KNOW YOUR STREAMFLOW: Dissolved and total metals


In the Upper Uncompahgre River Watershed, many of the metals harmful to aquatic life are brought into the river by natural erosion and acidic water drainage from mines and other exposed rock. Most of this…

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Red Mountain Creek, Ouray County, Colorado

KNOW YOUR STREAMFLOW: Dissolved and total particles


Dissolved and total particles become suspended in a stream in a variety of ways such as natural erosion, acid rock drainage from mines, acid runoff over mine waste, and runoff from streets and highways. Other…

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KNOW YOUR STREAMFLOW: How minerals and sediment change rivers


A stream like the Uncompahgre River transports many substances as it flows through a variety of geologic, land use, vegetation, and urban areas. The substances include suspended bits of soil and rock, organic material, nutrients,…

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historic flood in Ouray, photo courtesy of Denver Public Library

KNOW YOUR STREAMFLOW: The effect of landslides


Surface water erosion is the primary cause of landslides. When intense periods of rainfall or snowmelt saturate the landscape, it softens the soils mixed within various sizes of rocks and boulders below ground level. The…

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