U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY

Water-Resources Investigations Report

Characterization of Selected Biological,

Chemical, and Physical Conditions at

Fixed Sites in the Upper Colorado

River Basin, Colorado, 1995–98

By Jeffrey R. Deacon, Scott V. Mize, and Norman E. Spahr

Denver, Colorado

1999

99 –4181
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

BRUCE BABBITT, Secretary

U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY

Charles G. Groat, 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

U.S. Geological Survey

Information Services

Box 25286

Federal Center

Denver, CO 80225

from:

District Chief

U.S. Geological Survey

Box 25046, Mail Stop 415

Denver Federal Center

Denver, CO 80225-0046
 III

The mission of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is to assess the quantity and quality of the earth

resources of the Nation and to provide information that will assist resource managers and policymakers at

Federal, State, and local levels in making sound decisions. Assessment of water-quality conditions and trends is

an important part of this overall mission.

One of the greatest challenges faced by water-resources scientists is acquiring reliable information that

will guide the use and protection of the Nation’s water resources. That challenge is being addressed by Federal,

State, interstate, and local water-resource agencies and by many academic institutions. These organizations are

collecting water-quality data for a host of purposes that include: compliance with permits and water-supply

standards; development of remediation plans for a specific contamination problem; operational decisions on

industrial, wastewater, or water-supply facilities; and research on factors that affect water quality. An additional

need for water-quality information is to provide a basis on which regional and national policy decisions can be

based. Wise decisions must be based on sound information. As a society we need to know whether certain types

of water-quality problems are isolated or ubiquitous, whether there are significant differences in conditions

among regions, whether the conditions are changing over time, and why these conditions change from place to

place and over time. The information can be used to help determine the efficacy of existing water-quality policies

and to help analysts determine the need for and likely consequences of new policies.

To address these needs, the Congress appropriated funds in 1986 for the USGS to begin a pilot program in

seven project areas to develop and refine the National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Program. In 1991,

the USGS began full implementation of the program. The NAWQA Program builds upon an existing base of

water-quality studies of the USGS, as well as those of other Federal, State, and local agencies. The objectives of

the NAWQA Program are to:

•Describe current water-quality conditions for a large part of the Nation’s freshwater streams, rivers,

and aquifers.

•Describe how water quality is changing over time.

•Improve understanding of the primary natural and human factors that affect water-quality conditions.

This information will help support the development and evaluation of management, regulatory, and monitoring

decisions by other Federal, State, and local agencies to protect, use, and enhance water resources.

The goals of the NAWQA Program are being achieved through ongoing and proposed investigations of 59

of the Nation’s most important river basins and aquifer systems, which are referred to as study units. These study

units are distributed throughout the Nation and cover a diversity of hydrogeologic settings. More than two-thirds

of the Nation’s freshwater use occurs within the 59 study units, and more than two-thirds of the people served by

public water-supply systems live within their boundaries.

National synthesis of data analysis, based on aggregation of comparable information obtained from the

study units, is a major component of the program. This effort focuses on selected water-quality topics using

nationally consistent information. Comparative studies will explain differences and similarities in observed

water-quality conditions among study areas and will identify changes and trends and their causes. The first topics

addressed by the national synthesis are pesticides, nutrients, volatile organic compounds, and aquatic biology.

Discussions on these and other water-quality topics will be published in periodic summaries of the quality of the

Nation’s ground and surface water as the information becomes available.

This report is an element of the comprehensive body of information developed as part of the NAWQA

Program. The program depends heavily on the advice, cooperation, and information from many Federal, State,

interstate, Tribal, and local agencies and the public. The assistance and suggestions of all are greatly appreciated.

FOREWORD

Robert M. Hirsch

Chief Hydrologist
CONTENTS V

CONTENTS

Foreword ................................................................................................................................................................................ III

Abstract.................................................................................................................................................................................. 1

Introduction............................................................................................................................................................................ 2

Purpose and Scope....................................................................................................................................................... 3

Description of Study Unit............................................................................................................................................ 3

Acknowledgments ....................................................................................................................................................... 5

Methods of Data Collection and Analysis ............................................................................................................................. 5

Sample Collection and Analysis.................................................................................................................................. 5

Selection of Data for Analysis..................................................................................................................................... 7

Data Analysis............................................................................................................................................................... 11

Characterization of Fixed Sites.............................................................................................................................................. 13

Southern Rocky Mountains Physiographic Province Indicator Sites .......................................................................... 13

Southern Rocky Mountains Physiographic Province Integrator Sites......................................................................... 20

Colorado Plateau Physiographic Province Indicator Sites .......................................................................................... 20

Colorado Plateau Physiographic Province Integrator Sites ......................................................................................... 27

Summary................................................................................................................................................................................ 31

References.............................................................................................................................................................................. 33

Appendixes

Appendix A.................................................................................................................................................................. 37

Appendix B.................................................................................................................................................................. 67

Appendix C.................................................................................................................................................................. 70

FIGURES

1. Map showing location of sampling sites in the Upper Colorado River Basin study unit ......................................... 4

2. Stratification scheme of physiographic province, general geology, and land use for fixed sites in the

Upper Colorado River Basin study unit .................................................................................................................... 6

3. Map showing location of sampling sites from the Rio Grande Valley, the South Platte River Basin,

the Upper Snake River Basin, and the Upper Colorado River Basin study units...................................................... 12

4. Box plots showing median and single concentrations or values for selected water-quality measures

for the Upper Colorado River Basin forested background and mining indicator sites in relation to the

range of median and single concentrations or values for the Rio Grande Valley, the South Platte River Basin,

and the Upper Snake River Basin study units forested indicator sites...................................................................... 14

5. Map showing site-condition rankings for the Southern Rocky Mountains physiographic province

background and mining land-use sites in the Upper Colorado River Basin study unit............................................. 16

6. Box plots showing median and single concentrations or values for selected water-quality measures

for the Upper Colorado River Basin forested background and urban and recreation indicator sites in

relation to the range of median and single concentrations or values for the Rio Grande Valley, the

South Platte River Basin, and the Upper Snake River Basin study units forested indicator sites............................. 18

7. Map showing site condition rankings for the Southern Rocky Mountains physiographic province

background and urban/recreation land-use sites in the Upper Colorado River Basin study unit.............................. 19

8. Box plots showing median and single concentrations or values for selected water-quality measures

for the Upper Colorado River Basin Southern Rocky Mountains physiographic province mixed land-use

integrator sites in relation to range of median and single concentrations or values for the Rio Grande Valley,

the South Platte River Basin, and the Upper Snake River Basin study units mixed land-use integrator sites.......... 21

9. Map showing site condition rankings for Southern Rocky Mountains physiographic province mixed

land-use sites in the Upper Colorado River Basin study unit.................................................................................... 22
VI CONTENTS

10. Box plots showing median and single concentrations or values for selected water-quality measures for

the Upper Colorado River Basin background and agricultural indicator sites in relation to the range of

median and single concentrations or values for the Rio Grande Valley, the South Platte River Basin, and

the Upper Snake River Basin study units agricultural indicator sites....................................................................... 24

11. Map showing site-condition rankings for the Colorado Plateau physiographic province background and

agricultural land-use sites in the Upper Colorado River Basin study unit................................................................ 26

12. Box plots showing median and single concentrations or values for selected water-quality measures for

the Upper Colorado River Basin Colorado Plateau physiographic province mixed land-use integrator sites

in relation to the range of median and single concentrations or values for the Rio Grande Valley, the

South Platte River Basin, and the Upper Snake River Basin mixed land-use integrator sites .................................. 28

13. Map showing site-condition rankings for the Colorado Plateau physiographic province mixed land-use sites

in the Upper Colorado River Basin study unit .......................................................................................................... 30

TABLES

1. Selected site characteristics for fixed sites in the Upper Colorado River Basin study unit .................................... 8

2. Selected chemical and biological measures for fixed sites in the Upper Colorado River Basin study unit............ 10

3. Classification rankings of water-quality measures for forested indicator sites....................................................... 17

4. Classification rankings of water-quality measures for mixed land-use integrator sites .......................................... 23

5. Classification rankings of water-quality measures for agricultural indicator sites ................................................. 27
Abstract 1

Characterization of Selected Biological, Chemical,

and Physical Conditions at Fixed Sites in the

Upper Colorado River Basin, Colorado, 1995–98

By Jeffrey R. Deacon, Scott V. Mize, and Norman E. Spahr

ABSTRACT

Biological community samples were

collected at 15 sites in the Upper Colorado River

Basin (UCOL) in Colorado as part of the National

Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Program.

Sites sampled in two physiographic provinces, the

Southern Rocky Mountains and the Colorado

Plateau, represented agriculture, mining, urban

and recreation, and mixed land uses and background conditions. Nine measures of water

quality, which include information on nutrients,

specific conductance (a surrogate for salinity),

trace elements in streambed sediment, pesticides

in fish tissue, fish communities, and macroinvertebrate richness and composition and stream habitat

were used for comparisons among sites within the

two physiographic provinces. Sampling sites from

three other NAWQA study units— the Rio

Grande Valley, the South Platte River Basin, and

the Upper Snake River Basin study units—were

categorized on the basis of land use and stream

size in order to develop a larger data set for

comparison to sites in the UCOL. Three categories of land use—forested (includes mining, urban

and recreation, and background), agriculture, and

mixed—were used for comparison to the UCOL

fixed sites.

Results indicated that all sites other than the

Colorado River below Baker Gulch (a background

site) showed some water-quality characteristics

to be significantly affected. Results indicated

that the concentrations of cadmium and zinc in

streambed sediment at mining land-use sites in

the Southern Rocky Mountains physiographic

province generally were orders of magnitude

higher than streambed-sediment concentrations at

the background site. Streambed-sediment concentrations at mining land-use sites in the UCOL

were greater than the 75th percentile of concentrations from sites in the three other NAWQA study

units. Fish communities and habitat conditions

were degraded at mining land-use sites compared

to the background site. Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera, and Trichoptera (EPT) richness and the

percentage of EPT were lower at mining land-use

sites than at the background site and were less

than the 50th percentile of those for sites from the

three other NAWQA study units.

Nutrient concentrations at urban and recreation sites in the Southern Rocky Mountain physiographic province generally were greater than

concentrations at the background site and generally were between the 25th and 90th percentile of

concentrations for sites from the three other

NAWQA study units. Habitat conditions and fish

communities at urban and recreation sites were

slightly degraded compared to the background

site. EPT richness and the percentage of EPT

were lower at urban and recreation sites than at

the background site and were between the 25th

and 75th percentile of those for sites from the

three other NAWQA study units. The percentage

of Chironomidae, which may be indicative of

pollutant-tolerant organisms, was higher at urban

and recreation sites than at the background site.

Mixed land-use sites in the Southern Rocky

Mountains physiographic province had similar
2 Characterization of Selected Biological, Chemical, and Physical Conditions at Fixed Sites in the Upper Colorado River Basin,

Colorado, 1995–98

nutrient concentrations and similar cadmium and

zinc streambed-sediment concentrations. Fishcommunity degradation index values were very

different among the three mixed land-use sites in

the Southern Rocky Mountains physiographic

province. Larger percentages of omnivores and

anomalies such as lesions and deformities at two

mixed land-use sites resulted in higher degradation values of the fish community.

Agriculture land-use sites had higher

concentrations of nutrients and selenium than the

background site in the Colorado Plateau physiographic province. Concentrations of p,p'-DDE in

fish tissue at agriculture sites were higher than the

75th percentile of concentrations for sites from the

three other NAWQA study units. Fish communities had degradation values near the 75th percentile for agriculture sites. The percentage of EPT

was low at agriculture sites when compared to the

background site.

Two mixed land-use sites in the Colorado

Plateau physiographic province had similar

concentrations of nutrients, selenium, and p,p'-

DDE, and similar EPT richness and composition.

These two sites were located downstream from

agricultural and urban activities. Some waterquality measures at these two sites indicated

degradation compared to a mixed land-use site

upstream from most of the agriculture and urban

activities in the Colorado Plateau physiographic

province.

INTRODUCTION

The National Water-Quality Assessment

(NAWQA) Program is a long-term program of the

U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) that is designed to

describe the status and trends in the quality of the

Nation’s surface- and ground-water resources and to

provide an understanding of the natural and human

factors that can affect the quality of these resources

(Leahy and others, 1990). The program is interdisciplinary and integrates biological, chemical, and

physical data to assess the Nation’s water quality at

local, regional, and national levels.

The NAWQA Program is designed to use

multiple lines of evidence to assess water quality. The

use of more than one sampling medium to characterize

water quality is important. Conventional water-quality

methods for sampling water may not provide enough

information to make a complete assessment of water

quality. Therefore, sampling several types of media at

a site will provide an opportunity to integrate information to get a more complete description of water

quality that may not be evident with one sampling

medium.

The NAWQA Program focuses on a broad spectrum of constituents and sampling approaches for

surface water, including information on (1) traceelement and organic contaminants in organism tissue

and streambed sediment; (2) biological information

(algae, macroinvertebrate, and fish communities); and

(3) stream habitat characterization (Gurtz, 1994).

Biological community surveys are one of the few

means of directly assessing the biological integrity of

a site and one approach that is sensitive to changes in

water chemistry and changes in physical habitat

(Meador and Gurtz, 1994).

Macroinvertebrates are continuously exposed to

varying water-quality conditions, which allows for

these organisms to integrate those conditions over time

and provides for a direct measure of water quality

(Clements, 1994). Macroinvertebrates provide information on water quality from months to years. Biological metrics (for example, taxonomic richness and

composition measures) can be used to relate macroinvertebrate communities to water quality. The biological metrics have an expected response to changes

and differences in water quality among sites (Barbour

and others, 1997).

A fish community is a group of fish that inhabit

the same area of a stream and interact with each other.

The structure of a fish community is determined by the

species present, their relative abundances, their life

stages and size distributions, and their distributions in

space and time (Meador and others, 1993a). Although

fish communities may have a high degree of natural

variability, they can be useful indicators of ecosystem

health (Moyle, 1994). One important aspect of relating

biological communities to water quality is the assessment of available habitat for aquatic organisms.

Habitat is the physical environment in which aquatic

organisms live. Biological communities may be

affected by habitat quality as well as water quality.

Types of substrate, percentage of embeddedness of the
INTRODUCTION 3

substrate, riparian vegetation, stream width and depth,

and other geomorphic features are used to characterize

habitat (Meador and others, 1993b; Fitzpatrick and

others, 1998).

The Upper Colorado River Basin (UCOL) was

selected to be part of the national water-quality assessment. Fourteen surface-water fixed sites (Spahr and

others, 1996) and one additional biological sampling

site were selected for characterizing water quality.

Surface-water samples generally were collected once

per month during the study period. Biological samples

generally were collected once per year during lowflow conditions. The surface-water network was

designed to integrate the water chemistry and biological information.

Purpose and Scope

The objectives of this report are to: (1) characterize biological communities at sampling sites; (2)

determine the relation between biological communities (macroinvertebrates and fish) and chemical and

physical conditions and relate those factors to background conditions, land use, and natural factors at

each site; and (3) compare selected water-quality

measures at sampling sites to those in three other

NAWQA study units with similar land-use and stream

characteristics. Biological assessments were

conducted at 15 sites during low-flow conditions in

August of 1996 and 1997. A subset consisting of 10 of

the 15 sites was sampled during low-flow conditions in

August 1998. Qualitative and quantitative habitat

measures also were documented during the 3-year

data-collection period. Sites were chosen to represent

agriculture, mining, urban and recreation, and mixed

land uses and background conditions.

Description of Study Unit

The UCOL study unit has a drainage area of

about 17,800 mi2 with varied climate, geology, topography, and hydrology. The primary river in the study

unit, the Colorado River, originates in the mountains

of central Colorado and flows about 230 miles southwest into Utah (fig. 1) and beyond. Its headwaters and

most of the tributaries originate in the mountains that

form the eastern and southern boundaries of the study

unit (Driver, 1994).

The UCOL study unit is divided almost equally

into two physiographic provinces: the Southern Rocky

Mountains in the eastern, high-elevation part and the

Colorado Plateau in the western, low-elevation part.

Stream habitats range from cool, clear, and forested

headwater streams that have crystalline bedrock, high

gradients, and coarse substrates in the Southern Rocky

Mountains to warm, sluggish, less vegetated, and

saline streams that have low gradients and fine

substrates in the Colorado Plateau. Stream habitat and

water quality reflect the extreme differences in elevation, climate, vegetation, and geology across the study

unit, which have an associated effect on biological

communities. A more detailed description of the two

physiographic provinces and their environmental

settings in the UCOL study unit are described in

Apodaca and others (1996).

Predominant land uses in the study unit are

forest and rangeland (fig. 1). Other land uses within

the forest and rangeland settings are agriculture,

mining, urban and recreation, and mixed. Agricultural

activities include the production of alfalfa, fruits,

grains, hay, and vegetables (Apodaca and others,

1996). Past and present mining activities have

included the extraction of metals (copper, gold, lead,

molybdenum, nickel, silver, vanadium, and zinc) and

energy fuels (coal, gas, oil, and uranium). Urban and

recreation represent one of the smaller land uses in the

study unit. A number of urban and recreation areas are

associated with growth resulting from the expansion of

the ski industry and from energy development in the

1980’s.

The NAWQA study design includes two types

of fixed sites: indicator sites and integrator sites

(Gilliom and others, 1995). Indicator sites are selected

to represent water-quality conditions of streams in

relatively homogeneous areas. These sites also are

termed "agriculture, mining, and urban and recreation"

land-use sites in this report. Integrator sites are

selected to represent water-quality conditions of rivers

in heterogeneous, large basins that are affected by

complex combinations of environmental settings.

These sites also are termed "mixed" land-use sites in

this report. A background site was selected in each

physiographic province to represent conditions that

have minimal disturbance from human activities.

The Southern Rocky Mountains physiographic

province has mining, urban and recreation, and mixed

land-use sites. Environmental setting and instream

habitat conditions (that is, types and size of substrate;
4 Characterization of Selected Biological, Chemical, and Physical Conditions at Fixed Sites in the Upper Colorado River Basin,

Colorado, 1995–98

Grand Junction

Delta

Glenwood Springs

Vail

Gunnison

Salt Lake

City Denver

UTAH COLORADO

Upper Colorado River

Basin study unit

UTAH

COLORADO

French Gulch

Montrose

15

14

13

12

7

8

10

11

5

6

9

4

2

3

1

6

10

5

8

12

Urban

Agriculture

Rangeland

Forest

Water

Barren/alpine

Physiographic

 province boundary

Site type (land-use

 categories) and number

Mixed

Background

Urban and recreation

Agriculture

Mining

EXPLANATION

Southern Rocky

Mountains

physiograpic

province

Colorado Plateau

physiographic

province

Figure 1. Sampling sites in the Upper Colorado River Basin study unit.
METHODS OF DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS 5

and riffle, run, and pool ratios) were very similar

among the Southern Rocky Mountains physiographic

province indicator sites and generally were similar

among Southern Rocky Mountains physiographic

province integrator sites.

The Colorado Plateau physiographic province

has agricultural and mixed land-use sites. Environmental setting and instream habitat conditions were

very similar among the Colorado Plateau physiographic province indicator sites and among Colorado

Plateau physiographic province integrator sites.

Differences in the environmental setting

between the two physiographic provinces reflect the

differences in water-quality issues. For example,

factors such as elevation, drainage area, stream

gradient, bank stability, temperature, specific conductance, dissolved solids, suspended sediment, and other

factors change between the two physiographic provinces (table 1). With the exception of selenium, trace

elements generally are more of a water-quality issue in

the Southern Rocky Mountains physiographic province due to the crystalline bedrock geology favoring

mining activity. Selenium is more of a water-quality

issue in the Colorado Plateau physiographic province

mainly due to the Mancos Shale of Cretaceous age in

the area. Pesticides generally are more of an issue in

the Colorado Plateau physiographic province where

agricultural activities are predominant. Although

physiographic provinces, geology, and land use were

the environmental factors used in the stratification

scheme (fig. 2) for the Upper Colorado River Basin,

other factors such as physical habitat and hydrologic

conditions are important components of the environmental setting that affect water quality.

Acknowledgments

We thank Richard P. Krueger, U.S. Fish and

Wildlife Service, for his assistance in sampling fish

communities and for taxonomic identification assistance. We thank Kurt Broederdorp, U.S. Fish and

Wildlife Service, for his assistance in sampling fish

communities. We thank V. Cory Stephens and L. Rod

DeWeese, USGS, for their assistance in biological

sampling. We thank Robert W. Boulger, Jeff B. Foster,

and Dave M. Hartle, USGS, for collection of waterquality samples and Dennis E. Smits, USGS, for

collection of water-quality samples and assistance in

sampling fish communities. We also would like to

thank John D. Miller, USGS, for his assistance in

sampling fish communities and taxonomic identification and Kirby H. Wynn, USGS, for assistance in

sampling fish communities. We thank Steven A.

