Nitrogen, sulfate, chloride, and manganese in ground water in the alluvial deposits of the South Platte River Valley near Greeley, Weld County, Colorado

Ground water from the valley-fill deposits of the South Platte River Valley and its tributaries is used extensively for agriculture in the study area, about 10 miles east of Greeley and about 50 miles northeast of Denver, Colorado. The valley-fill deposits, which consist of alluvial and terrace deposits, are in a valley system eroded in Laramie Formation bedrock. Water samples collected from 53 wells during 1974 and 1980 were analyzed for nitrite plus nitrate nitrogen, sulfate, chloride, and manganese. Median concentrations changes in these constituents from 1974 to 1980 are as follows: 6.0 to 8.8 milligrams per liter for nitrite plus nitrate nitrogen, 850 to 900 milligrams per liter for sulfate, and 94 to 120 milligrams per liter for chloride. Manganese concentrations were greater than 1,000 micrograms per liter in both 1974 and 1980 in a small area at the mouth of Box Elder Creek. (USGS)