The mainstem Colorado River Basin in Colorado benefits from first access to the high mountain snowmelt that feeds the upper reaches of the Colorado River and its tributaries. However, the basin is not free of water quality problems. In Summit and Eagle Counties, old mines continue to leak acid and heavy metal-contaminated water into streams, and in the Grand Valley, salt and selenium leach into the river as irrigation water is applied to Mancos shale soils. In between, low flows resulting from diversions and depletions can lead to temperature and algae problems.
You can explore water quality throughout the basin on this Water Quality Data Dashboard developed as part of the Colorado Basin Roundtable’s Integrated Water Management Planning Framework Project. The “Colorado River Headwaters” region identified in the data dashboard corresponds to the territory covered by the Colorado Basin Roundtable.