Frenzel and Cathy M. Tate, USGS, for their critical

review of the report. Appreciation is extended to

Mary Kidd for editorial review, Alene Brogan for

manuscript and layout, and Loretta Ulibarri and

John Evans for graphic design.

METHODS OF DATA COLLECTION AND

ANALYSIS

Sample Collection and Analysis

Biological samples were collected once each

year during low-flow conditions in August of 1996,

1997, and 1998. Collection and field processing of

macroinvertebrate and fish communities and qualitative and quantitative habitat measures followed established NAWQA protocols (Cuffney and others, 1993;

Meador and others, 1993a; Meador and others,

1993b). A stream reach that consisted of at least two

each of different geomorphic channel units (riffles,

runs, pools) and at least 150 meters (m) at wadeable

sites and 750 m at nonwadeable sites was selected at

15 sites (table 1). Macroinvertebrate samples were

collected in riffle areas of the stream reach to represent

the richest targeted habitat (Cuffney and others, 1993).

Fish collection was done by electrofishing the entire

stream reach. Qualitative habitat measures (that is,

types and size of substrate; embeddedness of

substrate; riffle, run, and pool ratios; and so forth)

were documented at six transects within the stream

reach, and quantitative measures (that is, stream width

and depth, bank height and width, flood-plain width,

and so forth) consisted of a detailed survey of the

entire stream reach (Meador and others, 1993b).

Complete lists of the macroinvertebrate and fish taxa

and numbers of taxa collected for each fixed site

during the three sampling periods are in Appendixes A

and B, respectively.

Water-chemistry samples were collected using

established NAWQA protocols (Shelton, 1994).

Water-chemistry samples generally were collected

once each month, and additional samples were

collected during extreme events. Results of waterquality samples for the fixed sites are in the USGS

National Water Information System (NWIS).
6 Characterization of Selected Biological, Chemical, and Physical Conditions at Fixed Sites in the Upper Colorado River Basin,

Colorado, 1995–98

Southern 

Rocky

Mountains

Crystalline Sedimentary

Urban and Mining Mixed Rangeland Recreation

(Forested)

Background Agriculture

Colorado

Plateau

Crystalline Sedimentary

Urban and

Recreation Mining (Rangeland)

Background Agriculture Forested Mixed

Colorado River below Baker Gulch

French Gulch near Breckenridge

Blue River near Breckenridge

Uncompahgre River near Ridgway

Gunnison River at County Road 32

Gunnison River below Gunnison Tunnel

Colorado River at Dotsero

Gore Creek at mouth near

 Minturn

East River below Cement

 Creek 

Dry Creek at Begonia

 Road near Delta

Reed Wash near Mack

Dry Fork at upper station

 near De Beque

Colorado River near Cameo

Gunnison River near Grand Junction

Colorado River near Colorado-Utah State line

Physiographic Province

Geology

Land

Use

(Forested) (Forested)

Physiographic Province

Geology

Land

Use

Figure 2. Physiographic province, general geology, and land use for fixed sites in the Upper Colorado River Basin study unit.
METHODS OF DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS 7

Streambed-sediment and fish tissue samples

were collected for trace element and pesticide analysis

in August through October 1995 using methods developed for the NAWQA Program (Shelton and Capel,

1994; Crawford and Luoma, 1993). Results of selected

trace elements in streambed sediment and fish liver are

in Deacon and Stephens (1998). Results of selected

pesticides in streambed sediment and whole-body fish

are in Stephens and Deacon (1997).

Quality-assurance and quality-control results for

the macroinvertebrate samples were within the USGS

National Water Quality Laboratory quality-assurance

guidelines of 20 percent for picking effectiveness (less

than 6 percent for UCOL samples). Picking effectiveness is a process to ensure that the original sample was

picked adequately. Quality-assurance and qualitycontrol results were within 10 percent for taxonomy

identification (less than 7 percent for UCOL samples).

Taxonomy identification is the process where macroinvertebrates are identified with the use of a microscope to the lowest taxonomic level, when applicable

(Steve Moulton, U.S. Geological Survey, written

commun., 1999). Interim quality-assurance and

quality-control results for surface-water sampling are

described in Spahr and Boulger (1997).

Selection of Data for Analysis

Nine measures of water quality, which include

information on nutrients in the water column, specific

conductance (used as a surrogate for salinity), trace

elements in streambed sediment, pesticides in fish

tissue, fish communities, macroinvertebrate richness

and composition, and measures of stream habitat, were

used for comparisons. Table 1 of this report lists additional habitat and water-quality characteristics, not

included in this comparison, among sites in the

UCOL. The nine measures of water quality and the

habitat measures were selected for comparison among

sites owing to consistent data among NAWQA study

units. Median values were used for selected waterquality measures, when available. Some selected

water-quality measures were represented by a single

sample. For example, trace elements in streambed

sediment and pesticides in fish tissue were sampled

once during the 3-year sampling period. Therefore, the

single value, as opposed to a median value, was used

for those measures. Table 2 of this report lists the

median or single concentrations or values used for

comparison to the range of median or single concentrations or values from the Rio Grande Valley, South

Platte River Basin, and Upper Snake River Basin study

units. In addition, table 2 compares water-quality

characteristics among sites in the UCOL.

Nitrite plus nitrate and total phosphorus were

used as a measure of nutrients, and specific conductance was a used as a measure of salinity among sites

in both physiographic provinces. Zinc and cadmium

concentrations in streambed sediment were used as a

measure of trace elements among sites in the Southern

Rocky Mountains physiographic province, and selenium in streambed sediment was used as a measure of

trace elements among sites in the Colorado Plateau

physiographic province. Dichloro diphenyl dichloroethylene (p,p'-DDE) in fish tissue was used as a measure

of pesticides among sites in the Colorado Plateau. The

total concentration in fish tissue was normalized by

dividing by lipid content. This normalization

decreases the bias that might result from comparing

different species in the fish-tissue data set (Gilliom

and others, 1997).

Fish-community and habitat-degradation

indices were used to compare habitat conditions and

fish communities among sites (Gilliom and others,

1997). Both degradation indices are based on the sum

of four criteria. Each of the four criteria for each index

is scored as 1 (low), 3, or 5 (high) to represent levels of

degradation. There may be instances where one of the

four criteria can be omitted and, in such cases, the

scores of the three criteria combined are multiplied by

1.33 to yield a final rating (Gilliom and others, 1997).

The indices represent an assessment of the fish

communities and habitat conditions at one point in

time; therefore, interpretations may be coarse. The

fish-community degradation index is based on percentages of four groups: the percentage of tolerant individuals, omnivores, non-native species, and anomalies

(lesions, eroded fins, deformities, and so forth).

Several sites consist of large numbers of non-native

species (introduced) and therefore may affect the

scoring criteria. The habitat-degradation index is

based on stream modification, bank erosion, vegetative

stability, and relative density of riparian vegetation.

The focus of the habitat-degradation index is on degradation of the channel and riparian zone. Thus, the

index is designed to reflect large-scale stream modifications that are most likely to be observed over time

and is not designed to reflect aspects of instream

habitat that are more likely to reflect short-term condi-
8 Characterization of Selected Biological, Chemical, and Physical Conditions at Fixed Sites in the Upper Colorado River Basin,

Colorado, 1995–98

Table 1. Selected site characteristics for fixed sites in the Upper Colorado River Basin study unit[USGS, U.S. Geological Survey; ft3/s, cubic feet per second; ft/mi, feet per mile; °C, degrees Celsius; mg/L, milligrams per liter; μS/cm, microsiemens per centimeter at 25 

--, no data available]

Site

number

(fig. 1)

Site name Site abbreviation USGS number Latitude Longitude Elevation (feet)

Drainage

area

(square

miles)

Physiographic

province1

Site type

Mea

strea

flow

(ft3/

1 Colorado River below

Baker Gulch

Baker 09010500 40ο 19' 33" 105ο 51' 22" 8,750 53 SRM Background 8

2 French Gulch near

Breckenridge

French 09046530 39ο 29' 35" 106ο 02' 39" 9,485 11 SRM Mining 1

3 Blue River near

Breckenridge

Blue 392944106024400 39ο 29' 44" 106ο 02' 44" 9,480 97 SRM Mining -

4 Gore Creek at mouth

near Minturn

Gore 09066510 39ο 36' 34" 106ο 26' 50" 7,730 102 SRM Urban/

recreation

16

5 East River below

Cement Creek

East 09112200 38ο 47' 03" 106ο 52' 13" 8,006 238 SRM Urban/

recreation

38

6 Gunnison River at

County Road 32

Gunn32 383103106594200 38ο 31' 03" 106ο 59' 42" 7,570 2,128 SRM Mixed 1,05

7 Gunnison River

below GunnisonTunnel

GunnTun 09128000 38ο 31' 45" 107ο 38' 54" 6,526 3,965 SRM2 Mixed 1,56

8 Uncompahgre River

near Ridgway

Ridgway 09146200 38ο 11' 02" 107ο 44' 43" 6,878 149 SRM Mining 18

9 Colorado River at

Dotsero

Dotsero 09070500 39ο 38' 38" 107ο 04' 38" 6,130 4,394 SRM Mixed 2,72

10 Dry Fork at upper

station nearDe Beque

DryFk 09095300 39ο 22' 29" 108ο 19' 02" 5,385 97 CP Background 

11 Colorado River near

Cameo

Cameo 09095500 39ο 14' 20" 108ο 16' 00" 4,813 8,050 CP Mixed 4,91

12 Dry Creek at Begonia

Road near Delta

DryCr 09149480 38ο 38' 45" 108ο 02' 54" 5,215 175 CP Agriculture 7

13 Gunnison River near

Grand Junction

GunnGJ 09152500 38ο 59' 00" 108ο 27' 00" 6,526 7,928 CP Mixed 3,18

14 Reed Wash near

Mack

Reed 09153290 39ο 12' 41" 108ο 48' 11" 4,505 16 CP Agriculture 4

15 Colorado River near

Colorado-UtahState line

State line 09163500 39ο 07' 58" 109ο 01' 35" 4,325 17,843 CP Mixed 8,29
METHODS OF DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS

9

Site

abbreviation

Stream

type

Stream

gradient

(ft/mi)

Sinuosity4 Predominant substrate5 Embed- dedness6 Bank stability7 Percentage open canopy8 Tem- perature9 (οC) pH11 (standard units) Dis- solved oxygen11 (mg/L) 

Baker Meandering 19.5 2.06 Cobble/gravel 4 3.8 46 9.6 7.3 9.35 French Channelized 163 1.15 Cobble 3 3.0 69 6.3 7.6 9.4 Blue Channelized 89.7 1.17 Cobble 3 3.6 84 -- -- -- Gore Channelized 57.9 1.17 Cobble/gravel 3 3.0 69 9.1 8.5 10 East Meandering 32.5 1.24 Cobble 4 2.5 65 11.510 8.3 9.5 

Gunn32 Straight 21.0 1.15 Cobble 3 2.6 71 14.3 8.2 9.2 GunnTun Meandering 38.9 1.34 Cobble 4 3.0 42 10.410 8.0 9.7 Ridgway Meandering 40.1 1.30 Cobble 3 3.0 53 11.8 8.0 9.1 Dotsero Braided 7.04 1.14 Cobble 3 2.3 89 16.010 8.1 9.2 DryFk Meandering 68.4 1.35 Gravel/silt 2 1.0 62 16.7 8.5 9.05 Cameo Meandering 16.6 1.21 Cobble 3 2.7 73 16.4 8.3 9.15 DryCr Meandering 14.4 1.67 Cobble/sand 3 2.8 73 16.6 8.3 9.9 GunnGJ Straight 17.5 1.15 Cobble/sand 2 2.6 76 17.1 8.3 8.9 Reed Channelized 17.1 1.17 Gravel/silt 2 1.5 66 18.6 8.0 8.6 State line Meandering 9.09 1.33 Cobble 2 2.8 82 18.5 8.3 9.3 

1SRM = Southern Rock Mountains; CP = Colorado Plateau.2Site 7 is physically located in the Colorado Plateau but is hydrologically represented as a Southern Rock Mountains sampling site.3For period of study, October 1996–September 1998.4River distance divided by a straight-line distance; a value of 1.00 is a straight line.5Predominant substrate sampled for macroinvertebrates.6Mean value from 18 measurements at a site. Rated on a scale from 1 (signifying more than 75 percent of surface area of gravel, cobble, and boulder particles covere

fying less than 5 percent of surface area of gravel, cobble, and boulder particles covered by fine sediment).

7Mean value from 12 measurements at a site. Rated on a scale from 1 (signifying less than 25 percent of banks are covered with vegetation or gravel or larger materi

percent of banks are covered with vegetation or gravel or larger material).

8Expressed as a percentage of open viewing angle; 100 percent indicates no canopy.9Mean daily temperature for June, July, and August in water year 1997.

10Mean daily temperature for June, July, and August in water year 1998.11Median value for period of study, October 1996–September 1998.

Table 1. Selected site characteristics for fixed sites in the Upper Colorado River Basin study unit—Continued[USGS, U.S. Geological Survey; ft3/s, cubic feet per second; ft/mi, feet per mile; °C, degrees Celsius; mg/L, milligrams per liter; μS/cm, microsiemens per centimeter at 25 

--, no data available]
10 Characterization of Selected Biological, Chemical, and Physical Conditions at Fixed Sites in the Upper Colorado River Basin,

Colorado, 1995–98

Table 2. Selected chemical and biological measures for fixed sites in the Upper Colorado River Basin study unit

[mg/L, milligrams per liter; μS/cm, microsiemens per centimeter at 25 degrees Celsius; μg/g, micrograms per gram; EPT, Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera,

Trichoptera; μg/kg, micrograms per kilogram; <, less than; --, no data available]

Site

number

(fig. 1)

Site name

Physiographic

province1

Nitrite

plus

nitrate2

(mg/L)

Total

phosphorus2

(mg/L)

Specific

conductance2

(μS/cm)

Cadmium in

streambed

sediment3

(μg/g)

Zinc in

streambed

sediment3

(μg/g)

Selenium in

streambed

sediment3

(μg/g)

1 Colorado River below Baker Gulch SRM 0.08 < 0.01 70 0.5 150 0.8

2 French Gulch near Breckenridge SRM 0.09 < 0.01 260 57 9,000 2.1

3 Blue River near Breckenridge SRM -- -- -- 11 3,000 1.1

4 Gore Creek at mouth near Minturn SRM 0.26 0.05 287 0.4 190 1.3

5 East River below Cement Creek SRM 0.10 < 0.01 266 4.3 610 1.9

6 Gunnison River at County Road 32 SRM 0.08 0.03 214 1.9 310 1.2

7 Gunnison River below Gunnison Tunnel SRM 0.08 0.01 176 0.7 180 0.9

8 Uncompahgre River near Ridgway SRM 0.13 0.02 609 2.5 790 1.1

9 Colorado River at Dotsero SRM 0.12 0.03 412 1.2 330 1.8

10 Dry Fork at upper station near De Beque CP 0.54 0.05 2,300 0.2 71 0.5

11 Colorado River near Cameo CP 0.13 0.03 805 0.6 120 0.6

12 Dry Creek at Begonia Road near Delta CP 3.75 0.10 1,198 0.6 120 1.1

13 Gunnison River near Grand Junction CP 0.56 0.08 616 0.7 120 2.5

14 Reed Wash near Mack CP 1.70 0.60 1,498 1.8 130 5.6

15 Colorado River near Colorado-Utah State

line

CP 0.42 0.10 840 0.6 100 1.7

Site

number

(fig. 1)

Site name

p,p'-DDE in

fish tissue3

(μg/kg)

p,p'-DDE/

lipid

content in

fish tissue

(μg/kg

lipid)

Fish

degradation

index2

Habitat

degradation

index4

EPT

richness2

Percent

EPT2

Percent

Chironomidae2

1 Colorado River below Baker Gulch 11 229 8.0 6.65 32 67 10

2 French Gulch near Breckenridge -- -- -- 11.97 7 16 68

3 Blue River near Breckenridge <5.0 -- 8.6 9.31 16 33 61

4 Gore Creek at mouth near Minturn 8.2 95 9.3 11.97 17 38 58

5 East River below Cement Creek 6.0 111 9.3 9.31 23 49 25

6 Gunnison River at County Road 32 6.3 92 13.3 11.97 28 40 40

7 Gunnison River below Gunnison Tunnel <5.0 -- 8.6 9.31 7 58 31

8 Uncompahgre River near Ridgway 5.9 128 8.6 9.31 15 34 44

9 Colorado River at Dotsero 16 253 19.0 11.97 24 57 27

10 Dry Fork at upper station near De Beque -- -- -- 14.63 5 46 23

11 Colorado River near Cameo 5.5 48 19.0 11.97 23 63 31

12 Dry Creek at Begonia Road near Delta 700 7,446 17.3 11.97 4 11 18

13 Gunnison River near Grand Junction 130 1,666 18.0 11.97 4 9 45

14 Reed Wash near Mack 290 4,833 17.0 19.95 5 18 35

15 Colorado River near Colorado-Utah State

line

190 1,283 18.6 11.97 6 3 76

1

 SRM = Southern Rocky Mountains; CP = Colorado Plateau.

2 Median value for period of study, October 1996–September 1998.

3 Single value from streambed sediment and fish tissue occurrence and distribution study, 1995.

4 Single value for habitat assessment, 1996.
METHODS OF DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS 11

tions (for example, depth, velocity, and instream

cover).

Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera, and Trichoptera

(EPT) taxa richness is a measure of organisms that

generally are intolerant to pollution or disturbance.

EPT richness is expected to decrease with waterquality degradation. The percentage of EPT and the

percentage of Chironomidae are composition

measures and can be used to relate to water-quality

conditions. The percentage of EPT (generally intolerant organisms) is expected to decrease with waterquality degradation, and the percentage of Chironomidae (generally tolerant organisms) is expected to

increase with water-quality degradation (Barbour and

others, 1997).

Data Analysis

The relative status of water quality (water chemistry and biology) for sites in the UCOL was determined by aggregating data from three other NAWQA

study units. Data from sampling sites in the Rio

Grande Valley (RIOG), the South Platte River Basin

(SPLT), and the Upper Snake River Basin (USNK)

NAWQA study units were used to develop a larger

data set for comparison to sites in the UCOL (fig. 3). A

list of sampling sites and selected site characteristics

from the other three NAWQA study units used in the

analysis of this report is in Appendix C.

Sampling sites in the RIOG, SPLT, and USNK

were categorized on the basis of land use and stream

size. Three categories of land use (forested, agriculture, and mixed) were used for comparison to the

UCOL fixed sites. Data from the forested sites (sites

located in the Southern, Northern, or Middle Rocky

Mountain ecoregions) (Omernik, 1987) were used for

comparison to forested sites in the UCOL Southern

Rocky Mountain physiographic province. Forested

sites are a combination of background, mining, and

urban and recreation sites that may be located in any

three of the Rocky Mountain ecoregions within the

three study units. The number of samples used in the

forested-site data set ranged from 5 (fish community)

to 162 (water chemistry). Agricultural sites from the

three study units, located in the plains or plateaus,

were used for comparison to the UCOL agricultural

land-use sites in the Colorado Plateau physiographic

province. The number of samples used in the agricultural site data set ranged from 6 (habitat characterization and fish communities) to 187 (water chemistry).

All mixed land-use sites from the three study units,

regardless of physiographic province, were used for

comparison to mixed land-use sites in the UCOL. The

number of samples for the mixed land-use data set

ranged from 8 (habitat characterization) to 407 (water

chemistry). Further categorization of mixed land use

for separate comparisons to Southern Rocky Mountains physiographic province sites and Colorado

Plateau physiographic province sites is more difficult

and was not done in this report. The ranges of data are

specific to each land-use category. Forested and mixed

land-use sites were represented from each of the study

units. Agricultural sites were predominantly represented from the SPLT and USNK.

Data from the UCOL were related to the threestudy-unit data set and were summarized by land use

by using box plots (figs. 4, 6, 8, 10, and 12). These

figures show where the UCOL data fell in relation to

the larger data sets determined by aggregating data

from the three other NAWQA study units. Most box

plots in figures 4, 6, 8, 10, and 12 display the 10th,

25th, 50th, 75th, and 90th percentiles for use in comparison to the UCOL data; however, some box plots

display only the 25th, 50th, and 75th percentiles where

data were too limited to provide the 10th and 90th

percentiles.

