U.S. Department of the Interior a U.S. Geological Survey

U.S. Geological Survey

Programs in Colorado

Earth Science in the Public Service

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has 

served as the Nation’s principal collector, 

repository, and interpreter of earth science 

data for more than a century. In this capacity, 

the USGS in Colorado works in partnership 

with more than 90 local, State, and Federal 

agencies. Cooperative activities include 

water-resources data collection, interpretive 

water-availability and water-quality studies, 

mineral-resource assessments, and mapping. 

In activities with local and State agencies, 

USGS and non-Federal funds are typically 

matched equally. The USGS also is involved 

with several community outreach activities, 

which include educational presentations at 

schools and information booths at community 

events. The USGS also supports the Colorado 

Water Resource Research Institute, which 

conducts research, education, and information and technology-transfer programs. This 

Fact Sheet describes some of the current 

USGS activities in Colorado.

Geologic Mapping Along I–70

Rapid growth along the I–70 corridor in 

the western part of the State between the Utah 

border and the Frisco–Dillon area has 

prompted the USGS and the Colorado Geological Survey to form cooperative geologic 

mapping teams. At least 36 detailed geologic 

maps of the corridor are planned over about a 

5-year period. Many geologic hazards, such 

as landslides, debris flows, and sinkholes, can 

be avoided if the information on detailed geologic maps is used to make land-use decisions. People in Mesa, Garfield, Eagle, and 

Summit Counties and city, State, and Federal 

agencies can use these maps to make decisions intended to mitigate or avoid geologic 

hazards, and, therefore, potentially save lives, 

money, and property.

Landslide Hazards

Huge, ancient landslides cover mountain 

sides throughout western Colorado; many of 

these slides are near towns, recreational facilities, railroads, and major highways. If any of 

these landslides were reactivated by human 

activities, earthquakes, or climate change, 

then nearby towns or facilities could be 

destroyed. USGS scientists in Lake City and 

Grand Mesa are studying large, ancient and 

modern landslides. Through these studies, the 

USGS can document many of the conditions 

that caused the landslides and formulate 

models to predict where and when landslides 

can occur or be reactivated by changing 

climate or earthquakes.

Oil-Resource Assessments

Working with the U.S. Forest Service 

(USFS) and the State of Colorado, the USGS 

assessed the petroleum-resource potential of 

the White River National Forest. This assessment provided these agencies information to 

formulate development plans that consider 

natural ecosystem preservation. 

The USGS, in cooperation with the U.S. 

Department of Energy (DOE), recently completed an assessment of the petroleum potential of two Naval Oil Shale Reserves in 

Colorado.

National Water-Quality 

Assessment Program

The long-term goals of the National WaterQuality Assessment (NAWQA) Program are 

to describe the status and trends in the quality 

of a large, representative part of the Nation's 

surface- and ground-water resources and to 

identify the natural and human factors that 

affect their quality. The NAWQA Program 

produces water-quality information that is 

useful to policymakers and water managers at 

the local, State, and national levels.

NAWQA Program studies of three river 

basins in Colorado—the South Platte, the 

Upper Colorado, and the Rio Grande—are 

underway; another, the upper Arkansas, is 

planned (fig. 1). Communication and coordination among the USGS and the watermanagement and other water-resource agencies are essential to the NAWQA studies in 

the State. As results become available, the 

findings are distributed in technical and 

public information reports to local, State, and 

Federal agencies.

Coal-Bed Methane Resources

In less than 10 years, the San Juan Basin of 

New Mexico and Colorado has become the 

largest coal-bed methane field in production 

in the world. Total coal-bed methane 

resources for the Basin have been estimated to 

be 50 trillion cubic feet of gas, and as much as 

one-half of that amount is considered to be 

recoverable. For the first time, the amount of 

gas produced in 1994 from coal beds of the 

Fruitland Formation surpassed the production 

of gas from the Basin’s conventional sandstone reservoirs. The rapid development of the 

coal-gas resources was made possible by 

detailed studies of the Fruitland coal beds 

published by the USGS and the Colorado 

Geological Survey in the 1970’s. 

