Assessment of water resources at Fort Carson Military Reservation near Colorado Springs, Colorado

The Fort Carson Military Reservation adjoins the rapidly growning Colorado Springs metropolitan area, where locally available water supplies are limited and strictly administered. Fort Carson purchases about 3,400 acre-feet of treated water annually from the city of Colorado Springs. The major streams entering Fort Carson have an estimated average annual discharge of 6,240 acre-feet of water per year upstream from diversions for municipal and domestic water supplies. The streamflow is unevenly distributed in time and consequently not dependable as a large or sole source of water. Ground water is available from alluvial and bedrock aquifers. Wells with yields greater than 100 gallons per minute can be expected from the alluvium along Rock and Little Fountain Creeks and from some parts of the Dakota-Purgatoire aquifer. The quality of surface water entering Fort Carson is generally suitable for irrigation and drinking but deteriorates eastward across Fort Carson. Water from the alluvial aquifer along Rock and Little Fountain Creeks in the eastern part of Fort Carson contains fluoride in concentrations exceeding drinking-water standards. Water from the Dakota-Purgatoire aquifer characteristically contains radiochemical constituents in concentrations that exceed drinking-water standards. (USGS)