As population has increased in the Denver metropolitan area, many mountain tributary basins have changed from forested areas with little or no development to high-volume traffic corridors with suburban and recreational development.
Wells are the primary drinking-water source for most mountain communities.
Most chemical concentrations were lower in the forested mountains than in urban, agricultural, and rangeland areas. Among the mountain tributaries sampled, concentrations of dissolved solids, suspended sediment, nitrate, and phosphorus correlated with the degree of development in the basin. The occurrence of VOCs in the mountain wells indicates that ground water is susceptible to contamination from development and human activity. Median concentrations of selected constituents in forested mountain areas of the South Platte River Basin. Undeveloped mountain drainage and residential development in mountain areas.