Index of Subjects

Geologic mapping Along I–70

Landslide Hazards

Oil-Resource Assessments 

National Water-Quality Assessment Program

Coal-Bed Methane Resources

Studies of Contamination at U.S. Departments 

of Energy and Defense Sites

Studies of Stream Contamination From Mine 

Waste

Environmental Assessments of Abandoned 

Mine Lands

Research on Biological Systems

Irrigation Water Quality 

Topographic Mapping 

Digital Raster Graphics

Watershed-Modeling Systems Initiative in the 

San Juan River Basin

Drought History and Climatic Change in

Eastern Colorado

Effects of Acid Precipitation on Rocky 

Mountain Lakes and Streams

Information Centers

Change Over Time

Collection of Hydrologic Data

Figure 1. National Water-Quality Assessment 

Program study units in Colorado shown with 

topography.
Natural gas seeps from Fruitland coal-bed 

outcrops have been reported in La Plata 

County for many years; some of these reports 

predate development. No data existed to evaluate whether the coal-bed gas development 

was contributing to the seepage. In 1995, the 

USGS, in cooperation with the Bureau of 

Land Management (BLM), the Colorado Oil 

and Gas Conservation Commission, La Plata 

County, and the Southern Ute Indian Tribe, 

began a study of the gas seeps in La Plata 

County. In addition to surface geologic mapping and fracture studies, the USGS is determining whether there is a correlation between 

the surface coal beds in the seep areas and the 

underground coal beds that produce coal-bed 

methane near the gas-seep areas. The USGS 

also uses the maps of La Plata County being 

produced by the Colorado Geological Survey 

as part of their STATEMAP program. These 

studies of the coal-gas seep areas in La Plata 

County are part of an ongoing USGS basinwide study of coal-bed methane.

Studies of Contamination at U.S. 

Department of Energy and 

Defense Sites

Several DOE and U.S. Department of 

Defense sites in Colorado have some level of 

contamination caused by past production, 

storage, or destruction of chemical agents, 

munitions, or radioactive materials. Near 

some of the sites, radioactive and chemical 

contaminants have migrated into drinkingwater supplies or have contaminated soils. 

The USGS is collecting hydrologic data and 

conducting investigative studies at the Rocky 

Mountain Arsenal and the Rocky Flats Environmental Technology Site near Denver and 

the Pueblo Depot Activity near Pueblo. The 

purposes of the studies include characterization of the hydrology of the sites, definition 

of the extent of contamination, evaluation of 

monitoring networks, determination of contaminant-transport mechanisms, and prediction of the fate of contaminants.

Studies of Stream Contamination 

From Mine Waste

Significant water-quality problems have 

resulted from wastes related to metal mining 

in the Rocky Mountains. The USGS is conducting investigations near Summitville in 

the Alamosa River Basin, near Leadville in 

the upper Arkansas River Basin, in the upper 

Animas River Basin near Durango, and 

along Clear Creek west of Denver. The studies assess the extent of the contamination; 

define background conditions; aid local, 

State, and Federal agencies in making decisions on appropriate remediation strategies; 

determine the processes involved in the 

transport of contaminants from the waste 

sites; and predict the movement of the contaminants. Information from these studies is 

being used by the U.S. Environmental 

Protection Agency (USEPA) to help site 

remediation; the State of Colorado, Federal 

land-management agencies (BLM, USFS), 

and the mining industry to help understand 

and prevent similar environmental problems 

at other mines; and downstream water users, 

such as farmers, water conservancy districts, 

and wildlife refuges, to evaluate potential 

effects of mine-waste sites on agriculture and 

wildlife habitat.

Environmental Assessments of 

Abandoned Mine Lands

The BLM and the USFS have been 

charged with identifying and prioritizing for 

remediation tens of thousands of abandoned 

mine sites in Colorado. The USGS, in cooperation with the BLM and the Colorado 

Geological Survey, has developed a geologybased regional screening process that was 

used to identify and rank Colorado mining 

districts according to their likely minedrainage hazards. This screening process 

allows land-management agencies to focus 

their remedial efforts on mining districts 

with the greatest potential for environmental 

problems, thereby avoiding costly field 

assessments of all mining districts. The 

BLM, the USFS, and other Federal agencies 

are proposing that the USEPA use geologybased regional screening to help assign and 

assess stormwater permits for abandoned 

mine sites on public lands. The mining 

industry also can use this process to predict, 

plan for, and mitigate the environmental consequences of mineral-resource development.

