Water Quality in Yampa River Basin
By Michael Zopf, Director
Routt County Department of Environmental Health
It wasn't until the 1960s that the law commonly known as the "Clean Water Act" was seriously considered by Congress. Much of our nation's waters were critically polluted at that time. Several notable water pollution events created a strong sense of public outrage, such as when the Cuyahoga River in Ohio caught fire and when an 80,000 barrel oil spill in 1969 off the coast of Santa Barbara killed seals and birds. Pressure mounted on Congress to take action, and in 1972 Congress overrode a presidential veto to pass the Clean Water Act with its stated objective to "restore, and maintain the physical, chemical, and biological health of the Nation's Waters."
Those pollution events seem far away from the Yampa Valley. We live near the headwaters of the Yampa and Elk Rivers and much of Routt County is National Forest. However, the quality of the water in our lakes and streams is also at risk. Fortunately, the Clean Water Act requires local involvement to prepare water quality management plans to protect and improve water quality. In the Upper Yampa Basin, Routt County, the City of Steamboat Springs and the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment worked together to develop and adopt the Yampa Basin Watershed Plan that was adopted in 2002.
Water quality issues noted in the Yampa Basin Plan include: drainage from historic mining areas, discharges from municipal wastewater treatment facilities, nutrients from fertilizers and agricultural runoff, sediment, bacteria and organic pollution from urbanization, and roadways and pavements which are sources of oil, grease, heavy metals and street sanding materials.
Routt County and the City of Steamboat Springs have implemented a number of regulations designed to protect water quality. But you cannot effectively manage what you cannot measure. So how do we monitor water quality to determine the effectiveness of these controls and track changes in our water quality over time? This has been a problem in that local water quality has been analyzed by upwards of ten different public agencies, universities and consulting firms. Unfortunately, this data is not easily obtained, and is complicated and subject to interpretation.
Wisely, in July of 2008, the Routt County Commissioners and Steamboat Springs City Council entered into a $250,000 contract with the United States Geological Survey to conduct a multi-phased project designed to significantly improve local knowledge of water quality conditions within the Upper Yampa River Basin. The project is divided into three main parts
- Consolidation of the existing water quality data of the upper Yampa River Basin in an internet-based publicly accessible format
- Baseline assessment report on local water quality
- Design of a water quality monitoring plan specifically tailored for the Yampa Valley
Major grant funding for the project includes a grant of $106,000 from the Colorado Water Conservation Board. The United States Geological Survey, City of Steamboat Springs and Routt County are each contributing $50,000 to this effort. With the completion of the project in 2009, Routt County and Steamboat Springs officials expect to receive a tool to help evaluate the existing water quality in the basin, to identify areas and constituents of concern, and to assess the need for additional work to protect water quality in the Yampa Basin. The public will be kept well informed of the results of the study and will be encouraged to provide their own recommendations to assist in the design of the future monitoring program.
Clean water for drinking, agriculture, recreation and aquatic life is an essential public resource that consistently ranks as a top environmental priority in the Yampa Valley. Fortunately, the Routt County Commissioners and Steamboat Springs City Council are taking this significant step to ensure that this valuable resource will be better understood and protected.
Features
The Water Issue
Building on the Water
Don't Use It Don't Lose It
The
Hydrological Effects
of Beetle Kill
Water Quality in the
Yampa River Basin
Departments
The Green Scene
How Many Miles per Gallon Does this House Get?
Builder Perspectives
Decor & Style
Real Estate
Foreclosure in Steamboat Springs: Emerging Business Opportunities
Artist Profile
Archive
Winter 2007
Archive
Summer 2008