Watch VideoState of the Rockies - river restoration
Story By: Susan Davies
Source: KOAA
In its 2008 "State of the Rockies Report Card" Colorado College researchers tackled river restoration in western states. They were frustrated by the lack of consistent assessment tools.
For example, according to data compiled by each state's water quality departments, only 7% of the rivers in the Rockies region are impaired. But by the EPA's count, the percentage was closer to 37%. Road-building, dams and mines appear to be major sources of river degradation.
As part of its effort, the college held a workshop, inviting local water experts to discuss a local water issue - the Fountain Creek watershed. Members of the panel agreed increases in water volume and sedimentation are major problems. They are in part the result of increasing population and development.
One challenge: water officials really don't know if water quality is getting worse or better because they don't have a baseline from which to work. Studies now underway are trying to answer those questions. Plans are in the works to create pilot projects involving new wetlands to mitigate some of the problems and educate the public.
It's projected that the volume of water in Fountain Creek will double over the next forty years as population increases in El Paso County. That could have serious implications for neighbors downstream.