Research on Biological Systems

The USGS Biological Resources Division 

(formerly the National Biological Service) 

has three major stations in Colorado. The 

Midcontinent Ecological Science Center in 

Fort Collins studies the effects of native and 

introduced grazing animals on ecosystems; 

mountain plover, black-footed ferret, and 

prairie dog ecosystems; declining amphibian populations; global climate change; the 

Colorado squawfish; and the effects of the 

Conservation Reserve Program on Great 

Plains ecosystems. Other research includes 

aquatic and riparian ecology, atmospheric 

and watershed ecosystem change, vertebrate 

ecology, habitat modeling, remote sensing 

and geographical information system mapping, socioeconomic issues, and air quality 

impacts on U.S. Department of the Interior 

(DOI) lands.

The Information and Technology Office’s 

Technology Transfer Center (TTC) in Lakewood is implementing the National Biological Information Infrastructure so that users 

can retrieve and integrate electronic biological data directly from different sources simultaneously on the Internet. The TTC also 

develops data and standards for biological 

resources and partnerships for natural 

resources technology and information transfer. The TTC’s home page can be viewed at:

http://www.nbs.gov/ttc/

The Colorado Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit at Colorado State University conducts research on vegetation, large 

mammals, fisheries, and landscape ecology.

Irrigation Water Quality 

Since 1985, the DOI has been studying the 

effects of Federal irrigation projects in the 

Western United States. These studies have 

been done to determine if irrigation drainage 

is causing problems related to human health, 

water quality, and fish and wildlife resources. 

Beginning in 1987, the USGS, in cooperation 

with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the 

Bureau of Indian Affairs, and the Bureau of 

Reclamation (BOR), has studied irrigation 

drainage in the lower Gunnison, the 

Uncompahgre, the Dolores, and the Los 

Pinos Rivers; Grand Valley in western Colorado; and the Arkansas River Basin in the 

eastern part of the State. The USGS found 

high concentrations of selenium in water and 

sediment in some of the irrigated areas. 

Because selenium can have adverse effects on 

fish and wildlife, investigations are continuing in the lower Gunnison River Basin and 

the Grand Valley to determine if measures 

can be implemented to mitigate selenium 

contamination. Although the emphasis has 

been on determining the effects of selenium 

on fish and wildlife, results of the investigations will aid water-resources managers and 

planners in developing mitigation measures 

that could include methods of improving 

irrigation practices, conserving water, and 

improving the water quality of the Colorado 

and the Arkansas Rivers.

Topographic Mapping

Among the most popular and versatile 

products of the USGS are its 1:24,000-scale 

topographic maps (1 inch on the map represents 2,000 feet on the ground). These maps 

show natural and cultural features of the landscape, such as lakes and streams, highways 

and railroads, boundaries, and geographic 

names. Colorado is covered by 1,926 maps at 

this scale. These maps have long been favorites with the general public for outdoor uses, 
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as well as scientists and engineers for conventional technical applications. Today, scientists 

and engineers increasingly depend on digital 

(computerized) base maps for their research 

and analyses. The USGS is working to ensure 

the availability of accurate digital cartographic data for the Nation to facilitate 

ground-water and hazards studies, and landand resource-management activities.

In summer 1995, the Rocky Mountain 

Mapping Center moved into newly renovated 

office space on the Denver Federal Center in 

Building 810. The move allowed the Center 

to improve service to customers by consolidating all Denver-based production, 

research, and distribution operations into a 

single facility. The Center is responsible for 

the development of cartographic and geographic data and applications for the Western 

United States and for the dissemination and 

sales of published mapping information.