A single graphical display (figs. 5, 7, 9, 11, and

13) was used to compare and contrast sites for a particular land use. For figures 5, 7, 9, 11, and 13, each

measure for the UCOL sites was ranked as to whether

it is minimally affected (lower values), moderately

affected (mid-range values), or significantly affected

(higher values) by land use, depending on where the

values fell within the larger range of data from the

three other NAWQA study units. With the exception of

EPT richness and the percentage of EPT, if concentrations or values were less than the 25th percentile of the

larger data set from the other three study units, then it

was considered to be minimally affected (lower

concentrations) by land use. If concentrations or

values were between the 25th and 75th percentiles of

the larger data set from the other three study units,

then it was considered to be moderately affected (midrange concentrations) by land use. If concentrations or

values were greater than the 75th percentile of the

larger data set from the other three study units, then it

was considered to be significantly affected (higher

concentrations) by land use. Classification breakpoints

for EPT richness and the percentage of EPT were
12 Characterization of Selected Biological, Chemical, and Physical Conditions at Fixed Sites in the Upper Colorado River Basin,

Colorado, 1995–98

NEVADA

UTAH

COLORADO

WYOMING

KANSAS

MONTANA

NEW

MEXICO

IDAHO

Sample-collection sites

EXPLANATION

Upper Snake

River Basin

(USNK)

South Platte

River Basin (SPLT)

Rio Grande Valley (RIOG)

Upper Colorado

River Basin (UCOL)

Figure 3. Sampling sites from the Rio Grande Valley (RIOG), the South Platte River Basin (SPLT), the Upper Snake River

Basin (USNK), and the Upper Colorado River Basin (UCOL) study units.
CHARACTERIZATION OF FIXED SITES 13

greater than the 75th percentile for minimally affected

and less than the 25th percentile for significantly

affected. Specific conductance was added to these

displays to incorporate issues that may be associated

with salinity in parts of the basin. This graphic is

meant to present a picture of the selected water-quality

measures at each site. This also allows for comparison

among sites within each land-use category.

CHARACTERIZATION OF FIXED SITES

The characterizations of fixed sites in the UCOL

are separated by physiographic province and land use

in order to provide a better site-to-site comparison

within each land-use category. Natural factors such as

elevation, geology, and temperature can affect water

chemistry and the biology of streams, thus making

comparisons between sites in the two physiographic

provinces difficult. Therefore, when making site-tosite comparisons in the UCOL, sites in the same physiographic province and land-use type were compared.

Southern Rocky Mountains Physiographic

Province Indicator Sites

Indicator sites (sites 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 8) in the

Southern Rocky Mountains physiographic province

are all located within a forested setting (fig. 1). The

Colorado River below Baker Gulch (site 1) is located

in Rocky Mountain National Park and was selected to

represent background conditions for the Southern

Rocky Mountains physiographic province indicator

sites. Background sites are those that represent waterquality conditions considered to be minimally affected

by land use. The watershed upstream from the site is

mostly composed of forest, tundra, and meadows. The

French Gulch near Breckenridge (site 2), Blue River

near Breckenridge (site 3), and Uncompahgre River

near Ridgway (site 8) sites were selected to represent

mining land-use sites. The Blue River near Breckenridge site was sampled for biological communities

because the French Gulch near Breckenridge site,

directly upstream, did not have fish present. Fish were

present at the Blue River near Breckenridge site. The

Blue River near Breckenridge site was not part of the

surface-water fixed-site network and does not have

water-quality data to be used for analysis in some

sections of this report. Although these sites were

selected to represent mining land-use effects on water

quality, the watersheds upstream from these sites are

predominantly forest and tundra. Mining activities

within the forested setting are present upstream from

each site. Gore Creek near Minturn (site 4) and East

River below Cement Creek (site 5) were selected to

represent urban and recreation land-use sites. Even

though these sites were selected to represent urban and

recreation land-use effects on water quality, the watersheds upstream from these sites are predominantly

forest and tundra. However, urban and recreation

activities within the forested setting are present

upstream from each site.

Figure 4 shows median and single concentrations or values for the selected water-quality measures

for the UCOL Southern Rocky Mountains background

site and the UCOL mining land-use sites and the range

of concentrations or values (box plots) from forested

sites from the RIOG, SPLT, and USNK NAWQA

study units. The selected water-quality measures at the

Colorado River below Baker Gulch site should represent minimally disturbed conditions in the Southern

Rocky Mountains physiographic province. Median

nutrient concentrations in the water column and

cadmium and zinc concentrations in streambed sediment were low compared to other sites in the Southern

Rocky Mountains physiographic province (table 2).

Fish and habitat indices had low degradation

values. The EPT richness and the percentage of EPT

were high, and the percentage of Chironomidae was

low. Although the fish and habitat degradation indices

are a coarse measure, and the measures for the macroinvertebrate communities are general, the values of

these measures indicate minimally disturbed waterquality conditions at this site.

Nutrient concentrations at the mining land-use

sites (French Gulch and Uncompahgre River) were

generally low. Cadmium and zinc concentrations were

much higher at the mining land-use sites when

compared to concentrations at the background site.

French Gulch near Breckenridge had the highest

concentrations of cadmium and zinc of the mining

land-use sites in the UCOL and higher than the 90th

percentile of the range of data from the three other

NAWQA study units. The Blue River near Breckenridge site, also a mining site, had concentrations that

generally were an order of magnitude higher than

concentrations at the UCOL background site. The

Uncompahgre River near Ridgway site also had

elevated concentrations of cadmium and zinc. All
14 Characterization of Selected Biological, Chemical, and Physical Conditions at Fixed Sites in the Upper Colorado River Basin,

Colorado, 1995–98

.1

1

10

100

1,000

10,000

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

50th percentile (median)

90th percentile

10th percentile

75th percentile

25th percentile

French Gulch near Breckenridge (mining)

Blue River near Breckenridge (mining)

Uncompahgre River near Ridgway (mining)

Colorado River below Baker Gulch (background)

MEDIAN VALUE, 

IN PERCENT

EPT CHIRONOMIDAE

CADMIUM ZINC

MEDIAN CONCENTRATION, 

IN MILLIGRAMS PER LITER

NITRITE 

PLUS

NITRATE

TOTAL

PHOSPHORUS

MEDIAN VALUE,

IN NUMBER OF TAXA 

EPT

RICHNESS

SINGLE CONCENTRATION,

IN MICROGRAMS PER GRAM 

EXPLANATION

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

18

20

HABITAT

DEGRADATION

INDEX

FISH

DEGRADATION

INDEX

SINGLE VALUE

Box plots show the range

of data from the Rio Grande

Valley, the South Platte River

Basin, and the Upper Snake

River Basin National WaterQuality Assessment Program

study units. 

WATER COLUMN STREAMBED SEDIMENT

FISH AND HABITAT MACROINVERTEBRATES

MACROINVERTEBRATES

Upper Colorado River Basin sampling sites

EPT is Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera, and Trichoptera 

.001

.01

.1

1

10

Figure 4. Median and single concentrations or values for selected water-quality measures for the Upper Colorado River Basin

forested background and mining indicator sites in relation to the range of median and single concentrations or values for the

Rio Grande Valley, the South Platte River Basin, and the Upper Snake River Basin study units forested indicator sites.
CHARACTERIZATION OF FIXED SITES 15

three sites had concentrations that were greater than

the 75th percentile of the range of concentrations from

the three other NAWQA study units.

Fish- and habitat-degradation indices were

higher at the mining sites than the values from the

background site, indicating that some degradation has

occurred. However, when compared to the range of

values from the three other NAWQA study units, these

values were between the 25th and 75th percentiles,

indicating that these values may be more typical of

fish and habitat conditions when compared to other

sites with similar characteristics. Although habitat

seemed suitable, the French Gulch site did not contain

fish, probably due to water-chemistry conditions.

Macroinvertebrate communities from the three

mining sites also were degraded when compared to the

background site. The EPT richness and the percentage

of EPT were lower at the three mining sites and the

percentage of Chironomidae was higher at the three

mining sites than at the background site. EPT richness

and the percentage of EPT for the mining sites were

less than the 50th percentile from forested sites from

the three other NAWQA study units. The percentage

of Chironomidae at the mining sites was greater than

the 90th percentile when compared to sites from the

three other NAWQA study units.

Trace elements are the major water-quality issue

at these sites and may be the major factor for degradation in the biological communities. The selected

water-quality measures indicated that the UCOL background site is minimally disturbed, and the biological

communities at the mining land-use sites may be

affected by water-chemistry conditions more than

habitat conditions.

Figure 5 shows a single graphical display of the

site-condition rankings for the Southern Rocky Mountains physiographic province background site and the

mining land-use sites. Details on how the waterquality measures were ranked are shown in table 3.

Water-quality measures at the forested background site

were ranked as minimally to moderately affected

(fig. 5). With the exception of phosphorus at the

French Gulch site, water-quality measures at mining

land-use sites were ranked as moderately to significantly affected. Habitat conditions were ranked as

moderately affected (based on the four criteria). Traceelement concentrations are high, and the biological

community measures are low. Having moderate

habitat conditions at the mining land-use sites may

indicate that trace elements were the major factor

affecting biological communities. Although forest is

the predominant land cover in the basin, other land

uses such as mining may have a larger effect on water

quality than the predominant land cover.

Figure 6 shows median and single concentrations or values for the selected water-quality measures

for the Colorado River below Baker Gulch background site and the urban and recreation land-use sites

and the range of concentration or values (box plots)

from the RIOG, SPLT, and USNK NAWQA study unit

forested sites. Nutrient concentrations at the Gore

Creek near Minturn site were elevated when compared

to the background site. Nutrient concentrations at the

East River site were similar to those of the background

site. None of the samples from the Gore Creek near

Minturn and the East River below Cement Creek sites

had concentrations of nitrate in excess of the U.S.

Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) waterquality standard of 10 mg/L (maximum contaminant

level in drinking water) (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 1990). The median concentration for

total phosphorus at the Gore Creek near Minturn site

and the East River below Cement Creek site did not

exceed the desired goal for control of eutrophication

of 0.1 mg/L for total phosphorus (U.S. Environmental

Protection Agency, 1986).

Cadmium and zinc concentrations in streambed

sediment at the East River below Cement Creek site

were higher than the background site and the Gore

Creek near Minturn site (fig. 6). With the exception of

cadmium at the Gore Creek near Minturn site, traceelement concentrations at the urban and recreation

sites were greater than the 50th percentile of concentrations at sites from the three other NAWQA study

units.

Fish- and habitat-degradation index values indicate some degradation. Although urban and recreation

sites had an abundance of fish, the percentage of

anomalies and non-native fish increased and resulted

in a higher value for the fish-degradation index at these

sites. Although fish-degradation index values

increased, the values of these sites were less than the

50th percentile of sites in the three other NAWQA

study units. Habitat conditions were affected by channelization at the Gore Creek site and large amounts of

bank erosion at the East River site. These factors

resulted in a higher value for the habitat-degradation

index compared to the background site. These values
16 Characterization of Selected Biological, Chemical, and Physical Conditions at Fixed Sites in the Upper Colorado River Basin,

Colorado, 1995–98

Colorado River below

Baker Gulch

French Gulch near

Breckenridge

Blue River near

Breckenridge

Uncompahgre River

near Ridgway

Minimally affected or lower concentrations

Moderately affected or mid-range concentrations

Significantly affected or higher concentrations 

No data

Background site

Mining land-use site

EXPLANATION

Nitrite plus Nitrate

Total Phosphorus

Specific Conductance

Cadmium

Zinc

Habitat Degradation Index

Fish Degradation Index

EPT Richness

Percent Chironomidae

Percent EPT

Colorado Plateau

Southern Rocky

Mountains

Fish not present

EPT is Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera, and Trichoptera

0 20 40 MILES

0 20 40 KILOMETERS

Grand

Junction

Delta

Montrose

Gunnison

Glenwood

Springs

Vail

Figure 5. Site-condition rankings for the Southern Rocky Mountains physiographic province background and

mining land-use sites in the Upper Colorado River Basin study unit.
CHARACTERIZATION OF FIXED SITES 17

for the Gore Creek and East River sites were greater

than the 50th percentile. The EPT richness and the

percentage of EPT were less at urban and recreation

sites than at the background site. The percentage of

Chironomidae was higher at the urban and recreation

sites than at the background site. Slightly greater

nutrient concentrations (particularly the Gore Creek

site) at the urban and recreational sites may have

allowed for larger amounts of algal growth on the

substrate, thus increasing instream habitat for

Chironomidae and decreasing suitable habitat for EPT

organisms (Hynes, 1964).

Figure 7 shows a single graphical display of the

site condition rankings for the Southern Rocky Mountains physiographic province background site and the

urban and recreation sites. Details on how waterquality measures were ranked are shown in table 3.

Water-quality measures at the forested background site

were ranked as minimally to moderately affected.

With the exception of total phosphorus at the East

River site, water-quality measures at the urban and

recreation land-use sites were ranked as moderately to

significantly affected.

More water-quality measures were ranked as

significantly affected at the Gore Creek near Minturn

site than at the East River below Cement Creek site.

The increased urban development at the Gore Creek

site (about 8 percent) compared to the East River site

(about 0.6 percent) may be one factor causing the

increase in significantly affected water-quality

measures. Algal biomass, as determined from chlorophyll-a indicated that the Gore Creek near Minturn

site (7.6 milligrams per square meter [mg/m2]) had

higher biomass values than the East River below

Cement Creek site (3.2 mg/m2). As shown in figure 7,

nutrients were higher at the Gore Creek site than at the

East River site. This may be one factor for higher

biomass values at the Gore Creek site. Although the

two urban and recreation sites were ranked as significantly affected in the same category for the percentage

of Chironomidae, the Gore Creek near Minturn site

had 58 percent Chironomidae and the East River

below Cement Creek site had 25 percent Chironomidae (fig. 7). Although forest is the predominant land

use at these sites, other land uses such as urban and

recreation may be a factor for changes in water-quality

measures at these sites compared to the background

site.

Table 3. Classification rankings of water-quality measures for forested indicator sites

[mg/L, milligrams per liter; μS/cm, microsiemens per centimeter at 25 degrees Celsius; μg/g, micrograms per gram; <, less than; >, greater than;

EPT, Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera, and Trichoptera; RIOG, SPLT, and USNK are defined in fig. 3]

Water-quality indicators Minimally affected or lower

concentrations1

Moderately affected or midrange concentrations2

Significantly affected

or higher

concentrations3

Nitrite plus nitrate < 0.05 mg/L 0.05–0.14 mg/L > 0.14 mg/L

Total phosphorus < 0.01 mg/L 0.01–0.08 mg/L > 0.08 mg/L

Specific conductance (salinity) < 116 μS/cm 116–283 μS/cm > 283 μS/cm

Cadmium (streambed sediment) < 0.25 μg/g 0.25–1.1 μg/g > 1.1 μg/g

Zinc (streambed sediment) < 84 μg/g 84–165 μg/g > 165 μg/g

Fish-degradation index < 8.2 8.2–13 > 13

Habitat-degradation index < 8 8.0–12 > 12

EPT richness4 > 28 10–28 < 10

Percent EPT4 > 78 39–78 < 39

Percent Chironomidae < 9 9–3 > 23

1 Classification breakpoint is the 25th percentile of the data set from the RIOG, SPLT, and USNK study units. 2

 Classification breakpoints are between the 25th and 75th percentiles of the data set from the RIOG, SPLT, and USNK study units. 3

 Classification breakpoint is the 75th percentile of the data set from the RIOG, SPLT, and USNK study units. 4

 Classification breakpoints for this measure are greater than the 75th percentile for minimally affected, between the 25th and 75th percentiles for

moderately affected, and less than the 25th percentile for significantly affected of the data set from the RIOG, SPLT, and USNK study units.
18 Characterization of Selected Biological, Chemical, and Physical Conditions at Fixed Sites in the Upper Colorado River Basin,

Colorado, 1995–98

4

6

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80

90

EPT CHIRONOMIDAE

NITRITE CADMIUM ZINC

PLUS

NITRATE

TOTAL

PHOSPHORUS

EPT

RICHNESS HABITAT

DEGRADATION

INDEX

FISH

DEGRADATION

INDEX

MEDIAN VALUE,

IN PERCENT 

MEDIAN CONCENTRATION,

IN MILLIGRAMS PER LITER 

MEDIAN VALUE,IN

NUMBER OF TAXA 

SINGLE CONCENTRATION,

IN MICROGRAMS PER GRAM 

SINGLE VALUE

WATER COLUMN STREAMBED SEDIMENT

FISH AND HABITAT MACROINVERTEBRATES

MACROINVERTEBRATES

.001

.01

.1

1

10

50th percentile (median)

90th percentile

10th percentile

75th percentile

25th percentile

Gore Creek near Minturn (urban and recreation)

East River below Cement Creek (urban and recreation)

EPT is Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera, and Trichoptera 

Colorado River below Baker Gulch (background)

Box plots show the range

of data from the Rio Grande

Valley, the South Platte River

Basin, and the Upper Snake

River Basin National WaterQuality Assessment Program

study units. 

EXPLANATION

Upper Colorado River Basin sampling sites

Figure 6. Median and single concentrations or values for selected water-quality measures for the Upper Colorado River Basin

forested background and urban and recreation indicator sites in relation to the range of median and single concentrations

or values for the Rio Grande Valley, the South Platte River Basin, and the Upper Snake River Basin study units forested indicator sites.
CHARACTERIZATION OF FIXED SITES 19

Gore Creek near Minturn

East River below

Cement Creek

Colorado River below

Baker Gulch

Southern Rocky

Mountains

Minimally affected or lower concentrations

Moderately affected or mid-range concentrations

Significantly affected or higher concentrations 

Background site

Urban/recreation land-use site

EXPLANATION

Nitrite plus Nitrate

Total Phosphorus

Specific Conductance

Cadmium

Zinc

Habitat Degradation Index

Fish Degradation Index

EPT Richness

Percent Chironomidae

Percent EPT

Colorado Plateau

EPT is Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera, and Trichoptera

Grand

Junction

Delta

Montrose

Gunnison

Glenwood

Springs

Vail

0 20 40 MILES

0 20 40 KILOMETERS

Figure 7. Site condition rankings for the Southern Rocky Mountains physiographic province background

and urban/recreation land-use sites in the Upper Colorado River Basin study unit.
20 Characterization of Selected Biological, Chemical, and Physical Conditions at Fixed Sites in the Upper Colorado River Basin,

Colorado, 1995–98

Southern Rocky Mountains Physiographic

Province Integrator Sites

Three integrator (mixed land-use) sites were

selected in the Southern Rocky Mountains physiographic province. Gunnison River at County Road 32

and Gunnison River below Gunnison Tunnel

(sites 6 and 7) are located on the Gunnison River, the

largest tributary in the study unit, and Colorado River

at Dotsero (site 9) is located on the Colorado River

(fig. 1). These sites represent an integration of many

factors that influence water quality.

Figure 8 shows median and single concentrations or values for selected water-quality measures for

the Southern Rocky Mountains mixed land-use sites

and the range of concentrations and values (box plots)

from the RIOG, SPLT, and USNK NAWQA study unit

integrator sites. Because of stream size, background

conditions were difficult to represent at mixed landuse sites; therefore, a background site is not included

in the comparison. Nutrient concentrations generally

were similar among the mixed land-use sites. Nitrite

plus nitrate concentrations were less than the median

concentration compared to sites from the three other

NAWQA study units. Total phosphorus concentrations

were at or less than the 25th percentile of concentrations from the three other NAWQA study units. None

of the samples exceeded the USEPA maximum

contaminant level for drinking water for nitrate or the

desired goal for control of eutrophication for total

phosphorus (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency,

1986; 1990). Cadmium and zinc concentrations had

similar ranges among the three sites and were greater

than the 75th percentile of concentrations for all three

sites compared to sites from the three other NAWQA

study units.

Fish-degradation index values were very

different among the mixed land-use sites. Higher

values for the Colorado River near Dotsero and the

Gunnison River at County Road 32 sites were due to

larger abundances of omnivores and larger percentages

of anomalies than at the Gunnison River below the

Gunnison Tunnel site. The Gunnison River below the

Gunnison Tunnel site had a lower habitat-degradation

index than the other two mixed land-use sites. Habitat

indices at the three mixed land-use sites were at or less

than the 25th percentile of those for other mixed landuse sites in the three other NAWQA study units.

Although EPT richness was low at the Gunnison River

below the Gunnison Tunnel site, that site had the

largest percentage of EPT composition. Although

there was not an abundance of different types of

organisms present, the largest percentage of organisms

that were present were generally intolerant to pollution. EPT richness was high at the other two mixed

land-use sites, and the percentage of EPT was higher

at the Colorado River near Dotsero site than at the

Gunnison River at County Road 32 site. The

percentage of Chironomidae generally was similar

among all three mixed land-use sites.

Figure 9 shows a single graphical display of

site-condition rankings for mixed land-use sites in the

Southern Rocky Mountains physiographic province.

Details on how water-quality measures were ranked

are shown in table 4. Water-quality measures at mixed

land-use sites ranked as minimally to significantly

affected. The Gunnison River below the Gunnison

Tunnel had more water-quality measures ranked as

minimally affected than did the other two mixed landuse sites. All three sites had concentrations of

cadmium and zinc ranked as significantly affected.

The composition of the surficial geology in the Upper

Colorado River Basin may cause increased cadmium

and zinc concentrations. Cadmium and zinc concentrations at these sites generally were much lower than at

mining land-use sites in the UCOL. However, the

upper reaches of both watersheds, the Colorado River

and the Gunnison River, had mining activities in the

past. Specific land-use effects are not as obvious at

mixed land-use sites because many cumulative natural

and human effects can take place in larger stream

settings.

