Eagle River Watershed Retrospective Assessment Program
Study Area: Eagle River
Period of Project: Ongoing
Project Number: CO326e
Project Chief: Ken Leib
Cooperator: Eagle County Board of Commissioners, Eagle River Water
and Sanitation District, Upper Eagle Regional Water Authority, Town of
Vail, City of Aurora, City of Colorado Springs, City of Red Cliff, Colorado
River Water Conservation District, and Eagle River Watershed Council
The USGS, in cooperation with the Eagle County Board of Commissioners,
Eagle River Water and Sanitation District, and Upper Eagle Regional Water
Authority is assessing the quantity and quality of the surface- and ground-water
resources in the Eagle River watershed. The study will provide an understanding
of the natural and human factors that affect the quantity and quality
of the water and the stream biota.
Specific objectives of the study are:
- To characterize existing water-resources and stream-biota data for
the Eagle River watershed.
- To analyze historical data and assess the broad-scale geographic
and seasonal distribution of current water-quantity and quality and
stream-biota conditions in the Eagle River watershed.
- To summarize the current knowledge of the environmental setting and
identify, describe, and explain, where possible, the major natural and
human factors that affect observed water-quantity and -quality conditions.
- To develop a water-quantity, water-quality, and stream-biota data
- To design a water-quality sampling scheme to address water-quality
and water-resource management concerns based on results of the retrospective
- To implement a monitoring program to describe current water-quality,
water-quantity, and stream-biota conditions in the Eagle River watershed.