Digital Raster Graphics 

Digital raster graphics (DRG; scanned 

topographic maps) are being produced in 

cooperation with several Federal, State, and 

local agencies for more than 1,000 of the 

1:24,000-scale USGS topographic maps of 

Colorado. DRG’s in progress in the State are 

shown in figure 2. DRG’s are used as map 

bases or backdrops on which other information can be overlaid so that the other information can be combined with the familiar USGS 

topographic map. Users now combine these 

products manually on mylar or paper maps; 

DRG’s will allow users to automate processes 

and to increase efficiency.

The DRG’s can be used in many ways. 

The BLM can use DRG’s in its Emergency 

Fire Suppression Program. The boundary of 

a fire can be mapped by collecting global 

positioning system points, and the outline 

can then be overlaid on the DRG for reference to the terrain. This information helps 

helicopter pilots and firefighters plan their 

method of fighting a fire. The Colorado Division of Wildlife can use DRG’s as a backdrop to overlay boundaries for its propertymanagement program. Wildlife managers 

also can display point locations on the DRG 

to show wildlife distribution. 

Watershed-Modeling Systems 

Initiative in the San Juan River 

Basin

Competition among users of the water 

resources in many Western drainage basins 

has increased pressure on water managers to 

provide relevant, near real-time assessments 

of water availability and use. Hydrologic and 

water-management models help managers 

develop these assessments. The purpose of 

this initiative is to develop, test, and implement water-resource models and integrated 

data-management systems that are designed 

to help manage the water-related infrastructure. This study is a collaboration between 

the USGS and the BOR and focuses on 

water-management issues in the San Juan 

River Basin, which is a tributary to the Colorado River. The Basin provides a diverse 

physical and hydrologic setting for testing 

and implementing water-resource models. 

Drought History and Climatic 

Change in Eastern Colorado

Droughts have occurred in some parts of 

the Great Plains of eastern Colorado in 

nearly every decade of this century; droughts 

were severe in the 1930’s, 1950’s, and 

1970’s. Massive dust storms spawned by 

wind erosion during drought periods threaten 

the health, comfort, and livelihood of large 

segments of the population for long distances downwind. During the 1930’s, blowing dust closed highways and railroads, cut 

off power, and blocked the Sun. Aircraft 

were adversely affected by dust carried aloft. 

In the 1990’s, this impact is more serious 

because of modern air traffic. 

USGS scientists are studying the distribution and history of windblown sediment in 

eastern Colorado to improve understanding 

of the frequency and cause of droughts in the 

Great Plains, the geological factors that control wind erosion, and the potential impact of 

climatic change on water supplies, soil erosion, and land-use practices. These studies 

indicate that droughts much more severe than 

any of the historic droughts are possible 

under the present climate.

Effects of Acid Precipitation on 

Rocky Mountain Lakes and 

Streams

To determine which Rocky Mountain 

lakes and streams are most at risk for acid 

precipitation, the USGS has determined the 

chemistry of the snowpack and the lakes and 

streams fed by snowmelt. The chemistry of 

the snowpack determines how acidic the 

snowmelt that supplies water to these aquatic 

systems becomes. The chemistry of the lakes 

and streams determines how susceptible these 

systems are to damage by acidic snowmelt. 

The most acidic snow in the Rocky Mountains falls in northern Colorado in and near 

the Mount Zirkel Wilderness Area. Because 

of the geology, lakes and streams of the 

Mount Zirkel Wilderness Area are among the 

most sensitive to acidic precipitation in the 

Rocky Mountains. Thus, in this area, the most 

acidic snowpack overlaps the most sensitive 

aquatic systems. The USGS, is working with 

local, State, and Federal agencies, as well as 

with industry and environmental groups, to 

determine what damage might have occurred 

or is likely to occur in the Wilderness Area. 

One of the possible effects is damage to trout 

and amphibian populations.

Information Centers

The USGS National Earthquake Information Center (NEIC) in Golden collects, processes, and distributes information about 

more than 20,000 seismic events each year. 