Colorado Plateau Physiographic

Province Indicator Sites

Indicator sites (sites 10, 12, and 14) in the

Colorado Plateau physiographic province are located

within a rangeland and agricultural setting (fig. 1).

Land use at Dry Fork at upper station near De Beque

site (site 10) is predominantly forest and rangeland.

The site was selected to represent minimally disturbed

conditions (background conditions). The basin is

97 square miles (mi2) and is composed mostly of sage

and pinyon-juniper with a few agricultural areas that

are typically used as hay meadows. Dry Creek near

Begonia Road (site 12) and Reed Wash near Mack

(site 14) were selected to represent agriculture landuse sites. Headwater areas of the Dry Creek near
CHARACTERIZATION OF FIXED SITES 21

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PLUS

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TOTAL

PHOSPHORUS

EPT

RICHNESS

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

18

20

FISH

DEGRADATION

INDEX

HABITAT

DEGRADATION

INDEX

MEDIAN VALUE,

IN PERCENT 

MEDIAN CONCENTRATION,

IN MILLIGRAMS PER LITER 

MEDIAN VALUE,

IN NUMBER OF TAXA 

SINGLE CONCENTRATION,

IN MICROGRAMS PER GRAM 

SINGLE VALUE

WATER COLUMN STREAMBED SEDIMENT

FISH AND HABITAT MACROINVERTEBRATES

MACROINVERTEBRATES

50th percentile (median)

90th percentile

10th percentile

75th percentile

25th percentile

Gunnison River at County Road 32 below Gunnison

Gunnison River below Gunnison Tunnel

EPT is Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera, and Trichoptera 

Colorado River near Dotsero

Box plots show the range

of data from the Rio Grande

Valley, the South Platte River

Basin, and the Upper Snake

River Basin National WaterQuality Assessment Program

study units. 

EXPLANATION

Upper Colorado River Basin sampling sites

Figure 8. Median and single concentrations or values for selected water-quality measures for the Upper Colorado River Basin

Southern Rocky Mountains physiographic province mixed land-use integrator sites in relation to range of median and single

concentrations or values for the Rio Grande Valley, the South Platte River Basin, and the Upper Snake River Basin study

units mixed land-use integrator sites.
22 Characterization of Selected Biological, Chemical, and Physical Conditions at Fixed Sites in the Upper Colorado River Basin,

Colorado, 1995–98

Colorado River near Dotsero

Gunnison River below

Gunnison Tunnel

Gunnison River at County

Road 32 below Gunnison

Colorado Plateau

Southern Rocky

Mountains

Minimally affected or lower concentrations

Moderately affected or mid-range concentrations

Significantly affected or higher concentrations 

Southern Rocky Mountain physiographic province sites

EXPLANATION

Nitrite plus Nitrate

Total Phosphorus

Specific Conductance

Cadmium

Zinc

Habitat Degradation Index

Fish Degradation Index

EPT Richness

Percent Chironomidae

Percent EPT

EPT is Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera, and Trichoptera

0 20 40 MILES

0 20 40 KILOMETERS

Figure 9. Site condition rankings for Southern Rocky Mountains physiographic province mixed land-use

sites in the Upper Colorado River Basin study unit.
CHARACTERIZATION OF FIXED SITES 23

Begonia Road site are composed of forest and rangeland with intensive agriculture along the lower stream

reaches of the basin. The Reed Wash near Mack basin,

which is small (16 mi2

), is intensively farmed and

ranched. Water is transported into and out of these

sites through irrigation canals and ditches for agricultural purposes.

Figure 10 shows median and single concentrations or values for selected water-quality measures for

the UCOL Colorado Plateau background site and the

UCOL agriculture land-use sites and the range of

concentrations and values (box plots) from agricultural sites from the RIOG, SPLT, and USNK NAWQA

study units. The selected water-quality measures at

the Dry Fork at upper station near De Beque site

should represent minimally disturbed conditions for

small streams in the Colorado Plateau physiographic

province. The selected water-quality measures from

this site were compared to the agricultural data

because rangeland data were limited among the three

other NAWQA study units. Nitrite plus nitrate

concentrations were less than the 25th percentile, and

total phosphorus concentrations were less than the

50th percentile at the Dry Fork at upper station near

De Beque. Selenium concentration was at the

25th percentile of concentrations from agricultural data

from the three other NAWQA study units. The Dry

Fork at upper station near De Beque site does not have

a value for p,p'-DDE in fish tissue or a fish-degradation index value because this site did not contain fish.

Because of small stream size and some periods of

intermittent streamflow, habitat conditions may be the

major factor for the absence of fish at this site. EPT

richness was low, but the percentage of EPT was relatively high, near the 75th percentile in the range of data

from the three other NAWQA study units. The low

value for EPT richness may be baseline for the Colorado Plateau physiographic province. The percentage

of Chironomidae was higher than the median value

from agricultural data from the three other NAWQA

study units.

 Nutrient concentrations at the two agricultural

land-use sites were higher than at the background site.

The Dry Creek near Begonia Road site had higher

nitrite plus nitrate concentrations than the Reed Wash

near Mack site and was greater than the 75th percentile

of concentrations from the range of data from other

agricultural sites. None of the samples exceeded the

Table 4. Classification rankings of water-quality measures for mixed land-use integrator sites

[mg/L, milligrams per liter; μS/cm, microsiemens per centimeter at 25 degrees Celsius; μg/g, micrograms per gram; μg/kg, micrograms per kilogram;

<, less than; >, greater than; EPT, Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera, and Trichoptera; RIOG, SPLT, and USNK defined in fig. 3]

Water-quality indicators Minimally affected or

lower concentrations1

Moderately affected or

mid-range

concentrations2

Significantly affected or

higher concentrations3

Nitrite plus nitrate < 0.05 mg/L 0.05–0.97 mg/L > 0.97 mg/L

Total phosphorus < 0.03 mg/L 0.03–0.14 mg/L > 0.14 mg/L

Specific conductance (salinity) < 273 μS/cm 273–678 μS/cm > 678 μS/cm

Cadmium (streambed sediment) < 0.3 μg/g 0.3–0.5 μg/g > 0.5 μg/g

Selenium (streambed sediment) < 0.4 μg/g 0.4–1.2 μg/g > 1.2 μg/g

Zinc (streambed sediment) < 72 μg/g 72–100 μg/g > 100 μg/g

p,p'-DDE4

/lipid content (fish tissue) < 770 μg/kg lipid 770–3,700 μg/kg lipid > 3,700 μg/kg lipid

Fish-degradation index < 12 12–16 > 16

Habitat-degradation index < 11.97 11.97–13.5 > 13.5

EPT richness5 > 11 5–11 < 5

Percent EPT5 > 62 10–62 < 10

Percent Chironomidae < 11 11–43 > 43

1Classification breakpoint is the 25th percentile of the data set from the RIOG, SPLT, and USNK study units. 2

 Classification breakpoints are between the 25th and 75th percentiles of the data set from the RIOG, SPLT, and USNK study units. 3

 Classification breakpoint is the 75th percentile of the data set from the RIOG, SPLT, and USNK study units. 4

 Results for this measure are reported as wet weight concentration divided by lipid content.

5

 Classification breakpoints for this measure are greater than the 75th percentile for minimally affected, between the 25th and 75th percentiles for moderately affected, and less than the 25th percentile for significantly affected of the data set from the RIOG, SPLT, and USNK study

units.
24 Characterization of Selected Biological, Chemical, and Physical Conditions at Fixed Sites in the Upper Colorado River Basin,

Colorado, 1995–98

.01

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p,p’-DDE/lipid content

NITRITE

PLUS

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TOTAL

PHOSPHORUS

EPT

RICHNESS

10

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FISH

DEGRADATION

INDEX

HABITAT

DEGRADATION

INDEX

.1

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SELENIUM

MEDIAN VALUE,

IN PERCENT 

MEDIAN CONCENTRATION,

IN MILLIGRAMS PER LITER 

MEDIAN VALUE,

IN NUMBER OF TAXA

SINGLE CONCENTRATION,

IN MICROGRAMS PER GRAM SINGLE VALUE

SINGLE CONCENTRATION,

IN MICROGRAMS PER

KILOGRAM LIPID 

WATER COLUMN STREAMBED SEDIMENT

FISH AND HABITAT

MACROINVERTEBRATES MACROINVERTEBRATES

FISH TISSUE

10,000

1,000

100

10

50th percentile (median)

90th percentile

10th percentile

75th percentile

25th percentile

Box plots show the range

of data from the Rio Grande

Valley, the South Platte River

Basin, and the Upper Snake

River Basin National WaterQuality Assessment Program

study units. 

Dry Fork at Upper Station near De Beque (background)

Dry Creek at Begonia Road near Delta (agriculture)

Reed Wash near Mack (agriculture)

EPT is Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera, and Trichoptera 

EXPLANATION

Upper Colorado River Basin sampling sites

Figure 10. Median and single concentrations or values for selected water-quality measures for the Upper Colorado River

Basin background and agricultural indicator sites in relation to the range of median and single concentrations or values for

the Rio Grande Valley, the South Platte River Basin, and the Upper Snake River Basin study units agricultural indicator sites.
CHARACTERIZATION OF FIXED SITES 25

USEPA maximum contaminant level for drinking

water for nitrate (U.S. Environmental Protection

Agency, 1986). The Reed Wash near Mack site had

higher total phosphorus concentrations than the Dry

Creek near Begonia Road site and was greater than the

90th percentile of concentrations from the range of

data from other agricultural sites. Median total phosphorus concentration at the Dry Creek site (0.1 mg/L)

was at the USEPA desired goal for control of eutrophication of 0.1 mg/L. Median total phosphorus concentration at the Reed Wash site (0.6 mg/L) exceeded the

USEPA desired goal for control of eutrophication

(U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 1986).

Selenium concentrations at the two agricultural

sites were higher than at the background site and were

higher than the 75th percentile of concentrations from

the range of data from the three other NAWQA study

units. Although both sites had higher concentrations of

selenium than the background site and from other agricultural sites, the Reed Wash near Mack site had a

much larger concentration than the Dry Creek near

Begonia Road site. A higher concentration of selenium

at the Reed Wash near Mack site may be influenced by

geology (Mancos Shale of Cretaceous age) and the

irrigation return flows interacting with ground water

(Butler and others, 1996). Selenium concentration at

the Reed Wash site (5.6 μg/g) exceeded the high

hazard level of 4 μg/g for the protocol for aquatic

hazard assessment of selenium (Lemly, 1995). The

p,p'-DDE concentration in fish tissue was higher at

the Dry Creek near Begonia Road site (700 μg/kg in

white sucker) than at the Reed Wash near Mack site

(290 μg/kg in flannelmouth sucker). Both samples

(normalized for lipid content) from the agricultural

sites were greater than the 75th percentile of concentrations from the range of normalized data based on

lipid content from the three other NAWQA study unit

agricultural sites (fig. 10). The values in figure 10 are

reported as wet weight concentration normalized by

dividing by lipid content. This normalization

decreases the bias that might result from comparing

different species in the fish-tissue data set.

Both sites had similar fish-community-degradation index values and were near the 75th percentile of

concentrations from the range of data from agricultural sites in the three other NAWQA study units. The

habitat at the Dry Creek near Begonia Road site had a

lower degradation index value than at the background

site and the Reed Wash near Mack site. Compared to

the larger range of data from other agricultural sites,

the habitat-degradation index value for the Dry Creek

near Begonia Road site was closer to the median value

than the background site and the Reed Wash near

Mack site. The habitat-degradation index value for

the Reed Wash near Mack site was higher than the

75th percentile, meaning that habitat conditions at this

site were degraded compared to agricultural sites from

the three other NAWQA study units. EPT richness was

low at both agricultural sites; however, these values

were similar to those at the background site. The

percentage of EPT decreased at the agricultural sites

compared to the background site. The percentage of

Chironomidae was higher at the Reed Wash near Mack

site than at the Dry Creek near Begonia Road site.

Although not selected for comparison among sites, the

mean percentage of non-insects accounted for the

majority of the macroinvertebrate community at the

Dry Creek near Begonia Road site (70 percent) and

some portion of the macroinvertebrate community at

the Reed Wash near Mack site (15 percent). Noninsects are generally perceived as tolerant to a wide

range of environmental conditions and can increase

with increased disturbance in habitat or degradation in

water quality (Barbour and others, 1997).

Figure 11 shows a single graphical display of

site-condition rankings for the Colorado Plateau physiographic province background site and the two agricultural land-use sites. Details on how water-quality

measures were ranked are shown in table 5. Selected

water-quality measures at these sites were ranked as

moderately to significantly affected; however, the two

agricultural land-use sites had more water-quality

measures ranked as significantly affected than did the

background site. The specific conductance was high at

the background site, probably due to natural conditions such as the sedimentary geology in the basin.

The significantly affected rankings of phosphorus at

the Reed Wash near Mack site and nitrite plus nitrate

at the Dry Creek at Begonia Road site, selenium and

p,p'-DDE at both sites, habitat and the percentage of

Chironomidae at the Reed Wash near Mack site, and

EPT richness and the percentage of EPT at the Dry

Creek at Begonia Road site provide multiple lines of

evidence that land use may be affecting water quality

at the two agricultural sites.
26 Characterization of Selected Biological, Chemical, and Physical Conditions at Fixed Sites in the Upper Colorado River Basin,

Colorado, 1995–98

Reed Wash near Mack

Dry Creek at Begonia

 Road near Delta

Dry Fork at Upper Station

near De Beque

Colorado Plateau

Southern Rocky

Mountains

Fish not present

Minimally affected or lower concentrations

Moderately affected or mid-range concentrations

Significantly affected or higher concentrations 

No data

Background site

Agriculture land-use site

EXPLANATION

Nitrite plus Nitrate

Total Phosphorus

Specific Conductance

Selenium

p,p'-DDE/lipid content

Habitat Degradation Index

Fish Degradation Index

EPT Richness

Percent Chironomidae

Percent EPT

EPT is Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera, and Trichoptera

Grand

Junction

Delta

Montrose

Gunnison

Glenwood

Springs

Vail

0 20 40 MILES

0 20 40 KILOMETERS

Figure 11. Site-condition rankings for the Colorado Plateau physiographic province background and agricultural land-use sites in the Upper Colorado River Basin study unit.
CHARACTERIZATION OF FIXED SITES 27

Colorado Plateau Physiographic

Province Integrator Sites

Three integrator sites were selected in the Colorado Plateau physiographic province. Colorado River

near Cameo (site 11) and Colorado River near Colorado-Utah State line (site 15) were located on the

Colorado River. Gunnison River near Grand Junction

(site 13) was located on the Gunnison River near the

outlet to the Colorado River (fig. 1). These sites represent an integration of many factors that influence water

quality.

Figure 12 shows median or single concentrations or values for the selected water-quality measures

for the Colorado Plateau physiographic province

mixed land-use sites and the range of values (box

plots) from mixed land-use sites from the RIOG,

SPLT, and USNK NAWQA study unit integrator sites.

Due to stream size, background conditions are difficult

to represent at mixed land-use sites; therefore, a background site is not included in the comparison. Median

nutrient concentrations were lowest at the Colorado

River near Cameo site and were similar among the

Gunnison River near Grand Junction and Colorado

River near Colorado-Utah State line sites. The median

concentration of total phosphorus at the Colorado

River near Colorado-Utah State line site

(0.1 mg/L) was at the USEPA desired goal for control

of eutrophication of 0.1mg/L. The concentration of

total phosphorus at the Gunnison River near Grand

Junction site (0.08 mg/L) was slightly below the

USEPA desired goal for control of eutrophication. The

Gunnison River near Grand Junction site and the Colorado River near Colorado-Utah State line site are

downstream from urban and agricultural activities.

This may be one factor for increased nutrient concentrations compared to the Colorado River near Cameo

site, which is upstream from most urban and agricultural activity in the Colorado Plateau physiographic

province. Median nutrient concentrations for the three

UCOL mixed land-use sites were between the 25th and

75th percentiles of concentrations from the range of

data from the other three NAWQA study units. Selenium concentration was lowest at the Colorado River

near Cameo site compared to the other two UCOL

sites. The selenium concentration at the Colorado

River near Cameo site was at the 50th percentile

compared to other mixed land-use sites in the three

other NAWQA study units. Selenium concentrations

were highest at the Gunnison River near Grand JuncTable 5. Classification rankings of water-quality measures for agricultural indicator sites

[mg/L, milligrams per liter; μS/cm, microsiemens per centimeter at 25 degrees Celsius; μg/g, micrograms per gram; μg/kg, micrograms per kilogram;

<, less than; >, greater than; EPT, Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera, and Trichoptera; RIOG, SPLT, and USNK are defined in fig. 3]

Water-quality measures Minimally affected or

lower concentrations1

Moderately affected or

mid-range

concentrations2

Significantly affected or

higher concentrations3

Nitrite plus nitrate < 0.62 mg/L 0.62–3 mg/L > 3 mg/L

Total phosphorus < 0.03 mg/L 0.03–0.15 mg/L > 0.15 mg/L

Specific conductance (salinity) < 440 μS/cm 440–1,510 μS/cm > 1,510 μS/cm

Selenium (streambed sediment) < 0.5 μg/g 0.5–0.7 μg/g > 0.7 μg/g

p,p'-DDE4/lipid content (fish tissue) < 92 μg/kg lipid 92–3,260 μg/kg lipid > 3,260 μg/kg lipid

Fish-degradation index < 10.8 10.8–17.4 > 17.4

Habitat-degradation index < 7.3 7.3–15.2 > 15.2

EPT richness5 > 15 5–15 < 5

Percent EPT5 > 52 15–52 < 15

Percent Chironomidae < 7 7–34 > 34

1

 Classification breakpoint is the 25th percentile of the data set from the RIOG, SPLT, and USNK study units. 2

 Classification breakpoints are between the 25th and 75th percentiles of the data set from the RIOG, SPLT, and USNK study units. 3

 Classification breakpoint is the 75th percentile of the data set from the RIOG, SPLT, and USNK study units. 4 Results for this measure are reported as wet weight concentration divided by lipid content.

5

 Classification breakpoints for this measure are greater than the 75th percentile for minimally affected, between the 25th and 75th percentiles for moderately affected, and less than the 25th percentile for significantly affected of the data set from the RIOG, SPLT, and USNK study

units.
28 Characterization of Selected Biological, Chemical, and Physical Conditions at Fixed Sites in the Upper Colorado River Basin,

Colorado, 1995–98

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TOTAL

PHOSPHORUS

EPT

RICHNESS

4

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HABITAT

DEGRADATION

INDEX

SELENIUM

.1

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FISH

DEGRADATION

INDEX

MEDIAN VALUE,

IN PERCENT 

MEDIAN CONCENTRATION,

IN MILLIGRAMS PER LITER 

MEDIAN VALUE,

IN NUMBER OF TAXA 

SINGLE CONCENTRATION,

IN MICROGRAMS PER GRAM SINGLE VALUE

SINGLE CONCENTRATION,

IN MICROGRAMS PER

KILOGRAM LIPID 

WATER COLUMN STREAMBED SEDIMENT

FISH AND HABITAT

MACROINVERTEBRATES MACROINVERTEBRATES

FISH TISSUE

10,000

1,000

100

10

50th percentile (median)

90th percentile

10th percentile

75th percentile

25th percentile

Box plots show the range

of data from the Rio Grande

Valley, the South Platte River

Basin, and the Upper Snake

River Basin National WaterQuality Assessment Program

study units. 

Colorado River near Cameo

Gunnison River near Grand Junction

Colorado River near Colorado-Utah State line

EPT is Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera, and Trichoptera 

EXPLANATION

Upper Colorado River Basin sampling sites

p,p’-DDE/lipid content

Figure 12. Median and single concentrations or values for selected water-quality measures for the Upper

Colorado River Basin Colorado Plateau physiographic province mixed land-use integrator sites in relation to the

range of median and single concentrations or values for the Rio Grande Valley, the South Platte River Basin, and

the Upper Snake River Basin mixed land-use integrator sites.
CHARACTERIZATION OF FIXED SITES 29

tion site. The Gunnison River near Grand Junction site

and the Colorado River near the Colorado-Utah State

line site had concentrations greater than the 75th

percentile compared to the three other NAWQA study

units. The Mancos Shale of Cretaceous age in this area

of the study unit (Butler and others, 1996) and irrigation practices remobilizing selenium are probably the

largest factors for increased selenium concentrations at

these sites. No concentration exceeded the high hazard

level for the protocol for aquatic hazard assessment of

selenium (Lemly, 1995). p,p'-DDE concentration in

fish tissue was lowest at the Colorado River near

Cameo site (5.5 μg/kg in bluehead sucker) and had

similar values at the Gunnison River near Grand Junction site (130 μg/kg in bluehead sucker) and the Colorado River near Utah-State line site (190 μg/kg in

bluehead sucker). All three samples (normalized for

lipid content) from the mixed land-use sites were less

than the 50th percentile compared to the range of

normalized data based on lipid content from the three

other NAWQA study units. The values in figure 12 are

reported as wet weight concentration normalized by

dividing by lipid content. This normalization

decreases the bias that might result from comparing

different species in the fish-tissue data set.

