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NCWCD Water Quality Program
During recent decades shares of Colorado-Big Thompson
Project water have increasingly shifted from agricultural to municipal and
industrial ownership as Front Range population growth has soared. These trends
parallel an increased public awareness of and focus on water quality issues. To
address the water quality concerns of its allottees and constituents, the
District is actively engaged in a number of water quality activities. In June
2004, the District Board directed staff to increase the District’s leadership
role in monitoring and addressing water quality issues.
For more information on the District's water quality activities, contact us at 970-532-7700 or download our
Water Quality Program Factsheet.
Water Quality Activities
Water Quality Outreach
Water Quality Studies
Water Quality Monitoring Program
Water Quality Links
Water Quality Activities
The District’s water quality activities include an active monitoring
program, cooperating with local, grassroots watershed organizations, participating
in the regulatory process and leadership in local water quality studies:
C-BT Nutrient Project
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Water Quality Outreach
The District’s water quality program is designed to incorporate public and NCWCD allottee
involvement in water quality issues, including community groups and those receiving
C-BT Project water. District staff members sit on the boards and technical committees of
several watershed organizations that promote education, outreach and water quality monitoring
within District boundaries.
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Water Quality Studies
The District conducts or participates in various water quality studies. In 2005, the District and
the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation studied water quality and aquatic vegetation at Shadow Mountain Reservoir.
Aquatic plants in the reservoir can cause operational problems and limit flat-water recreation.
The District participated in the study to determine the extent of the plant growth and evaluate
management options. The study determined the most practical solution was a draw down of the
reservoir’s water level in late fall or early winter 2005 to allow the weeds to freeze. The District,
Reclamation and other federal agencies are cooperating to schedule a reservoir draw down during
the next several years.
The District and Reclamation are also partnering to examine the impact of copper sulfate on
water quality in C-BT Project canals. Copper sulfate is a naturally occurring inorganic salt
and algae growth inhibitor commonly used in irrigation canal systems throughout the western
United States. If left unchecked, algae growth can restrict flow capacity, cause bank erosion,
impede canal maintenance and degrade water quality. The study should shed light on potential
alternate methods to control weed and algae growth in canals.
The District has participated in numerous other water quality studies in conjunction with the
United States Geological Survey, Grand County, and Colorado State University. Copies of these
studies are maintained at the District’s headquarters in Berthoud.
The District is also actively involved with the following organizations:
- Water Quality Forum, fostering a cooperative approach to administering and
legislating water quality issues;
- Colorado Water Quality Monitoring Council, a statewide collaborative body that
collects, analyzes and disseminates water quality and monitoring data;
- North Front Range Water Quality Planning, Association, promoting collaborative
regional planning and review to ensure present and future wastewater needs are met
economically and with water quality protection.
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Water Quality Monitoring Program
The District’s water quality monitoring program encompasses both the C-BT Project and the Windy
Gap Project. The current program monitors baseline water quality conditions in the C-BT system and in
streams where C-BT and Windy Gap water is discharged. The program used by the District and
other groups monitors trends in C-BT and
Windy Gap water quality, as well as the potential impacts of discharging C-BT and Windy Gap
water into rivers and streams. The program monitors all C-BT and Windy Gap discharge points
for compliance with state water quality standards. The District’s water quality monitoring program
is a combination of cooperative agreements with both the USGS and private contractors.
The District began monitoring water quality in 1991. Since then the program
has grown and evolved significantly in both numbers of sites and constituents monitored. As data
was gathered the program was adjusted and optimized to reflect data results (such as no water quality
change upstream or downstream of a discharge point, constituent readings below detection levels,
etc). A list of the constituents historically monitored through the program is available
here. The program’s current focus is on
nutrients, sediments and metals, although additional parameters also are monitored. A list of the
constituents currently being monitored is available here.
The 2005 sampling frequency is available here.
The water quality monitoring program recently was altered to respond to the increasing importance of
water quality to District allottees and constituents, and to consolidate a mix of several cooperative
monitoring programs. The District’s new monitoring network encompasses 44 water quality stations in
eight watersheds. Each station is monitored between four and eight times per year depending on location.
Click here for West Slope or East Slope water
quality monitoring sites.
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Water Quality Links
North Front Range Water Quality Planning Association
http://www.nfrwqpa.org/
Colorado Water Quality Monitoring Council
http://cwqmc.colostate.edu/
Colorado Water Quality Forum:
http://www.cwqf.org/default.htm
Colorado Department of Health and Environment
http://www.cdphe.state.co.us/ic/aboutus.asp
Big Thompson Watershed Forum:
http://www.btwatershed.org/
Grand County Water Information Network
http://co.grand.co.us/waterquality/home_page3f.html
National Water Quality Monitoring Council
http://water.usgs.gov/wicp/acwi/monitoring/
USGS – Water Quality Data Homepage
http://waterdata.usgs.gov/co/nwis/qw/
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