This information is distributed as alerts, bulletins, and routine catalogs to Federal and State 

emergency-management officials, criticalfacilities operators, news media, the general 

public, and the earthquake-research community. These catalogs of recent and historical 

earthquake information are used in 

earthquake-hazards assessments. To fulfill its 

mission, the NEIC has developed and is 

deploying the U.S. National Seismograph 

Network (USNSN), which, when completed, 

will consist of about 60 seismograph stations 

nationwide. The USNSN monitors nationwide seismicity, provides early notification of 

seismic events to national emergency-services 

personnel, maintains an archive of high-quality digital data on national seismicity, and 

provides public information on earthquakes. 

The USGS’s Earth Science Information 

Center (ESIC) is located in at the Denver 

Federal Center. The ESIC offers information 

and sales services for USGS map products 

and earth science publications. The ESIC 

can provide information about geologic, 

hydrologic, topographic, and land-use 

maps, books, and reports; aerial, satellite, 

and radar images and related products; earth 

science and map data in digital format and 

related applications software; and geodetic 

data. The ESIC can fill orders for custom 

products, such as aerial photographs and 

orthophotoquads, digital cartographic data, 

Figure 2. Digitial Raster Graphics in progress. and geographic-names data. 
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Change Over Time

As part of the Global Change Program, the 

USGS, in cooperation with seven counties in 

northeastern Colorado, is modeling land 

changes. Aerial photographs taken in 1937 that 

cover Adams, Arapahoe, Boulder, Jefferson, 

Larimer, Morgan, and Weld Counties are digitized, interpreted for land-use and land-cover 

characteristics, and compared with recent digital land-characterization data to determine 

change over time (fig. 3). The objective is to 

develop a method for predicting land-use and 

land-cover changes to determine possible 

effects on ecoregions and natural resources.

Another study in the Global Change Program is the Water, Energy, and Biogeochemical Budgets project. For this study, the USGS 

is examining sensitive components of the Loch 

Vale watershed in Rocky Mountain National 

Park to determine the likely effects of global 

change, which includes climate, on Rocky 

Mountain watersheds. An important objective 

is to study the interaction among snowpack, 

snowmelt, streams, wetlands, and glaciers and 

their response to warming or other aspects of 

global change.

Collection of Hydrologic Data 

Colorado has four major rivers—the Colorado, the South Platte, the Arkansas, and the 

Rio Grande. These rivers supply water to 

users within Colorado and to many downstream States. The USGS, in cooperation with 

local, State, and Federal agencies, collects 

streamflow and water-quality data at sites 

throughout the State (fig. 4). These data are 

critical for the day-to-day administration and 

management of water resources, determining 

the extent and severity of droughts, characterizing and predicting conditions during floods, 

and monitoring the effects of human activities 

on streamflow and water quality. The data also 

are essential to interpretive studies that provide information for making decisions about 

water issues that affect millions of people. 

Current (real-time) and historical water data 

for selected sites in Colorado are available by 

computer retrieval through the World Wide 

Web on the Internet. The Colorado home page 

address is: 

http://webserver.cr.usgs.gov/

USGS State representative

Bldg. 53 Denver Federal Center

Mail Stop 415, PO Box 25046

Lakewood, CO 80225-0046

(303) 236-4882

Fax: (303) 236-4912

Email: dc_co@usgs.gov

Additional earth science

information can be found by

accessing the USGS Home Page

on the World Wide Web at

http://www.usgs.gov/

For more information on

all USGS reports and products

(including maps, images,

and computerized data), call

1-800-USA-MAPS

The USGS provides maps,

reports, and information to help

others meet their needs to manage,

 develop, and protect America’s water,

energy, mineral, biological, and land

resources. We help find the natural

resources needed to build tomorrow,

and supply the scientific understanding needed to help minimize or mitigate the effects of natural hazards

and environmental damage caused

by natural and human activities. The

results of our efforts touch the daily

 life of almost every American.

U.S. Geological Survey

Fact Sheet FS-006-96

Figure 3. Land use in the Niwot, Colorado quadrangle, northeast of Boulder. A, 1937; B, 1982. Each color 

denotes a different land use type.

Figure 4. Water-sample collection.