Fish- and habitat-degradation index values were

similar among the three mixed land-use sites. Fishdegradation values were high (near and greater than

the 90th percentile) compared to values from the three

other NAWQA study units. High degradation values at

these sites were affected by anomalies, the large

percentage of omnivores, and the non-native species.

Habitat degradation values were at the 25th percentile

of values from the three other NAWQA study units.

EPT richness and the percentage of EPT were highest

and inversely the percentage of Chironomidae was

lowest at the Colorado River near Cameo site. EPT

richness at the Colorado River near Cameo site was

greater than the 90th percentile of values from sites in

the three other NAWQA study units. EPT richness and

the percentage of EPT were similar among the

Gunnison River near Grand Junction and the Colorado

River near Colorado-Utah State line sites. EPT richness and percentage of EPT at these sites were near

and less than the 25th percentile of values from the

three other study units. The percentage of Chironomidae was near the 75th percentile for the Gunnison

River near Grand Junction and greater than the 90th

percentile for the Colorado River near Colorado-Utah

State line. The Colorado River near Cameo site had

the lowest nutrient, selenium, and pesticide concentrations and had similar fish- and habitat-degradation

values compared to the other two mixed land-use sites.

The macroinvertebrate measures at the Colorado River

near Cameo site indicated suitable water-quality

conditions. Because of similar instream habitat conditions among the three sites, the decrease in EPT richness and percentage of EPT and the increase in

Chironomidae at the Gunnison River near Grand Junction site and the Colorado River near Colorado-Utah

State line sites indicate that water-chemistry conditions may be the largest factor for degraded macroinvertebrate communities at these two sites.

Figure 13 shows a single graphical display of

the site-condition rankings for mixed land-use sites in

the Colorado Plateau physiographic province. Details

on how water-quality measures were ranked for mixed

land-use sites are shown in table 4. Water-quality

measures at the Colorado River near Cameo site were

ranked as minimally to significantly affected. Waterquality measures at the Gunnison River near Grand

Junction and the Colorado River near Colorado-Utah

State line sites were ranked as moderately to significantly affected. Nutrient concentrations were similar

among the three sites. Specific conductance, used

as a measure of salinity, was higher at the Colorado

River sites than at the Gunnison River site. Selenium

concentration was lower at the Colorado River near

Cameo site compared to the two other UCOL mixed

land-use sites and the range of data from the three

other NAWQA study units. Fish- and habitatdegradation index values were similar, and the

macroinvertebrate measures were less affected at the

Colorado River near Cameo site than at the two other

mixed land-use sites. The use of more than one

sampling medium indicates that the Gunnison River

near Grand Junction and the Colorado River near

Colorado-Utah State line sites may be more affected

by the cumulative effects of more than one land use

than the Colorado River near Cameo site. Although

mixed land-use sites are more difficult to relate to a

specific land-use effect, all of the information from

different sampling media combined helps to provide a

more complete assessment of water quality.
30 Characterization of Selected Biological, Chemical, and Physical Conditions at Fixed Sites in the Upper Colorado River Basin,

Colorado, 1995–98

Gunnison River near

Grand Junction

Colorado River near ColoradoUtah State Line

Colorado River near Cameo

Colorado

Plateau

Southern Rocky

Mountains

Minimally affected or lower concentrations

Moderately affected or mid-range concentrations

Significantly affected or higher concentrations 

Colorado Plateau Integrator site

EXPLANATION

Nitrite plus Nitrate

Total Phosphorus

Specific Conductance

Habitat Degradation Index

Fish Degradation Index

EPT Richness

Percent Chironomidae

Percent EPT

EPT is Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera, and Trichoptera

0 20 40 MILES

0 20 40 KILOMETERS

Grand

Junction

Delta

Montrose

Gunnison

Glenwood

Springs

Vail

Selenium

p,p'-DDE/lipid content

Figure 13. Site-condition rankings for the Colorado Plateau physiographic province mixed land-use sites in

the Upper Colorado River Basin study unit.
SUMMARY 31

SUMMARY

The National Water-Quality Assessment

(NAWQA) Program is a long-term program of the

U.S. Geological Survey designed to describe the status

and trends in the quality of the Nation’s surface- and

ground-water resources and to provide an understanding of the natural and human factors that can

affect the quality of these resources (Leahy and others,

1990). The program is interdisciplinary and integrates

chemical, physical, and biological data to assess the

Nation’s water quality at local, regional, and national

levels.

The Upper Colorado River Basin (UCOL) was

selected for the national water-quality assessment.

One component of the program is to characterize

biological communities and their relation to water

chemistry and stream habitat at fixed sites in the Upper

Colorado River Basin (UCOL). Biological assessments were conducted at 15 sites during low-flow

conditions in August of 1996 and 1997. A subset

consisting of 10 of the 15 sites was sampled during

low-flow conditions in August 1998. Qualitative and

quantitative habitat measures also were documented

during the 3-year period. Sites sampled represented

agriculture, mining, urban and recreation, and mixed

land uses and background conditions.

Mining, urban and recreation, and mixed landuse sites were located in the Southern Rocky Mountains physiographic province. Agriculture and mixed

land-use sites were located in the Colorado Plateau

physiographic province. The environmental settings of

the two physiographic provinces are characterized by

differences in elevation, drainage area, stream

gradient, temperature, specific conductance, concentrations of dissolved solids and suspended sediment,

fish and macroinvertebrate communities, and other

factors. With the exception of selenium, trace elements

generally are more of a water-quality concern in the

Southern Rocky Mountains physiographic province

due to the crystalline bedrock geology, which favors

mining activity. Selenium is a trace element of concern

in the Colorado Plateau physiographic province

mainly due to the sedimentary geology of the area

(especially the Mancos Shale of Cretaceous age).

Pesticides generally are more of a water-quality

concern in the Colorado Plateau physiographic province where agricultural activities are more common.

Although physiographic provinces, geology, and

land use were the environmental factors used in the

selection of sites for the Upper Colorado River Basin,

other factors, such as physical habitat and hydrologic

conditions, are important components of the environmental setting that affect water chemistry and biology.

The relative status of water quality (water chemistry and biology) for sites in the UCOL was determined by aggregating data from three other NAWQA

study units. Data from sampling sites in the Rio

Grande Valley, the South Platte River Basin, and the

Upper Snake River Basin NAWQA study units were

used to develop a larger data set for comparison to

sites in the UCOL.

In the Southern Rocky Mountains physiographic province, nutrient concentrations in the water

column at mining land-use sites generally were low

and similar to those at the background site. Cadmium

and zinc concentrations in streambed sediment generally were orders of magnitude higher at mining landuse sites than at the background site and were greater

than the 75th percentile of concentrations at sites from

the three other NAWQA study units. Fish were not

present at the French Gulch near Breckenridge site;

other mining land-use sites had low fish-degradation

index values. Habitat conditions at mining land-use

sites were slightly degraded compared to the background site. Measures of the macroinvertebrate

community indicated that it was degraded compared to

the background site and sites from the three other

NAWQA study units. The selected water-quality

measures indicated that the UCOL background site is

minimally disturbed and that biological communities

at mining land-use sites may be affected by waterchemistry conditions.

Nutrient concentrations in the water column at

the Gore Creek near Minturn (urban and recreation)

site were higher than those at the background site.

Nutrient concentrations at the East River below

Cement Creek (urban and recreation) site were similar

to those at the background site. Cadmium and zinc

concentrations in streambed sediment were highest at

the East River below Cement Creek site, probably

because of past mining activities in the upper reaches

of the watershed. Although urban and recreation sites

had an abundance of fish, the percentage of non-native

fish and anomalies in fish were greater than at the

background site. Habitat conditions are affected by

channelization at the Gore Creek site and large

amounts of bank erosion at the East River below

Cement Creek site. EPT richness and the percentage

of EPT were lower, and the percentage of Chirono-
32 Characterization of Selected Biological, Chemical, and Physical Conditions at Fixed Sites in the Upper Colorado River Basin,

Colorado, 1995–98

midae was higher at urban and recreation sites than at

the background site. The slightly increased nutrient

concentrations at the urban sites may have allowed for

larger amounts of algal growth on the substrate, thus

increasing instream habitat for Chironomidae and

decreasing suitable habitat for EPT organisms.

Nutrient concentrations in the water column

generally were similar among the three Southern

Rocky Mountains physiographic province mixed

land-use sites. Cadmium and zinc concentrations in

streambed sediment were similar in range at the sites.

Fish-degradation index values were very different

among the sites. Higher values associated with the fish

community at the Colorado River near Dotsero and the

Gunnison River at County Road 32 sites are due to

larger abundances of omnivores and larger percentages

of anomalies in fish. Although EPT richness was low

at the Gunnison River below the Gunnison Tunnel site,

that site had the largest percentage of EPT composition among the three sites. The percentage of Chironomidae was generally similar among the sites. Specific

land-use effects are not as obvious at mixed land-use

sites because of the many cumulative natural and

human effects that occur in larger stream settings.

Nutrient concentrations in the water column and

selenium concentrations in streambed sediment at the

Colorado Plateau physiographic province background

site were less than those at agricultural land-use sites.

EPT richness was low at the agricultural and background sites, but the percentage of EPT at the background site was relatively high. Nutrient concentrations in the water column and selenium concentrations in streambed sediment were elevated at the two

agricultural land-use sites. Although both agricultural

land-use sites had higher selenium concentrations than

the background site, the Reed Wash near Mack site

had a much higher selenium concentration than the

Dry Creek near Begonia Road site. Higher concentrations of selenium at the Reed Wash near Mack site

may be influenced by the surficial geology (Mancos

Shale of Cretaceous age) and the irrigation return

flows interacting with ground water. p,p'-DDE concentrations in fish tissue were higher at the Dry Creek

near Begonia Road site than at the Reed Wash near

Mack site, but both were greater than the 75th percentile of concentrations from agricultural sites from the

three other NAWQA study units. The Dry Creek near

Begonia Road site had a lower habitat-degradation

index value than the background site or the Reed Wash

near Mack site. Habitat-degradation index value for

the Reed Wash near Mack site was higher than the 75th

percentile of values from the other NAWQA study

units, meaning that habitat conditions at that site were

significantly degraded. Both agricultural sites had

similar fish-degradation index values. EPT richness

was low at both agricultural sites; however, these

values were similar to those at the background site.

The percentage of EPT was lower at agricultural sites

than at the background site.

Among the mixed land-use sites in the Colorado

Plateau physiographic province, nutrient concentrations in the water column were lowest at the Colorado

River near Cameo site and were similar at the

Gunnison River near Grand Junction site and Colorado

River near Colorado-Utah State line site. The

Gunnison River near Grand Junction and the Colorado

River near Colorado-Utah State line sites are downstream from urban and agricultural areas, which might

account for increased nutrient concentrations

compared to the Colorado River near Cameo site,

which is upstream from most of the urban and agricultural activity in the Colorado Plateau. Selenium

concentrations in streambed sediment were lowest at

the Colorado River near Cameo site. The sedimentary

geology (especially the Mancos Shale of Cretaceous

age) and irrigation return flows in the Colorado

Plateau physiographic province are probably the

largest factors for increased selenium concentrations at

the Gunnison River near Grand Junction and the Colorado River near Colorado-Utah State line sites. Pesticide concentrations in fish tissue were lowest at the

Colorado River near Cameo site and were similar in

concentration at the two other mixed land-use sites.

The high fish-community-degradation index values at

the three sites were caused by the large percentage of

omnivores and non-native species. EPT richness and

the percentage of EPT were highest and the percentage

of Chironomidae was lowest at the Colorado River

near Cameo site. EPT richness and the percentage of

EPT were similar at the Gunnison River near Grand

Junction and the Colorado River near Colorado-Utah

State line sites.

The use of more than one sampling medium to

characterize water quality is desirable because conventional water-quality methods for sampling water may

not provide enough information to make a complete

assessment of water quality. Therefore, the use of

several types of sampling media at a site can provide

an opportunity to integrate information in order to get

a more complete description of water quality than may

be evident with one sampling medium.
REFERENCES 33

REFERENCES

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Butler, D.L., Wright, W.G., Stewart, K.C., Osmundson,

B.C., Krueger, R.P., and Crabtree, D.W., 1996,

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water, bottom sediment, soil, alfalfa, and biota associated with irrigation drainage in the Uncompahgre

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Crawford, J.K., and Luoma, S.N., 1993, Guidelines for

studies of contaminants in biological tissues for the

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Cuffney, T.F., Gurtz, M.E., and Meador, M.R., 1993,

Methods for collecting benthic invertebrate samples as

part of the National Water-Quality Assessment

Program: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report

93–406, 66 p.

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streambed sediment and fish liver at selected sites in

the Upper Colorado River Basin, Colorado, 1995–

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M.R., Maupin, M.A., and Gurtz, M.E., 1998, Revised

methods for characterizing stream habitat in the

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Gilliom, R.J., Alley, W.M., and Gurtz, M.E., 1995, Design

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[Water-Resources Notes]

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34 Characterization of Selected Biological, Chemical, and Physical Conditions at Fixed Sites in the Upper Colorado River Basin,

Colorado, 1995–98

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APPENDIXES
APPENDIX A 37

APPENDIX A. Taxa, densities of macroinvertebrates (organisms per square meter) collected, and sampling date at fixed sites in the Upper Colorado River Basin study uni

[Site abbreviations are used in this appendix. See table 1 for full site names. Densities are rounded according to Britton and Greeson, 1987. --, species not collected]

Baker

08/96

Baker

08/97

Baker

08/98

French

08/96

French

08/97

French

08/98

Blue

08/96

Blue

08/97

Blue

08/98

Ridgway

08/96

Ridgway

08/97

Ridgwa

08/98

CLASSORDER Family

 Genus species

INSECTA (insects) -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- EPHEMEROPTERA (mayflies) -- 10 -- -- 2 -- -- -- -- -- 20 --  Ameletidae -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 

 Ameletus sp. -- -- -- -- 6 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 

 Baetidae 614 479 553 19 6 14 307 96 51 1380 26 278  Acentrella insignificans -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 19 -- -- -- --  Acentrella turbida -- -- -- -- -- -- 26 -- -- -- -- --  Acentrella sp. 34 10 18 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Baetis bicaudatus 17 -- 74 -- 96 19 32 42 6 -- -- --  Baetis flavistriga 59 107 553 5 -- -- -- -- 32 -- -- --  Baetis intercalaris -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Baetis tricaudatus 9 10 18 80 -- -- 58 -- 13 157 -- 138  Baetis sp. -- 186 18 -- -- -- -- 78 -- -- 22 --  Labiobaetis sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Paracloeodes minuts -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 4 --  Ephemerellidae 126 498 424 -- -- 77 19 -- 51 -- -- --  Attenella margarita -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Drunella coloradensis 60 11 1 -- -- -- -- 4 -- -- -- --  Drunella doddsi 126 21 110 -- -- 24 26 28 26 -- -- 6  Drunella grandis 160 -- 442 -- -- 5 -- -- -- 11 -- --  Drunella tuberculata -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Drunella sp. -- -- -- -- 2 -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Ephemerella aurivilli -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Ephemerella inermis -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 22 13 --  Ephemerella sp. -- 1 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Serratella micheneri -- 2 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Serratella tibialis 34 -- 18 -- -- -- -- -- 6 -- -- --  Serratella sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- 6 -- -- -- -- --  Timpanoga hecuba -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 
38 Chacterization of Selected Biological, Chemical and Physical Conditions at Fixed Sites in the Upper Colorado River Basin,

1995–98

CLASSORDER Family

 Genus species

 Heptageniidae 128 138 74 -- -- -- -- 11 -- -- -- 10  Cinygmula sp. 59 291 129 -- -- -- -- 4 -- -- 6 --  Epeorus albertae 177 -- 37 -- -- -- 19 -- -- -- -- 3  Epeorus longimanus 34 -- 92 -- -- -- 2 -- -- -- -- --  Eperous sp. 160 85 37 -- -- -- -- 54 6 -- -- --  Heptagenia solitaria -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Heptagenia sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Rhithrogena sp. 110 29 166 5 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Leptophlebiidae -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 6 -- -- --  Choroterpes sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Paraleptophlebia sp. -- 37 -- -- -- -- -- 8 -- -- -- --  Traverella albertana -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Tricorythidae -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Tricorythodes corpulentus group -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Tricorythodes minutus -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Tricorythodes sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- PLECOPTERA (stoneflies) -- 10 -- -- -- -- -- 4 -- -- -- --  Capniidae 34 65 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Chloroperlidae 93 37 202 14 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Suwallia sp. 9 10 74 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 10  Sweltsa sp. 26 158 92 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 4 --  Leuctridae -- 10 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Nemouridae -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Amphinemura sp. -- 1 -- -- -- -- 13 15 397 -- -- --  Zapada sp. 17 10 55 -- -- -- 6 -- -- -- -- --  Perlidae -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Claassenia sabulosa 1 -- 1 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Hesperoperla pacifica -- -- 18 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 

APPENDIX A. Taxa, densities of macroinvertebrates (organisms per square meter) collected, and sampling date at fixed sites in the Upper Colorado River Basin study uni

[Site abbreviations are used in this appendix. See table 1 for full site names. Densities are rounded according to Britton and Greeson, 1987. --, species not collected]

Baker

08/96

Baker

08/97

Baker

08/98

French

08/96

French

08/97

French

08/98

Blue

08/96

Blue

08/97

Blue

08/98

Ridgway

08/96

Ridgway

08/97

Ridgwa

08/98
APPENDIX A 39

CLASSORDER Family Genus species Perlodidae 9 46 110 5 -- -- 64 -- 45 -- -- --  Isogenoides zionensis -- -- -- -- -- -- 1 -- -- -- -- --  Megarcys signata -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Skwala americana -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 48 6 -- -- --  Skwala sp. -- 2 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Pteronarcyidae -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Pteronarcella badia 34 -- 37 -- -- -- 19 -- 6 34 -- 10  Pteronarcella sp. -- 10 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 4 --  Taeniopterygidae -- -- -- -- 2 -- 26 -- -- -- -- -- TRICHOPTERA (caddisflies) -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 6 -- -- 6  Brachycentridae -- 37 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Brachycentrus americanus -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 5 --  Brachycentrus occidentalis -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 11 -- 6  Brachycentrus sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 58 1 3  Micrasema sp. 34 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Glossosomatidae 9 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Agapetus sp. 17 10 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Culoptila sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Glossosoma verdonum -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Glossosoma sp. 286 18 221 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 110 38  Hydropsychidae 76 10 110 -- -- -- -- 4 6 280 84 54  Arctopsyche grandis 22 3 2 -- -- -- -- 1 -- 134 -- 26  Arctopsyche sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 2 --  Ceratopsyche oslari -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 11 -- --  Ceratopsyche sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Cheumatopsyche sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Hydropsyche occidentalis -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Hydropsyche sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 1 --  Hydroptilidae -- 11 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 22 -- 6  Hydroptila consimilis -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 12 -- --  Hydroptila sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Mayatrichia ayama -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 

APPENDIX A. Taxa, densities of macroinvertebrates (organisms per square meter) collected, and sampling date at fixed sites in the Upper Colorado River Basin study uni

[Site abbreviations are used in this appendix. See table 1 for full site names. Densities are rounded according to Britton and Greeson, 1987. --, species not collected]

Baker

08/96

Baker

08/97

Baker

08/98

French

08/96

French

08/97

French

08/98

Blue

08/96

Blue

08/97

Blue

08/98

Ridgway

08/96

Ridgway

08/97

Ridgwa

08/98
40 Chacterization of Selected Biological, Chemical and Physical Conditions at Fixed Sites in the Upper Colorado River Basin,

1995–98

CLASSORDER Family

Genus species

 Neotrichia halia -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Neotrichia sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Ochrotrichia logana -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 12 -- --  Ochrotrichia sp. -- 1 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 11 4 3  Oxyethira sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 4 --  Stactobiella brustia -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Stactobiella delira -- 10 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Lepidostomatidae -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 

Lepidostoma sp. -- 18 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 

 Leptoceridae -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 

 Oecetis sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 

 Limnephilidae -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Dicosmoecus atripes -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Onocosmoecus unicolor -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Limnephiloidea -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Psychomyiidae -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Psychomyia flavida -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Rhyacophilidae -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 

 Rhyacophila angelita 9 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 

 Rhyacophila coloradensis -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 1 -- --  Rhyacophila sp. 18 12 38 5 3 -- 40 27 6 -- -- --  Uenoidae -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Neophylax sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Neothremma alicia -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- COLEOPTERA (beetles) -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 4 --  Curculionidae -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 3  Dryopidae -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 

 Helichus striatus -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 

 Dytiscidae -- 1 -- -- -- -- -- 4 -- -- -- --  Agabus sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Hydroporus sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 6 -- -- --  Elmidae 186 93 110 -- -- -- 6 -- 6 11 4 -- 

APPENDIX A. Taxa, densities of macroinvertebrates (organisms per square meter) collected, and sampling date at fixed sites in the Upper Colorado River Basin study uni

