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, bacteria, and dissolved and undissolved metals. Suspended materials, particularly those containing metals like iron, can produce different colors in streams … Read more
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 water flow also finds its way into air pockets underground. As the ground becomes more unstable, gravity nudges the heavy … Read more
Streamflow is the volume of water flowing past a certain point on a waterway at any given time of day. Heavy rains and snowmelt can produce runoff at a rate that exceeds the drainage capacity of streams, which results in flooding. Landslides occur as soil and rock are over saturated by excess runoff, causing mass … Read more
