Data was collected on May 10, 2005 at Pikeview Reservoir located southeast of the Garden of the Gods Exit on I-25, in Colorado Springs. Our hypothesis is that the pH anomaly found in Pikeview Reservoir is a result of concrete use in the adjacent construction site. Tests were conducted for pH, alkalinity, soil composition, heavy metals, ion concentrations, and total dissolved solids/suspended solids. Analysis of lab data led to the following conclusions: There are multiple possible causes of the pH anomaly in the Pikeview Reservoir; the most prominent causes are runoff from the construction site, road, and the point-source culverts. The most convincing data indicating concrete contamination were high pH readings proximate to the construction site. Though the lack of a correlation between pH and Ca2+ ions does not directly implicate concrete as a cause for high pH, it is possible that with appropriate accounting for dilution factors and background from others sources, calcium may have a greater correlation. A significant relationship between Cl- ions and pH was found, implicating road runoff, however, Cl- is not a direct cause of the observed pH change. It can be said with a high confidence, that the two culverts studied are increasing the pH of the water entering the reservoir. Correlation does not always imply causation, and further study of the site is strongly suggested.
The EV311 classes since 2003 have conducted an annual longitudinal study of the Fountain Creek watershed from the snows of Pikes Peak to below the wastewater treatment plant in Colorado Springs. During that time, no assessment has been conducted of the watershed south of Colorado Springs. Thus, in order to complete the longitudinal study, this longitudinal project tested Fountain Creek from below Security and the Las Vegas water treatment plant to below the confluence with the Arkansas River in Pueblo. Since one of the primary uses of the land south of Colorado Springs to Pueblo we hypothesized that the effects of agriculture on the southern part of the Fountain Creek Watershed would have a significant impact on stream health. Lab and field analysis led us to conclude that the longitudinal trends in most indicators suggest that there are no significant influxes from agriculture in teh early spring. We believe that a late summer sampling should be conducted to further assess our hypothesis.
This report presents the results of a two-station diurnal study along Sutherland Creek, at hird-order stream in the Fountain Creek Watershed located in Manitou Springs, Colorado. Two sites were chosen to analyze elevational differences and each site was observed and sampled at three hour intervals for a twenty-four hour period on May 9 - May 10, 2005. The study attempts to look at changes in net metabolism, chemical mass balance, and energy budget. The data supported our prediction that the energy budget of Sutherland Creek would increase as the water flows downstream. We observed no significant difference in the chemical mass balance between the two sites based on tracking base cations, sulfate, chloride and fluoride. The nitrate mass balance exhibited patterns that inversely correlate with solar radiation, while alkalinity is positively correlated with solar radiation. The productivity followed a pattern of high respiration at night and high productivity during the day which we hypothesized would occur over the diurnal period. Anomalously, we found higher mass flows in the upper site than teh lower site. Though the cause of this anomaly may be due to measurement inaccuracies, we suggest follow-up measurements.
This study was performed in conjunction with the Teller and El Paso County Health Departments to determine if well water from selected sites in the two counties contained chemical contamination. The pH, temperature and GPS data were collected in the field; alkalinity was determined by titrimetry; base cations, chloride, sulfate, nitrate, phosphate and fluoride were determined by ion chromatography; and Si, Ni, Fe, Cu, Mn and Zn were determined by ICP. Though Se, Pb, As and Al were tested by ICP, none could be detected in this procedure due to the low concentration detection limit. We found two sites that exceeded the EPA limit of 10mg/L for nitrate-nitrogen concentration, both in Teller County. We also compared historic data from a class project in 2002 and found that most Teller County wells had not changed appreciably from 2002 levels. Though much well data was not readily available to us, a correlation of well depth with nitrate levels showed no significant correlation. Cluster analysis indicated that Si and some base cations indicated geographically similar sites. Copper indicated very different clustering, most likely due to inputs from personal plumbing. Further cluster analysis may indicate other geographic correlations that would aid in detecting plumes.
As population centers such as Colorado Springs, Colorado continue to grow, a concomittant increase in the volume of biological and chemical waste may create both health and environmental concerns. To prepare for the increased growth, Colorado Springs Utilities is building a second wastewater treatment plant in addition to the pre-existing Las Vegas Street Wastewater Treatment Plant (LVWWTP). As the construction of additional wastewater plants comes to the forefront of growing cities' agendas, it is important that the environmental impact of the treatment plants is assessed. The purpose of this study was 1) to provide a baseline set of longitudinal data for the Fountain Mutual Irrigation Canal above and below the Las Vegas Street Wastewater Plant and 2) to monitor the level of robustness of the Canal or its ability to return to the conditions of its main tributary, Fountain Creek and 3) to confirm that the EPA discharge limits do, in fact, allow for a healthy stream habitat. A variety of biological and chemical data including TSS, TDS, BOD, DO, pH, coliform analysis, and nitrate concentration were collected from sample sites above and below the effluent discharge point of the LVWWTP. Our null hypothesis states that these responses will not be affected by the LVWWTP. Statistical tests based on our lab results indicate that the Canal is significantly affected by the LVWWTP, specifically in BOD, DO, conductivity, fecal coliform, temperature, and pH. The results also illustrate that the Canal was robust, as the sites below the LVWWTP returned relatively quickly to the condition of the sites above the LVWWTP. We are happy to report that the LVWWTP's effluent was well below the EPA standards; however such exemplary work made it difficult to assess whether EPA standards for point sources foster a healthy stream. Our results are compelling and, due to the increased construction of wastewater facilities, warrant further investigation perhaps in more contaminated waters or a comparison of output from the new and existing wastewater treatment plants.