[Site abbreviations are used in this appendix. See table 1 for full site names. Densities are rounded according to Britton and Greeson, 1987. --, species not collected]

Baker

08/96

Baker

08/97

Baker

08/98

French

08/96

French

08/97

French

08/98

Blue

08/96

Blue

08/97

Blue

08/98

Ridgway

08/96

Ridgway

08/97

Ridgwa

08/98
APPENDIX A 41

CLASSORDER Family Genus species Cleptelmis sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Heterlimnius corpulentus 76 -- 37 -- -- -- 13 -- -- -- -- --  Heterlimnius sp. 236 193 184 5 -- -- 6 -- -- -- -- --  Microcylloepus pusillus -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Microcylloepus sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Optioservus catanipennis -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 1 1 --  Optioservus divergens -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Optioservus sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 22 -- 6  Zaitzevia parvula -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Hydraenidae -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 

 Ochthebius sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 

DIPTERA (true flies) -- 10 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 4 --  Blephariceridae -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 

 Agathon sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 

 Ceratopogonidae -- 37 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Bezzia / Palpomyia sp. 17 -- 37 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Dasyhelea sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Forcipomyiinae*** -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Chironomidae 9 28 37 50 2 10 5 111 13 22 38 3  Ablabesmyia sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Brillia sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 4 --  Cardiocladius sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 67 -- 32  Chaetocladius sp. -- -- -- -- 19 38 -- -- -- -- -- --  Chironominae*** 9 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Chironomini  -- -- -- -- -- -- 6 -- -- -- -- --  Chironomus sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Cryptochironomus sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Cladotanytarsus sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Corynoneura sp. -- 10 18 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 4 --  Cricotopus bicinctus group -- -- -- 5 -- -- -- -- -- 11 -- --  Cricotopus trifascia group -- -- 18 -- -- -- -- -- -- 179 -- --  Cricotopus / Orthocladius sp. 134 212 129 230 58 341 403 104 429 1040 811 102 

APPENDIX A. Taxa, densities of macroinvertebrates (organisms per square meter) collected, and sampling date at fixed sites in the Upper Colorado River Basin study uni

[Site abbreviations are used in this appendix. See table 1 for full site names. Densities are rounded according to Britton and Greeson, 1987. --, species not collected]

Baker

08/96

Baker

08/97

Baker

08/98

French

08/96

French

08/97

French

08/98

Blue

08/96

Blue

08/97

Blue

08/98

Ridgway

08/96

Ridgway

08/97

Ridgwa

08/98
42 Chacterization of Selected Biological, Chemical and Physical Conditions at Fixed Sites in the Upper Colorado River Basin,

1995–98

CLASSORDER Family

 Genus species

 Diamesinae** * -- 38 -- -- -- -- -- 4 -- -- 4 --  Diamesa sp. -- -- -- 91 30 115 6 4 13 -- -- --  Eukiefferiella sp. -- -- 37 -- -- -- 26 11 13 627 164 77  Eukiefferiella/Tvetenia sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 34 --  Heterotrissocladius sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- 6 -- -- -- -- --  Hydrobaenus sp. -- -- -- -- -- 307 678 8 230 -- -- --  Krenosmittia sp. -- 10 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Micropsectra sp. 26 -- -- -- -- -- 19 34 45 -- -- --  Microtendipes sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Nanocladius sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 6 -- 4 --  Odontomesa sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- 6 -- -- -- -- --  Orthocladiinae*** 84 28 37 53 151 38 275 169 64 582 111 13  Orthocladius sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Pagastia sp. -- 30 37 91 2 19 32 34 102 -- -- --  Paracladopelma sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Parakiefferiella sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 6 -- 4 --  Parametriocnemus sp. -- 10 -- -- 2 -- -- 8 -- 101 4 --  Paraphaenocladius sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Paratanytarsus sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Parorthocladius sp. -- -- -- -- -- 5 90 -- 26 -- -- --  Pentaneura sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Pentaneurini  -- -- -- -- -- -- 6 -- -- -- -- --  Phaenopsectra sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Polypedilum sp. -- -- -- -- -- 5 13 4 -- 56 -- 3  Potthastia sp. -- -- -- 5 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Pseudodiamesa sp. -- -- -- 5 -- 5 6 4 -- -- -- --  Pseudosmittia sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Rheocricotopus sp. 34 18 -- 19 123 86 1390 88 262 -- 4 3  Rheotanytarsus sp. -- 28 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Sergentia sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Stempellinella sp. -- 10 -- -- -- -- -- 8 6 -- -- --  Subletta sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 

APPENDIX A. Taxa, densities of macroinvertebrates (organisms per square meter) collected, and sampling date at fixed sites in the Upper Colorado River Basin study uni

[Site abbreviations are used in this appendix. See table 1 for full site names. Densities are rounded according to Britton and Greeson, 1987. --, species not collected]

Baker

08/96

Baker

08/97

Baker

08/98

French

08/96

French

08/97

French

08/98

Blue

08/96

Blue

08/97

Blue

08/98

Ridgway

08/96

Ridgway

08/97

Ridgwa

08/98
APPENDIX A 43

CLASSORDER Family

Genus species

 Synendotendipes sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Synorthocladius sp. 9 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Tanypodinae** * -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Tanytarsini**** -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 11 -- -- -- --  Tanytarsus sp. -- 18 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Thienemanniella sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- 6 -- -- -- -- --  Thienemannimyia group -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 4 6 -- -- --  Tribelos sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Tvetenia sp. 93 46 221 5 2 10 141 8 26 157 4 --  Culicidae -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 4 --  Deuterophlebiidae -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Deuterophlebia sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Dixidae -- -- 18 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Psychodidae -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Pericoma / Telmatoscopus sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Simuliidae 134 83 3780 10 -- 10 58 34 6 123 -- 3  Prosimulium sp. 17 1 18 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Simulium sp. -- 46 534 -- -- -- -- 4 -- -- -- --  Tanyderidae -- 1 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 1 --  Tipulidae -- 10 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Antocha sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Dicranota sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Hexatoma sp. 10 14 1 -- -- -- -- -- -- 12 6 --  Rhabdomastix sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 

 Tipula sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 

Brachycera** -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Athericidae -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Atherix pachypus -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Atherix sp. -- 1 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Empididae -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 22 -- --  Chelifera sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 650 130 64 

APPENDIX A. Taxa, densities of macroinvertebrates (organisms per square meter) collected, and sampling date at fixed sites in the Upper Colorado River Basin study uni

[Site abbreviations are used in this appendix. See table 1 for full site names. Densities are rounded according to Britton and Greeson, 1987. --, species not collected]

Baker

08/96

Baker

08/97

Baker

08/98

French

08/96

French

08/97

French

08/98

Blue

08/96

Blue

08/97

Blue

08/98

Ridgway

08/96

Ridgway

08/97

Ridgwa

08/98
44 Chacterization of Selected Biological, Chemical and Physical Conditions at Fixed Sites in the Upper Colorado River Basin,

1995–98

CLASSORDER Family

 Genus species

 Chelifera / Hemerodromia sp. -- -- -- 5 -- -- -- -- -- 101 1 --  Clinocera sp. -- -- -- 29 33 58 26 30 -- -- 1 --  Hemerodromia sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Ephydridae -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Muscidae -- -- -- 5 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Syrphidae -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- HEMIPTERA (true bugs, leaf

hoppers)

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 

 Corixidae -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Gerridae -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Veliidae -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 

 Microvelia sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 

LEPIDOPTERA (butterflies) -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- MEGALOPTERA (dobsonflies/hellgrammites) -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 

 Corydalidae -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 

 Corydalus sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 

ODONATA (damsel/dragonfly) -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Calopterygidae -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 

 Hetaerina sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 

 Coenagrionidae -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 3  Argia sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Gomphidae -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 

 Ophiogomphus sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 

COLLEMBOLA (springtails) 9 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 9 -- CHELICERATA -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- ACARI (water mites) 186 120 110 19 22 24 19 27 58 358 110 13 MALACOSTRACA -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- AMPHIPODA (scuds, shrimp) -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Gammaridae -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 

 Gammarus sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 

 Hyalellidae -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 

 Hyalella azteca -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 11 -- -- 

APPENDIX A. Taxa, densities of macroinvertebrates (organisms per square meter) collected, and sampling date at fixed sites in the Upper Colorado River Basin study uni

[Site abbreviations are used in this appendix. See table 1 for full site names. Densities are rounded according to Britton and Greeson, 1987. --, species not collected]

Baker

08/96

Baker

08/97

Baker

08/98

French

08/96

French

08/97

French

08/98

Blue

08/96

Blue

08/97

Blue

08/98

Ridgway

08/96

Ridgway

08/97

Ridgwa

08/98
APPENDIX A 45

CLASSORDER Family

 Genus species

ISOPODA (aquatic sow bugs) -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Asellidae -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 

 Lirceus sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 

DECAPODA (crayfish, shrimp) -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Cambaridae -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 

 Orconectes sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 

OLIGOCHAETA (aquatic worms) -- 18 -- -- -- -- -- 1 -- -- -- -- ENCHYTRAEIDA -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Enchytraeidae -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 11 -- -- 4 10 TUBIFICIDA -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Naididae 9 19 -- -- -- -- 51 -- -- 11 -- 3  Tubificidae -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 4 -- -- 26 -- LUMBRICULIDA -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Lumbriculidae -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 9 -- 

 Megadrili sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 

HIRUDINEA (leeches) -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- ARHYNCHOBDELLAE -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Erpobdellidae -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- HYDROZOA -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- HYDROIDA -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Hydridae -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 

 Hydra sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 

GASTROPODA (snails, limpets) -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- BASOMMATOPHORA -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Ancylidae -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 

 Ferrissia sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 

 Lymnaeidae -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 3 

 Fossaria/Stagnicola sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 

 Physidae -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 1 6  Physa sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Physella sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Planorbidae -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 

 Gyraulus sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 13 

APPENDIX A. Taxa, densities of macroinvertebrates (organisms per square meter) collected, and sampling date at fixed sites in the Upper Colorado River Basin study uni

[Site abbreviations are used in this appendix. See table 1 for full site names. Densities are rounded according to Britton and Greeson, 1987. --, species not collected]

Baker

08/96

Baker

08/97

Baker

08/98

French

08/96

French

08/97

French

08/98

Blue

08/96

Blue

08/97

Blue

08/98

Ridgway

08/96

Ridgway

08/97

Ridgwa

08/98
46 Chacterization of Selected Biological, Chemical and Physical Conditions at Fixed Sites in the Upper Colorado River Basin,

1995–98

CLASSORDER Family

 Genus species

BIVALVIA (bivalve molluscs) -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- VENEROIDA -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Sphaeriidae -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- NEMATODA (roundworms)* 9 10 147 -- 25 -- -- 5 -- 56 21 22 NEMATOMORPHA (horse-hair

worms)*

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 

ENOPLA -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- HOPLONEMERTEA -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Tetrastemmatidae -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Prostoma sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- TURBELLARIA (flatworms) -- -- -- 53 38 62 19 15 38 -- -- -- 

*Phylum

**Suborder

***Subfamily

 Tribe

APPENDIX A. Taxa, densities of macroinvertebrates (organisms per square meter) collected, and sampling date at fixed sites in the Upper Colorado River Basin study uni

[Site abbreviations are used in this appendix. See table 1 for full site names. Densities are rounded according to Britton and Greeson, 1987. --, species not collected]

Baker

08/96

Baker

08/97

Baker

08/98

French

08/96

French

08/97

French

08/98

Blue

08/96

Blue

08/97

Blue

08/98

Ridgway

08/96

Ridgway

08/97

Ridgwa

08/98
APPENDIX A 47

APPENDIX A. Taxa, densities of macroinvertebrates (organisms per square meter) collected, and sampling date at fixed sites in the Upper Colorado River Basin study 

[Site abbreviations are used in this appendix. See table 1 for full site names. Densities are rounded according to Britton and Greeson, 1987. --, species not collected]

East

08/96

East

08/97

East

08/98

Gunn32

08/96

Gunn32

08/97

Gunn32

08/98

GunnTun

08/96

GunnTun

08/97

GunnTun

08/98

Dotsero

08/96

Dotsero

08/97

CLASSORDER Family

 Genus species

INSECTA (insects) -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- EPHEMEROPTERA (mayflies) -- 23 23 32 -- 56 32 -- -- 11 19  Ameletidae -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 

 Ameletus sp. -- -- -- -- -- 11 -- -- -- -- -- 

 Baetidae 678 414 438 838 937 347 8190 2580 2060 1660 1060  Acentrella insignificans -- 92 115 129 226 168 -- -- -- 11 138  Acentrella turbida 226 23 -- 32 -- -- -- -- -- 34 138  Acentrella sp. 32 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 81 --  Baetis bicaudatus 32 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Baetis flavistriga 32 184 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Baetis intercalaris -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Baetis tricaudatus 226 115 92 226 -- 123 1740 -- 4600 138 322  Baetis sp. -- -- -- -- 387 -- -- 1190 -- -- 10  Labiobaetis sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Paracloeodes minuts -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Ephemerellidae 226 -- 23 32 387 -- 32 -- -- 69 18  Attenella margarita -- -- -- -- -- 179 -- -- -- 23 10  Drunella coloradensis -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Drunella doddsi 129 947 438 32 129 -- -- -- -- -- --  Drunella grandis -- -- 138 258 -- 34 -- -- -- -- --  Drunella tuberculata -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Drunella sp. -- 46 -- 32 -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Ephemerella aurivilli -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 1 --  Ephemerella inermis -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Ephemerella sp. -- -- -- 32 65 -- -- 16 -- -- --  Serratella micheneri -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Serratella tibialis -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Serratella sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 18  Timpanoga hecuba -- -- -- -- -- 1 -- -- -- -- --  Heptageniidae 806 461 138 -- -- 11 -- 16 -- 46 10  Cinygmula sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Epeorus albertae -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 
48 Chacterization of Selected Biological, Chemical and Physical Conditions at Fixed Sites in the Upper Colorado River Basin,

1995–98

CLASSORDER Family

 Genus species

 Epeorus longimanus 32 185 92 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Eperous sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Heptagenia solitaria -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 19  Heptagenia sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Rhithrogena sp. 129 530 138 1 129 22 -- -- -- 93 37  Leptophlebiidae 32 -- -- 32 -- 34 32 -- 81 -- --  Choroterpes sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Paraleptophlebia sp. -- -- -- -- 32 101 -- -- -- -- -- 

 Traverella albertana -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 

 Tricorythidae -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Tricorythodes corpulentus group -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 10  Tricorythodes minutus -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 102  Tricorythodes sp. -- -- -- 97 162 392 -- -- -- 81 28 PLECOPTERA (stoneflies) -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Capniidae -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Chloroperlidae 97 24 -- 32 -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Suwallia sp. -- 1 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Sweltsa sp. 226 139 254 -- 194 -- -- -- -- -- --  Leuctridae -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Nemouridae -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Amphinemura sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Zapada sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Perlidae -- -- 69 -- 32 34 162 -- -- -- --  Claassenia sabulosa 32 1 -- 2 68 14 -- -- -- 13 1  Hesperoperla pacifica 66 27 2 130 34 22 1 69 85 -- --  Perlodidae 419 162 184 97 32 -- -- -- -- 23 18  Isogenoides zionensis -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Megarcys signata -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Skwala americana -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 258 -- 1 --  Skwala sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Pteronarcyidae -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Pteronarcella badia 32 -- 23 32 -- 11 -- -- -- -- -- 

APPENDIX A. Taxa, densities of macroinvertebrates (organisms per square meter) collected, and sampling date at fixed sites in the Upper Colorado River Basin study 

[Site abbreviations are used in this appendix. See table 1 for full site names. Densities are rounded according to Britton and Greeson, 1987. --, species not collected]

East

08/96

East

08/97

East

08/98

Gunn32

08/96

Gunn32

08/97

Gunn32

08/98

GunnTun

08/96

GunnTun

08/97

GunnTun

08/98

Dotsero

08/96

Dotsero

08/97
APPENDIX A 49

CLASSORDER Family

 Genus species

 Pteronarcella sp. -- -- -- -- 32 -- -- -- -- -- --  Taeniopterygidae -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- TRICHOPTERA (caddisflies) -- -- 69 -- -- 34 -- -- -- -- --  Brachycentridae -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Brachycentrus americanus 162 139 392 -- 98 -- -- -- -- -- --  Brachycentrus occidentalis -- -- -- 194 162 202 -- -- -- 82 4  Brachycentrus sp. -- -- 115 -- -- 11 -- -- -- -- --  Micrasema sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 10  Glossosomatidae -- -- -- 33 -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Agapetus sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Culoptila sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Glossosoma verdonum -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Glossosoma sp. -- -- 23 162 97 78 -- -- -- 34 10  Hydropsychidae 291 207 207 485 97 202 -- -- -- 578 774  Arctopsyche grandis 294 280 94 549 194 134 -- -- -- 12 --  Arctopsyche sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Ceratopsyche oslari -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Ceratopsyche sp. -- -- -- 32 1 213 -- -- -- 49 102  Cheumatopsyche sp. -- -- -- -- 162 -- -- -- -- -- --  Hydropsyche occidentalis -- -- -- -- 1 11 -- -- -- 2 1  Hydropsyche sp. -- -- -- -- 744 -- -- -- -- -- --  Hydroptilidae -- -- -- 32 -- 11 -- -- 40 -- --  Hydroptila consimilis -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Hydroptila sp. -- -- -- -- -- 56 -- -- -- -- 37  Mayatrichia ayama -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Neotrichia halia -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Neotrichia sp. -- -- -- -- -- 11 -- -- -- -- --  Ochrotrichia logana -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Ochrotrichia sp. -- -- -- -- 162 -- -- 65 81 -- 10  Oxyethira sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Stactobiella brustia -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 1 --  Stactobiella delira -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 

APPENDIX A. Taxa, densities of macroinvertebrates (organisms per square meter) collected, and sampling date at fixed sites in the Upper Colorado River Basin study 

[Site abbreviations are used in this appendix. See table 1 for full site names. Densities are rounded according to Britton and Greeson, 1987. --, species not collected]

East

08/96

East

08/97

East

08/98

Gunn32

08/96

Gunn32

08/97

Gunn32

08/98

GunnTun

08/96

GunnTun

08/97

GunnTun

08/98

Dotsero

08/96

Dotsero

08/97
50 Chacterization of Selected Biological, Chemical and Physical Conditions at Fixed Sites in the Upper Colorado River Basin,

1995–98

CLASSORDER Family

 Genus species

 Lepidostomatidae -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Lepidostoma sp. 356 1220 645 388 1290 403 -- -- -- -- --  Leptoceridae -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 

 Oecetis sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 

 Limnephilidae -- -- -- 32 -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Dicosmoecus atripes -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Onocosmoecus unicolor -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Limnephiloidea -- 299 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Psychomyiidae -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 

 Psychomyia flavida -- -- -- 32 -- 11 -- -- -- 11 -- 

 Rhyacophilidae -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 

 Rhyacophila angelita -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 

 Rhyacophila coloradensis -- -- 23 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Rhyacophila sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- 32 -- -- -- --  Uenoidae -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Neophylax sp. 2260 -- 1290 -- -- 45 -- -- -- -- --  Neothremma alicia -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- COLEOPTERA (beetles) -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 10  Curculionidae -- -- -- -- 32 -- -- -- -- -- --  Dryopidae -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 

 Helichus striatus -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 

 Dytiscidae -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Agabus sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Hydroporus sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Elmidae 32 23 -- 97 98 -- -- 16 40 34 --  Cleptelmis sp. -- -- -- -- 451 -- -- 16 -- -- --  Heterlimnius corpulentus -- -- -- -- 65 -- -- -- -- -- --  Heterlimnius sp. -- -- -- -- 65 -- -- -- -- -- --  Microcylloepus pusillus -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Microcylloepus sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Optioservus catanipennis 65 23 46 32 -- 34 1 -- -- 23 28  Optioservus divergens -- -- -- 32 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 

APPENDIX A. Taxa, densities of macroinvertebrates (organisms per square meter) collected, and sampling date at fixed sites in the Upper Colorado River Basin study 

[Site abbreviations are used in this appendix. See table 1 for full site names. Densities are rounded according to Britton and Greeson, 1987. --, species not collected]

East

08/96

East

08/97

East

08/98

Gunn32

08/96

Gunn32

08/97

Gunn32

08/98

GunnTun

08/96

GunnTun

08/97

GunnTun

08/98

Dotsero

08/96

Dotsero

08/97
APPENDIX A 51

CLASSORDER Family

 Genus species

 Optioservus sp. 65 23 -- 129 -- 45 -- -- 40 -- 37  Zaitzevia parvula -- -- -- -- 32 -- -- -- -- 11 10  Hydraenidae -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Ochthebius sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- DIPTERA (true flies) -- 69 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Blephariceridae -- 46 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 

