, more and more pressures are being applied to the receiving streams, especially Fountain Creek.
Communities downstream from Colorado Springs, from Fountain to Pueblo and as distant as La Junta, are concerned about water-quality impacts to Fountain Creek from urbanization. Elevated sediment, bacteria, and selenium loads affect municipal treatment processes, and biota. Increased flows in Fountain Creek, as a result of population growth in Colorado Springs, also alter stream morphology especially during periods of storm runoff.
Bank cutting and subsequent erosion introduce additional sediment in areas and scour the streambed in other areas. The impact to stream biota can be dramatic.
Water-resource managers in the Monument Creek and Fountain Creek watersheds understand the importance of this water resource and are dependent upon understanding water-quality and biota conditions.
OBJECTIVES:
The objectives of this project are to provide biological monitoring and assessment of the biological communities (benthic macroinvertebrates and fish) in the Fountain Creek basin to fulfill the EPA stormwater permit requirement for the City of Colorado Springs.
Multimetric Index macroinvertebrate values from the Fountain Creek Basin, Colorado 2005 to 2016.
Datasets of ecological communities (invertebrates and fish), streamflow, habitat, and water quality to examine the presence of trends in ecological communities from the Fountain Creek basin, Colorado, USA, 2003-2016.
Below are publications associated with this project.
Changes in biological communities of the Fountain Creek Basin, Colorado, 2003–2016, in relation to antecedent streamflow, water quality, and habitat
Comparability among four invertebrate sampling methods and two multimetric indexes, Fountain Creek Basin, Colorado, 2010–2012
Characterization of water quality and suspended sediment during cold-season flows, warm-season flows, and stormflows in the Fountain and Monument Creek watersheds, Colorado, 2007–2015
Comparability among four invertebrate sampling methods, Fountain Creek Basin, Colorado, 2010-2012
Barriers impede upstream spawning migration of flathead chub
Evaluation of fecal contamination by human and ruminant sources in upper Fountain Creek, Colorado, 2007-2008, by using multiple lines of evidence:
Temporal change in biological community structure in the Fountain Creek basin, Colorado, 2001-2008
Urban-Related Environmental Variables and Their Relation with Patterns in Biological Community Structure in the Fountain Creek Basin, Colorado, 2003-2005
Characterization and analysis of temporal and spatial variations in habitat and macroinvertebrate community structure, Fountain Creek basin, Colorado Springs and vicinity, Colorado, 1998-2001
Monument and Fountain Creeks and their respective watersheds, located in the Front Range of Colorado, serve as important drainages for surface runoff, waste-water treatment operations, and as a water supply for downstream agricultural needs. As population growth continues in these watersheds, more and more pressures are being applied to the receiving streams, especially Fountain Creek.
Communities downstream from Colorado Springs, from Fountain to Pueblo and as distant as La Junta, are concerned about water-quality impacts to Fountain Creek from urbanization. Elevated sediment, bacteria, and selenium loads affect municipal treatment processes, and biota. Increased flows in Fountain Creek, as a result of population growth in Colorado Springs, also alter stream morphology especially during periods of storm runoff.
Bank cutting and subsequent erosion introduce additional sediment in areas and scour the streambed in other areas. The impact to stream biota can be dramatic.
Water-resource managers in the Monument Creek and Fountain Creek watersheds understand the importance of this water resource and are dependent upon understanding water-quality and biota conditions.
OBJECTIVES:
The objectives of this project are to provide biological monitoring and assessment of the biological communities (benthic macroinvertebrates and fish) in the Fountain Creek basin to fulfill the EPA stormwater permit requirement for the City of Colorado Springs.
Multimetric Index macroinvertebrate values from the Fountain Creek Basin, Colorado 2005 to 2016.
Datasets of ecological communities (invertebrates and fish), streamflow, habitat, and water quality to examine the presence of trends in ecological communities from the Fountain Creek basin, Colorado, USA, 2003-2016.
Below are publications associated with this project.