 Agathon sp. 32 -- 162 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 

 Ceratopogonidae -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Bezzia / Palpomyia sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Dasyhelea sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Forcipomyiinae** * -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Chironomidae 142 27 138 197 298 56 451 499 121 74 28  Ablabesmyia sp. -- -- -- 32 -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Brillia sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Cardiocladius sp. 32 -- 23 129 -- -- 65 -- -- -- --  Chaetocladius sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Chironominae*** -- 69 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 11 --  Chironomini  -- -- -- 65 -- 56 32 16 40 23 18  Chironomus sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Cryptochironomus sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Cladotanytarsus sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 23 10  Corynoneura sp. -- 23 -- 32 -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Cricotopus bicinctus group -- -- -- 32 -- 11 -- -- -- -- --  Cricotopus trifascia group -- -- -- 65 322 269 -- 32 121 69 46  Cricotopus / Orthocladius sp. 162 92 322 2550 1390 1320 871 758 5730 461 470  Diamesinae** * -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 16 -- -- --  Diamesa sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Eukiefferiella sp. 65 23 207 290 226 67 678 242 1770 -- 10  Eukiefferiella/Tvetenia sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Heterotrissocladius sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Hydrobaenus sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Krenosmittia sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 

APPENDIX A. Taxa, densities of macroinvertebrates (organisms per square meter) collected, and sampling date at fixed sites in the Upper Colorado River Basin study 

[Site abbreviations are used in this appendix. See table 1 for full site names. Densities are rounded according to Britton and Greeson, 1987. --, species not collected]

East

08/96

East

08/97

East

08/98

Gunn32

08/96

Gunn32

08/97

Gunn32

08/98

GunnTun

08/96

GunnTun

08/97

GunnTun

08/98

Dotsero

08/96

Dotsero

08/97
52 Chacterization of Selected Biological, Chemical and Physical Conditions at Fixed Sites in the Upper Colorado River Basin,

1995–98

CLASSORDER Family

 Genus species

 Micropsectra sp. 516 69 23 162 65 34 129 48 -- -- --  Microtendipes sp. -- -- -- 32 -- 101 -- -- -- 230 240  Nanocladius sp. -- -- -- -- -- 11 -- -- -- -- --  Odontomesa sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Orthocladiinae*** 645 300 92 1360 1100 101 355 339 887 196 56  Orthocladius sp. 97 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 11 --  Pagastia sp. 194 23 46 65 194 22 -- -- 81 -- --  Paracladopelma sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- 65 -- -- -- --  Parakiefferiella sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Parametriocnemus sp. -- -- -- 65 -- -- -- -- -- 23 10  Paraphaenocladius sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Paratanytarsus sp. -- -- -- -- -- 11 -- -- -- -- --  Parorthocladius sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Pentaneura sp. -- -- -- -- -- 11 -- -- -- -- --  Pentaneurini  -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Phaenopsectra sp. -- -- -- -- -- 34 -- -- 81 -- 46  Polypedilum sp. -- -- 92 162 65 78 65 -- -- 461 184  Potthastia sp. 32 -- -- -- -- -- 65 -- 162 -- --  Pseudodiamesa sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Pseudosmittia sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 28  Rheocricotopus sp. 65 -- 23 65 -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Rheotanytarsus sp. -- -- -- 258 -- 22 97 -- -- 34 --  Sergentia sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- 32 -- -- -- --  Stempellinella sp. 516 2440 184 -- 32 -- -- -- -- -- --  Subletta sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Synendotendipes sp. -- -- -- -- -- 11 -- -- -- -- --  Synorthocladius sp. -- -- -- 32 -- 45 162 16 121 -- --  Tanypodinae** * -- -- -- 32 -- -- -- 16 -- -- --  Tanytarsini**** 290 184 -- 258 65 -- -- 16 -- -- --  Tanytarsus sp. -- 23 -- 65 -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Thienemanniella sp. -- -- -- 32 -- 45 -- -- -- -- --  Thienemannimyia group 97 23 23 -- -- 11 -- -- -- 34 18 

APPENDIX A. Taxa, densities of macroinvertebrates (organisms per square meter) collected, and sampling date at fixed sites in the Upper Colorado River Basin study 

[Site abbreviations are used in this appendix. See table 1 for full site names. Densities are rounded according to Britton and Greeson, 1987. --, species not collected]

East

08/96

East

08/97

East

08/98

Gunn32

08/96

Gunn32

08/97

Gunn32

08/98

GunnTun

08/96

GunnTun

08/97

GunnTun

08/98

Dotsero

08/96

Dotsero

08/97
APPENDIX A 53

CLASSORDER Family

 Genus species

 Tribelos sp. -- -- -- -- -- 11 -- -- -- -- --  Tvetenia sp. 774 92 322 -- 97 67 451 274 2220 34 19  Culicidae -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Deuterophlebiidae -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Deuterophlebia sp. 130 23 46 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Dixidae -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Psychodidae -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Pericoma / Telmatoscopus sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Simuliidae 1030 671 2280 516 1970 11 97 258 40 682 102  Prosimulium sp. -- -- -- -- 974 -- -- -- -- -- --  Simulium sp. 227 392 346 65 646 -- 65 -- 40 23 64  Tanyderidae -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Tipulidae -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 

Antocha sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 

 Dicranota sp. 65 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Hexatoma sp. 3 26 1 32 -- 11 -- -- -- 1 19  Rhabdomastix sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Tipula sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 1 -- 11 -- Brachycera** -- -- -- -- 65 -- -- 32 40 -- --  Athericidae -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Atherix pachypus 1 23 93 1 2 -- -- -- -- 2 --  Atherix sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Empididae -- -- -- -- -- 11 -- -- -- -- --  Chelifera sp. 32 -- -- 97 -- 22 -- 16 40 11 --  Chelifera / Hemerodromia sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 32 -- -- --  Clinocera sp. 32 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Hemerodromia sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Ephydridae -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Muscidae -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Syrphidae -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- HEMIPTERA (true bugs, leaf

hoppers)

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 

APPENDIX A. Taxa, densities of macroinvertebrates (organisms per square meter) collected, and sampling date at fixed sites in the Upper Colorado River Basin study 

[Site abbreviations are used in this appendix. See table 1 for full site names. Densities are rounded according to Britton and Greeson, 1987. --, species not collected]

East

08/96

East

08/97

East

08/98

Gunn32

08/96

Gunn32

08/97

Gunn32

08/98

GunnTun

08/96

GunnTun

08/97

GunnTun

08/98

Dotsero

08/96

Dotsero

08/97
54 Chacterization of Selected Biological, Chemical and Physical Conditions at Fixed Sites in the Upper Colorado River Basin,

1995–98

CLASSORDER Family

 Genus species

 Corixidae -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 19  Gerridae -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Veliidae -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Microvelia sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- LEPIDOPTERA (butterflies) -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- MEGALOPTERA (dobsonflies/hellgrammites) -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 

 Corydalidae -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 

 Corydalus sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 

ODONATA (damsel/dragonfly) -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Calopterygidae -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 

 Hetaerina sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 

 Coenagrionidae -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 

Argia sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 

 Gomphidae -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 

Ophiogomphus sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 

COLLEMBOLA (springtails) -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- CHELICERATA -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- ACARI (water mites) 97 46 69 258 97 56 -- 81 40 46 83 MALACOSTRACA -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- AMPHIPODA (scuds, shrimp) -- -- -- -- -- -- 32 -- 40 -- --  Gammaridae -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Gammarus sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 65 122 -- --  Hyalellidae -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 

 Hyalella azteca -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 

ISOPODA (aquatic sow bugs) -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Asellidae -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 

 Lirceus sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 

DECAPODA (crayfish, shrimp) -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Cambaridae -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Orconectes sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- OLIGOCHAETA (aquatic worms) -- -- -- -- 1 -- -- 17 -- -- -- 

APPENDIX A. Taxa, densities of macroinvertebrates (organisms per square meter) collected, and sampling date at fixed sites in the Upper Colorado River Basin study 

[Site abbreviations are used in this appendix. See table 1 for full site names. Densities are rounded according to Britton and Greeson, 1987. --, species not collected]

East

08/96

East

08/97

East

08/98

Gunn32

08/96

Gunn32

08/97

Gunn32

08/98

GunnTun

08/96

GunnTun

08/97

GunnTun

08/98

Dotsero

08/96

Dotsero

08/97
APPENDIX A 55

CLASSORDER Family

 Genus species

ENCHYTRAEIDA -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Enchytraeidae 1650 878 622 -- -- -- -- -- 40 -- -- TUBIFICIDA -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Naididae 258 69 -- 2060 550 336 226 16 242 278 83  Tubificidae -- -- -- -- 32 -- -- -- -- -- -- LUMBRICULIDA -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Lumbriculidae -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Megadrili sp. -- -- -- 1 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- HIRUDINEA (leeches) -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- ARHYNCHOBDELLAE -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Erpobdellidae -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- HYDROZOA -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- HYDROIDA -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Hydridae -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Hydra sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- 968 -- 1090 -- -- GASTROPODA (snails, limpets) -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- BASOMMATOPHORA -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Ancylidae -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Ferrissia sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Lymnaeidae -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Fossaria/Stagnicola sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Physidae -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Physa sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Physella sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Planorbidae -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 

 Gyraulus sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 

BIVALVIA (bivalve molluscs) -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- VENEROIDA -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Sphaeriidae -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- NEMATODA (roundworms)* 97 -- 23 65 162 45 162 242 -- 70 -- NEMATOMORPHA (horse-hair

worms)* -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 

APPENDIX A. Taxa, densities of macroinvertebrates (organisms per square meter) collected, and sampling date at fixed sites in the Upper Colorado River Basin study 

[Site abbreviations are used in this appendix. See table 1 for full site names. Densities are rounded according to Britton and Greeson, 1987. --, species not collected]

East

08/96

East

08/97

East

08/98

Gunn32

08/96

Gunn32

08/97

Gunn32

08/98

GunnTun

08/96

GunnTun

08/97

GunnTun

08/98

Dotsero

08/96

Dotsero

08/97
56 Chacterization of Selected Biological, Chemical and Physical Conditions at Fixed Sites in the Upper Colorado River Basin,

1995–98

CLASSORDER Family

 Genus species

ENOPLA -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- HOPLONEMERTEA -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Tetrastemmatidae -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Prostoma sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- TURBELLARIA (flatworms) 32 -- -- 32 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 

*Phylum

**Suborder

***Subfamily

 Tribe

APPENDIX A. Taxa, densities of macroinvertebrates (organisms per square meter) collected, and sampling date at fixed sites in the Upper Colorado River Basin study 

[Site abbreviations are used in this appendix. See table 1 for full site names. Densities are rounded according to Britton and Greeson, 1987. --, species not collected]

East

08/96

East

08/97

East

08/98

Gunn32

08/96

Gunn32

08/97

Gunn32

08/98

GunnTun

08/96

GunnTun

08/97

GunnTun

08/98

Dotsero

08/96

Dotsero

08/97
APPENDIX A 57

APPENDIX A. Taxa, densities of macroinvertebrates (organisms per square meter) collected, and sampling date at fixed sites in the Upper Colorado River Basin s

[Site abbreviations are used in this appendix. See table 1 for full site names. Densities are rounded according to Britton and Greeson, 1987. --, species not collected]

DryCk

08/96

DryCk

08/97

DryCk

08/98

Reed

11/96

Reed

11/97

Cameo

08/96

Cameo

08/97

GunnGJ

08/96

GunnGJ

08/97

State line

08/96

CLASSORDER Family Genus speciesINSECTA (insects) -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- EPHEMEROPTERA (mayflies) -- 6 -- -- -- -- 9 -- -- --  Ameletidae -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Ameletus sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Baetidae 269 160 504 53 54 1510 440 40 56 --  Acentrella insignificans -- -- -- -- -- 30 62 -- -- --  Acentrella turbida -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Acentrella sp. -- -- -- -- -- 62 -- -- -- --  Baetis bicaudatus -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Baetis flavistriga -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Baetis intercalaris -- -- -- -- -- 30 -- -- -- --  Baetis tricaudatus -- -- 34 10 -- 123 162 -- -- --  Baetis sp. -- 130 22 -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Labiobaetis sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Paracloeodes minuts -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Ephemerellidae -- -- -- -- -- 30 -- -- -- --  Attenella margarita -- -- -- -- -- 30 18 -- -- --  Drunella coloradensis -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Drunella doddsi -- -- -- -- 4 -- -- -- -- --  Drunella grandis -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Drunella tuberculata -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Drunella sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 40  Ephemerella aurivilli -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Ephemerella inermis -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Ephemerella sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 11 --  Serratella micheneri -- -- -- -- -- -- 27 -- -- --  Serratella tibialis -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Serratella sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Timpanoga hecuba -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Heptageniidae -- -- -- -- -- 586 197 -- -- --  Cinygmula sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Epeorus albertae -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 
58 Chacterization of Selected Biological, Chemical and Physical Conditions at Fixed Sites in the Upper Colorado River Basin,

1995–98

CLASSORDER Family Genus species Epeorus longimanus -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Eperous sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Heptagenia solitaria -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Heptagenia sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- 18 -- -- --  Rhithrogena sp. -- -- -- -- -- 338 36 -- -- --  Leptophlebiidae -- -- -- -- -- -- 90 -- -- --  Choroterpes sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- 45 -- -- --  Paraleptophlebia sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Traverella albertana -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Tricorythidae -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Tricorythodes corpulentus group -- -- -- -- -- -- 414 -- -- --  Tricorythodes minutus -- -- -- -- -- -- 808 -- 11 --  Tricorythodes sp. -- -- -- -- -- 646 -- 40 146 -- PLECOPTERA (stoneflies) -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Capniidae -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Chloroperlidae -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Suwallia sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Sweltsa sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Leuctridae -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Nemouridae -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Amphinemura sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Zapada sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Perlidae -- -- -- -- -- 30 -- -- -- --  Claassenia sabulosa -- -- -- -- -- 5 2 -- -- --  Hesperoperla pacifica -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Perlodidae -- -- -- -- -- -- 9 -- -- --  Isogenoides zionensis -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Megarcys signata -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Skwala americana -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Skwala sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Pteronarcyidae -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Pteronarcella badia -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 

APPENDIX A. Taxa, densities of macroinvertebrates (organisms per square meter) collected, and sampling date at fixed sites in the Upper Colorado River Basin s

[Site abbreviations are used in this appendix. See table 1 for full site names. Densities are rounded according to Britton and Greeson, 1987. --, species not collected]

DryCk

08/96

DryCk

08/97

DryCk

08/98

Reed

11/96

Reed

11/97

Cameo

08/96

Cameo

08/97

GunnGJ

08/96

GunnGJ

08/97

State line

08/96
APPENDIX A 59

CLASSORDER Family Genus species Pteronarcella sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Taeniopterygidae -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- TRICHOPTERA (caddisflies) -- -- -- -- -- 62 -- -- -- --  Brachycentridae -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Brachycentrus americanus -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Brachycentrus occidentalis -- -- -- -- -- 94 18 -- -- 2  Brachycentrus sp. -- -- 11 -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Micrasema sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Glossosomatidae -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Agapetus sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Culoptila sp. -- -- -- -- -- 30 -- -- -- --  Glossosoma verdonum -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Glossosoma sp. -- -- -- 5 -- -- -- -- -- --  Hydropsychidae -- -- -- 14 -- 740 269 -- 34 1  Arctopsyche grandis -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Arctopsyche sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Ceratopsyche oslari -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Ceratopsyche sp. -- -- -- -- -- 246 9 -- -- --  Cheumatopsyche sp. -- -- -- -- -- 154 81 -- -- --  Hydropsyche occidentalis -- 3 34 5 -- 277 48 82 -- 1  Hydropsyche sp. -- -- -- -- 8 -- 45 -- -- --  Hydroptilidae -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Hydroptila consimilis -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Hydroptila sp. -- -- -- 5 -- -- -- -- 22 --  Mayatrichia ayama -- -- -- -- -- 1 18 -- -- --  Neotrichia halia -- -- -- -- -- -- 18 -- -- --  Neotrichia sp. -- -- -- -- -- 153 314 -- -- --  Ochrotrichia logana -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Ochrotrichia sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Oxyethira sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Stactobiella brustia -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Stactobiella delira -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 

APPENDIX A. Taxa, densities of macroinvertebrates (organisms per square meter) collected, and sampling date at fixed sites in the Upper Colorado River Basin s

[Site abbreviations are used in this appendix. See table 1 for full site names. Densities are rounded according to Britton and Greeson, 1987. --, species not collected]

DryCk

08/96

DryCk

08/97

DryCk

08/98

Reed

11/96

Reed

11/97

Cameo

08/96

Cameo

08/97

GunnGJ

08/96

GunnGJ

08/97

State line

08/96
60 Chacterization of Selected Biological, Chemical and Physical Conditions at Fixed Sites in the Upper Colorado River Basin,

1995–98

CLASSORDER Family Genus species Lepidostomatidae -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 

Lepidostoma sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 

 Leptoceridae -- -- -- -- -- 1 -- -- -- -- 

 Oecetis sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- 9 -- -- -- 

 Limnephilidae -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Dicosmoecus atripes -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Onocosmoecus unicolor -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Limnephiloidea -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Psychomyiidae -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 

 Psychomyia flavida -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 

 Rhyacophilidae -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Rhyacophila angelita -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Rhyacophila coloradensis -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Rhyacophila sp. -- -- -- 5 -- -- -- -- -- --  Uenoidae -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Neophylax sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Neothremma alicia -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- COLEOPTERA (beetles) -- 6 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Curculionidae -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Dryopidae -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Helichus striatus -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Dytiscidae -- -- -- -- -- -- 9 -- -- --  Agabus sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Hydroporus sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Elmidae -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 202  Cleptelmis sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Heterlimnius corpulentus -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Heterlimnius sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Microcylloepus pusillus -- -- -- -- -- 92 -- 40 -- 121  Microcylloepus sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Optioservus catanipennis -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Optioservus divergens -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 

APPENDIX A. Taxa, densities of macroinvertebrates (organisms per square meter) collected, and sampling date at fixed sites in the Upper Colorado River Basin s

[Site abbreviations are used in this appendix. See table 1 for full site names. Densities are rounded according to Britton and Greeson, 1987. --, species not collected]

DryCk

08/96

DryCk

08/97

DryCk

08/98

Reed

11/96

Reed

11/97

Cameo

08/96

Cameo

08/97

GunnGJ

08/96

GunnGJ

08/97

State line

08/96
APPENDIX A 61

CLASSORDER Family Genus species Optioservus sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Zaitzevia parvula -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Hydraenidae -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 

 Ochthebius sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 

DIPTERA (true flies) -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Blephariceridae -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 

 Agathon sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 

 Ceratopogonidae -- 34 11 -- -- -- 9 -- -- --  Bezzia / Palpomyia sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Dasyhelea sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Forcipomyiinae** * -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Chironomidae 54 6 -- 5 -- 281 18 524 78 822  Ablabesmyia sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Brillia sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Cardiocladius sp. -- -- -- -- -- 123 -- -- -- --  Chaetocladius sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Chironominae*** -- 11 -- -- -- -- 18 -- 11 1210  Chironomini  54 -- -- -- -- -- 9 40 -- 40  Chironomus sp. -- 14 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Cryptochironomus sp. 107 11 56 -- -- -- -- -- 22 --  Cladotanytarsus sp. -- -- -- -- -- 30 9 81 56 121  Corynoneura sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Cricotopus bicinctus group 269 -- 146 5 4 -- -- 565 134 887  Cricotopus trifascia group 1770 -- 269 -- 4 -- -- 968 34 806  Cricotopus / Orthocladius sp. 538 202 963 29 30 522 134 1770 101 3670  Diamesinae** * -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Diamesa sp. -- -- -- 5 -- -- -- -- -- --  Eukiefferiella sp. -- 11 34 82 15 30 9 -- -- --  Eukiefferiella/Tvetenia sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Heterotrissocladius sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Hydrobaenus sp. 54 6 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Krenosmittia sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 

APPENDIX A. Taxa, densities of macroinvertebrates (organisms per square meter) collected, and sampling date at fixed sites in the Upper Colorado River Basin s

[Site abbreviations are used in this appendix. See table 1 for full site names. Densities are rounded according to Britton and Greeson, 1987. --, species not collected]

DryCk

08/96

DryCk

08/97

DryCk

08/98

Reed

11/96

Reed

11/97

Cameo

08/96

Cameo

08/97

GunnGJ

08/96

GunnGJ

08/97

State line

08/96
62 Chacterization of Selected Biological, Chemical and Physical Conditions at Fixed Sites in the Upper Colorado River Basin,

1995–98

CLASSORDER Family Genus species Micropsectra sp. -- -- 11 5 -- -- -- -- 11 --  Microtendipes sp. -- -- -- -- -- 30 18 40 45 --  Nanocladius sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- 9 -- 22 --  Odontomesa sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Orthocladiinae*** 215 151 78 72 11 154 26 403 56 1210  Orthocladius sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Pagastia sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Paracladopelma sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Parakiefferiella sp. 54 -- 22 5 -- -- -- -- -- --  Parametriocnemus sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Paraphaenocladius sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Paratanytarsus sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Parorthocladius sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Pentaneura sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Pentaneurini  -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Phaenopsectra sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 40 -- --  Polypedilum sp. -- -- 11 -- -- 461 162 202 179 80  Potthastia sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Pseudodiamesa sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Pseudosmittia sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Rheocricotopus sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Rheotanytarsus sp. -- -- -- 5 -- 2400 314 3190 34 8470  Sergentia sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Stempellinella sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Subletta sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Synendotendipes sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Synorthocladius sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Tanypodinae** * -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Tanytarsini**** -- -- -- -- -- 30 107 40 11 81  Tanytarsus sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Thienemanniella sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 11 40  Thienemannimyia group -- -- -- -- -- -- 27 -- -- 40 

APPENDIX A. Taxa, densities of macroinvertebrates (organisms per square meter) collected, and sampling date at fixed sites in the Upper Colorado River Basin s

[Site abbreviations are used in this appendix. See table 1 for full site names. Densities are rounded according to Britton and Greeson, 1987. --, species not collected]

DryCk

08/96

DryCk

08/97

DryCk

08/98

Reed

11/96

Reed

11/97

Cameo

08/96

Cameo

08/97

GunnGJ

08/96

GunnGJ

08/97

State line

08/96
APPENDIX A 63

CLASSORDER Family Genus species Tribelos sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Tvetenia sp. 54 45 235 115 -- 215 -- 121 -- 121  Culicidae -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Deuterophlebiidae -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 

 Deuterophlebia sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 

 Dixidae -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Psychodidae -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 

 Pericoma / Telmatoscopus sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 

 Simuliidae 54 11 -- 144 85 123 -- -- -- 40  Prosimulium sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Simulium sp. -- -- -- 43 11 -- -- -- -- --  Tanyderidae -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Tipulidae -- -- -- -- -- 1 -- -- -- --  Antocha sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Dicranota sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Hexatoma sp. -- -- -- -- -- 30 18 -- -- --  Rhabdomastix sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Tipula sp. 1 1 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- Brachycera** -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Athericidae -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Atherix pachypus -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Atherix sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Empididae -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Chelifera sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- 9 -- -- --  Chelifera / Hemerodromia sp. -- 6 -- -- -- -- -- 81 -- --  Clinocera sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Hemerodromia sp. -- -- -- -- 4 -- 9 40 -- 81  Ephydridae -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Muscidae -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Syrphidae -- 1 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- HEMIPTERA (true bugs, leaf

hoppers)

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 

APPENDIX A. Taxa, densities of macroinvertebrates (organisms per square meter) collected, and sampling date at fixed sites in the Upper Colorado River Basin s

[Site abbreviations are used in this appendix. See table 1 for full site names. Densities are rounded according to Britton and Greeson, 1987. --, species not collected]

DryCk

08/96

DryCk

08/97

DryCk

08/98

Reed

11/96

Reed

11/97

Cameo

08/96

Cameo

08/97

GunnGJ

08/96

GunnGJ

08/97

State line

08/96
64 Chacterization of Selected Biological, Chemical and Physical Conditions at Fixed Sites in the Upper Colorado River Basin,

1995–98

CLASSORDER Family Genus species Corixidae -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Gerridae -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Veliidae -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 

 Microvelia sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 

LEPIDOPTERA (butterflies) -- 11 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- MEGALOPTERA (dobsonflies/hellgrammites) -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Corydalidae -- -- -- -- -- -- 9 -- -- -- 

 Corydalus sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 1 

ODONATA (damsel/dragonfly) -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Calopterygidae -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 

 Hetaerina sp. -- -- -- 5 -- -- -- -- -- -- 

 Coenagrionidae -- -- -- 5 -- -- -- -- -- -- 

 Argia sp. -- -- -- -- 4 -- -- -- -- -- 

 Gomphidae -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 1 -- --  Ophiogomphus sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 1 -- COLLEMBOLA (springtails) 54 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- CHELICERATA -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- ACARI (water mites) -- -- 11 19 11 277 18 1090 146 524 MALACOSTRACA -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- AMPHIPODA (scuds, shrimp) -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Gammaridae -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 

 Gammarus sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 

 Hyalellidae -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 

 Hyalella azteca -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 

ISOPODA (aquatic sow bugs) -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Asellidae -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Lirceus sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- DECAPODA (crayfish, shrimp) -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Cambaridae -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 

 Orconectes sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 1 

OLIGOCHAETA (aquatic worms) -- 50 -- -- 4 -- -- -- -- -- 

APPENDIX A. Taxa, densities of macroinvertebrates (organisms per square meter) collected, and sampling date at fixed sites in the Upper Colorado River Basin s

[Site abbreviations are used in this appendix. See table 1 for full site names. Densities are rounded according to Britton and Greeson, 1987. --, species not collected]

DryCk

08/96

DryCk

08/97

DryCk

08/98

Reed

11/96

Reed

11/97

Cameo

08/96

Cameo

08/97

GunnGJ

08/96

GunnGJ

08/97

State line

08/96
APPENDIX A 65

CLASSORDER Family Genus speciesENCHYTRAEIDA -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Enchytraeidae 376 28 45 5 -- 30 -- 40 34 -- TUBIFICIDA -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Naididae 10300 644 1380 29 -- 215 54 7700 190 605  Tubificidae 1290 994 336 -- -- 30 -- 81 34 -- LUMBRICULIDA -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Lumbriculidae -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 

 Megadrili sp. -- -- 11 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 

HIRUDINEA (leeches) -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- ARHYNCHOBDELLAE -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Erpobdellidae 5 3 23 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- HYDROZOA -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- HYDROIDA -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Hydridae -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 

 Hydra sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 363 -- 162 

GASTROPODA (snails, limpets) -- 6 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- BASOMMATOPHORA -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Ancylidae -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 

 Ferrissia sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 

 Lymnaeidae -- 6 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 

 Fossaria/Stagnicola sp. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 1 -- -- 

 Physidae 376 28 101 -- -- -- -- -- 22 --  Physa sp. -- 1 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Physella sp. 485 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Planorbidae -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 

 Gyraulus sp. 54 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 

BIVALVIA (bivalve molluscs) -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- VENEROIDA -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Sphaeriidae -- 6 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- NEMATODA (roundworms)* 699 169 190 14 30 31 90 282 134 162 NEMATOMORPHA (horse-hair

worms)*

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 

APPENDIX A. Taxa, densities of macroinvertebrates (organisms per square meter) collected, and sampling date at fixed sites in the Upper Colorado River Basin s

[Site abbreviations are used in this appendix. See table 1 for full site names. Densities are rounded according to Britton and Greeson, 1987. --, species not collected]

DryCk

08/96

DryCk

08/97

DryCk

08/98

Reed

11/96

Reed

11/97

Cameo

08/96

Cameo

08/97

GunnGJ

08/96

GunnGJ

08/97

State line

08/96
66 Chacterization of Selected Biological, Chemical and Physical Conditions at Fixed Sites in the Upper Colorado River Basin,

1995–98

CLASSORDER Family Genus speciesENOPLA -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- HOPLONEMERTEA -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  Tetrastemmatidae -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 

 Prostoma sp. -- -- -- 14 -- -- -- 40 -- -- 

TURBELLARIA (flatworms) -- 8 22 -- 4 -- -- -- -- 40 

*Phylum

**Suborder

***Subfamily

****Tribe

APPENDIX A. Taxa, densities of macroinvertebrates (organisms per square meter) collected, and sampling date at fixed sites in the Upper Colorado River Basin s

[Site abbreviations are used in this appendix. See table 1 for full site names. Densities are rounded according to Britton and Greeson, 1987. --, species not collected]

DryCk

08/96

DryCk

08/97

DryCk

08/98

Reed

11/96

Reed

11/97

Cameo

08/96

Cameo

08/97

GunnGJ

08/96

GunnGJ

08/97

State line

08/96
APPENDIX B 67

APPENDIX B. Taxa, numbers of fish collected, and sampling date at fixed sites in the Upper Colorado River Basin study unit

[Site 2 (French Gulch near Breckenridge) and site 10 (Dry Fork at upper station near De Beque) did not have fish present. --, species not collected]

Common name1 Scientific name1 Baker 08/96 Baker 08/97 Baker 08/96 Blue 08/96 Blue 08/97 Blue 08/98 Ridgway 08/96 Ridgway 08/97 Ridgway 08/98 

Trouts SalmonidaeBrown Trout Salmo trutta 81 59 82 2 2 4 5 6 8 Rainbow Trout Onchorhynchus mykiss -- -- -- -- -- -- 20 16 30 

Brook Trout Salvelinus fontinalis 19 4 50 36 17 36 -- -- -- 

Cutthroat Trout Onchorhynchus clarki 1 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- Kokanee Salmon Onchorhynchus nerka -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 

Mountain Whitefish Prosopium williamsoni -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- Sculpins CottidaeMottled Sculpin Cottus bairdi 18 25 23 -- -- -- 45 33 7 

Suckers CatostomidaeLongnose Sucker Catostomus catostomus 2 2 2 -- -- -- -- -- -- White Sucker Catostomus commersoni -- -- -- -- -- -- 15 6 5 

Bluehead Sucker Catostomus discobolus -- -- -- -- -- -- 16 17 -- Flannelmouth Sucker Catostomus latipinnis -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- Razorback Sucker Xyrauchen texanus -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- Carps and Minnows CyprinidaeRoundtail Chub Gila robusta -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- Common Carp Cyprinus carpio -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- Speckled Dace Rhinichthys osculus -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- Longnose Dace Rhinichthys cataractae -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- Fathead Minnow Pimephales promelas -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- Sand Shiner Notropis stramineus -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- Red Shiner Cyprinella lutrensis -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- Colorado Pikeminnow Ptychocheilus lucius -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- Sunfishes CentrarchidaeGreen Sunfish Lepomis cyanellus -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- Largemouth Bass Micropterus salmoides -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- Smallmouth Bass Micropterus dolomieu -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- Perches PercidaeYellow Perch Perca flavescens -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- Catfishes IctaluridaeChannel Catfish Ictalurus punctatus -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- Black Bullhead Ameiurus melas -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 
68 Chacterization of Selected Biological, Chemical and Physical Conditions at Fixed Sites in the Upper Colorado River Basin,

1995–98

APPENDIX B. Taxa, numbers of fish collected, and sampling date at fixed sites in the Upper Colorado River Basin study unit

[Site 2 (French Gulch near Breckenridge) and site 10 (Dry Fork at upper station near De Beque) did not have fish present. --, species not collected]

Common name Scientific name East 08//96 East 08/97 East 08/98 Gunn32 08/96 Gunn32 08//97 Gunn32 08/98 GunnTun 08/96 GunnTun 08/97 Gunn

08/9

Trouts SalmonidaeBrown Trout Salmo trutta 100 83 259 12 19 30 51 129 78 

Rainbow Trout Onchorhynchus mykiss 3 2 2 16 5 25 65 146 8 

Brook Trout Salvelinus fontinalis -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- Cutthroat Trout Onchorhynchus clarki 1 -- 2 1 -- -- -- -- -- 

Kokanee Salmon Onchorhynchus nerka 61 2 14 5 5 6 -- -- -- 

Mountain Whitefish Prosopium williamsoni -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- Sculpins CottidaeMottled Sculpin Cottus bairdi -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- Suckers CatostomidaeLongnose Sucker Catostomus catostomus 1 -- -- 107 71 58 -- -- -- 

White Sucker Catostomus commersoni -- -- -- 7 9 10 -- -- -- Bluehead Sucker Catostomus discobolus -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- Flannelmouth Sucker Catostomus latipinnis -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- Razorback Sucker Xyrauchen texanus -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- Carps and Minnows CyprinidaeRoundtail Chub Gila robusta -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- Common Carp Cyprinus carpio -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- Speckled Dace Rhinichthys osculus -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- Longnose Dace Rhinichthys cataractae -- -- -- 3 -- -- -- -- -- Fathead Minnow Pimephales promelas -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- Sand Shiner Notropis stramineus -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- Red Shiner Cyprinella lutrensis -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- Colorado Pikeminnow Ptychocheilus lucius -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- Sunfishes CentrarchidaeGreen Sunfish Lepomis cyanellus -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- Largemouth Bass Micropterus salmoides -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- Smallmouth Bass Micropterus dolomieu -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- Perches PercidaeYellow Perch Perca flavescens -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- Catfishes IctaluridaeChannel Catfish Ictalurus punctatus -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- Black Bullhead Ameiurus melas -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 

—Continued
APPENDIX B 69

APPENDIX B. Taxa, numbers of fish collected, and sampling date at fixed sites in the Upper Colorado River Basin study unit

[Site 2 (French Gulch near Breckenridge) and site 10 (Dry Fork at upper station near De Beque) did not have fish present; --, species not collected]

Common name Scientific name DryCr 08/96 DryCr 08/97 DryCr 08/98 Reed 11/96 Reed 01/97 Cameo 08/96 Cameo 08/97 GunnGJ 08/96 GunnGJ 08/97 State 

08

Trouts SalmonidaeBrown Trout Salmo trutta 1 3 6 -- -- 6 7 3 4 -Rainbow Trout Onchorhynchus mykiss -- -- 1 -- -- -- -- 1 -- -Brook Trout Salvelinus fontinalis -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -Cutthroat Trout Onchorhynchus clarki -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -Kokanee Salmon Onchorhynchus nerka -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -Mountain Whitefish Prosopium williamsoni -- -- -- -- -- 29 2 -- -- -Sculpins CottidaeMottled Sculpin Cottus bairdi 3 10 28 -- -- 3 -- -- -- -Suckers CatostomidaeLongnose Sucker Catostomus catostomus -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -White Sucker Catostomus commersoni 17 18 22 2 -- 31 25 6 9 2 

Bluehead Sucker Catostomus discobolus 22 9 21 -- 1 48 81 68 85 17

Flannelmouth Sucker Catostomus latipinnis 18 11 9 21 45 100 193 39 51 9

Razorback Sucker Xyrauchen texanus -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 1 -Carps and Minnows CyprinidaeRoundtail Chub Gila robusta 5 1 2 5 2 65 80 39 52 4

Common Carp Cyprinus carpio -- -- -- 13 3 18 5 2 9 1Speckled Dace Rhinichthys osculus 46 38 44 -- -- 2 -- 5 1 2

Longnose Dace Rhinichthys cataractae -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -Fathead Minnow Pimephales promelas 17 10 9 3 1 -- -- 2 -- -

Sand Shiner Notropis stramineus -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 2 Red Shiner Cyprinella lutrensis -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -Colorado Pikeminnow Ptychocheilus lucius -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- Sunfishes CentrarchidaeGreen Sunfish Lepomis cyanellus 6 1 4 -- 6 1 -- -- 1 6 Largemouth Bass Micropterus salmoides -- -- -- -- -- 3 -- -- -- 3 Smallmouth Bass Micropterus dolomieu -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 3 Perches PercidaeYellow Perch Perca flavescens -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -Catfishes IctaluridaeChannel Catfish Ictalurus punctatus -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 1Black Bullhead Ameiurus melas -- -- -- -- 1 -- -- -- 1 -

1 Common and scientific names are from Robins and others, 1991.2 Site name abbreviations are used in this appendix. See table 1 for full site names.

—Continued
APPENDIX C 70

APPENDIX C. Selected sites from the Rio Grande Valley, the South Platte River, and the Upper Snake River Basins used for comparison to the Upper Col

[mi2, square miles; ft, feet]

Site name Site identification Study unit Drainage (mi2) Elevation (ft) Predomi- nant land use Nutrients Trace elements Pesticides 

Rio Grande near Del Norte, CO 08220000 RIOG 1,311 7,980 Mixed x Saguache Creek near Saguache, CO 08227000 RIOG 513 8,030 Forest x x x Rio Grande near Lasauses, CO 08240000 RIOG 2,749 7,500 Mixed xConejos River near Lasauses, CO 08249000 RIOG 789 7,495 Mixed x Rio Grande near Lobatos, CO 08251500 RIOG 4,585 7,428 Mixed xRio Pueblo de Taos below

Los Cordovas, NM

08276300 RIOG 384 6,650 Forest x

Rio Grande near Taos, NM 08276500 RIOG 6,527 6,050 Mixed x x Rio Chama near Chamita, NM 08290000 RIOG 3,073 5,653 Mixed x x Rio Grande at Otowi Bridge, NM 08313000 RIOG 10,958 5,488 Mixed xRito de los Frijoles in

Bandelier National Monument

08313350 RIOG 18 6,140 Forest x 

Santa Fe River above Cochiti Lake, NM 08317200 RIOG 228 5,505 Forest x x Rio Guadalupe at Box Canyon near

Jemez, NM

08323000 RIOG 235 6,015 Forest x x

Jemez River near Jemez, NM 08324000 RIOG 466 5,622 Forest x Rio Grande at Isleta, NM 08331000 RIOG 14,669 4,896 Mixed x x Rio Puerco near Bernardo, NM 08353000 RIOG 6,071 4,722 Mixed x xRio Grande Floodway at

San Marcial, NM

08358400 RIOG 27,700 4,455 Mixed x

Rio Grande at Leasburg Dam near

Las Cruces, NM

08363500 RIOG 28,858 3,950 Mixed x

Rio Grande at El Paso, TX 08364000 RIOG 29,943 3,722 Mixed x Rio Grande near Bernalillo, NM 351921106332710 RIOG 13,963 5,055 Mixed xRito de los Frijoles below

Frijoles Falls, NM

354511106151010 RIOG 19 6,140 Forest x x

La Jara Creek at Alamosa

county line, CO

372124105510601 RIOG 268 7,540 Mixed x x

Rio Grande at Alamosa Refuge, CO 372334105470001 RIOG 2,116 7,510 Mixed x xMedano Creek near Mosca, CO 374752105300801 RIOG 15 8,450 Forest x Rio Grande near Creede, CO 374922106542901 RIOG 640 8,580 Forest x xBig Thompson near Estes Park, CO 402114105350101 SPLT 39 7,998 Forest x x Clear Creek at Lawson, CO 06716500 SPLT 147 8,080 Forest xClear Creek at Golden, CO 06719505 SPLT 400 5,696 Forest x x N. St. Vrain near Allenspark, CO 06721500 SPLT 33 8,280 Forest x xSt. Vrain at mouth, CO 06731000 SPLT 976 4,741 Mixed x x x Cache La Poudre near Fort Collins, CO 06752000 SPLT 1,056 5,220 Forest x x x Cache La Poudre near Greeley, CO 06752500 SPLT 1,902 4,610 Mixed x xLonetree Creek near Greeley, CO 06753990 SPLT 567 4,629 Agricultural x x 
71 Chacterization of Selected Biological, Chemical and Physical Conditions at Fixed Sites in the Upper Colorado River Basin,

1995–98

South Platte near Kersey, CO 06754000 SPLT 9,598 4,577 Mixed x x x South Platte at Weldona, CO 06758500 SPLT 13,313 4,308 Agricultural x xSouth Platte near Balzac, CO 06759910 SPLT 16,852 4,091 Agricultural x x x South Platte at Julesburg, CO 06764000 SPLT 22,815 3,447 Agricultural x xSouth Platte River at North Platte, NE 06765500 SPLT 24,300 2,789 Agricultural x x x Snake River at Flagg Ranch, WY 13010065 USNK 511 6,802 Forest x x x Salt River near Smoot, WY 13023700 USNK 20 7,040 Forest x x Salt River near Etna, WY 13027500 USNK 852 5,676 Agricultural x x x Bitch Creek near Lamont, ID 13054300 USNK 83 5,820 Forest x x Teton River near St. Anthony, ID 13055000 USNK 886 4,972 Agricultural x x x Henrys Fork near Rexburg, ID 13056500 USNK 3,218 4,807 Mixed x x x Blackfoot River near Henry, ID 13063000 USNK 341 6,260 Forest x xSnake River near Blackfoot, ID 13069500 USNK 12,184 4,401 Mixed x x x Portneuf River at Topaz, ID 13073000 USNK 588 4,918 Agricultural x x x Portneuf River at Pocatello, ID 13075500 USNK 1,295 5,850 Mixed x xSnake River near Minidoka Dam, ID 13081500 USNK 18,853 4,132 Mixed x x x Snake River near Kimberly, ID 13090000 USNK 22,645 3,363 Mixed x xRock Creek near Rock Creek, ID 13091995 USNK 52 4,700 Forest x x Rock Creek at Twin Falls, ID 13092747 USNK 241 3,625 Agricultural x x x Snake River near Buhl, ID 13094000 USNK 29,384 2,952 Mixed x x x Big Wood River below Boulder Creek, ID 13135350 USNK 125 6,540 Forest x x Malad River near Gooding, ID 13152500 USNK 3,323 3,345 Agricultural x x x Snake River at King Hill, ID 13154500 USNK 35,885 2,492 Mixed x x x 

APPENDIX C. Selected sites from the Rio Grande Valley, the South Platte River, and the Upper Snake River Basins used for comparison to the Upper Col

[mi2, square miles; ft, feet]

Site name Site identification Study unit Drainage (mi2) Elevation (ft) Predomi- nant land use Nutrients Trace elements Pesticides