Water quality affects our everyday lives in numerous ways...the water we drink, our outdoor recreation activities, and the aesthetics of our surroundings.

LRE staff work effectively with clients, water quality agencies, and specialized subcontractors to collect and analyze water quality, quantity, and biological sampling data for streams and lakes. The data collected for these studies is interpreted and used by clients who need to assess and control contaminants from point and nonpoint sources or evaluate water supplies for various beneficial uses. The data obtained from these studies is stored, retrieved, and manipulated in GIS files and database management systems (See the Data Integration and GIS section of our web page). Water quality data that is collected, analyzed, interpreted, and cataloged by LRE staff are used by clients, regulatory agencies, and other interested parties for multiple scientific, permitting, planning, and management purposes. The studies LRE has conducted have been used to guide the adoption of new water quality standards, negotiate permit limits, select water supply sources, and develop watershed management plans.

Our water quality and related data management services have been primarily focused on addressing various regulatory requirements and completing scientific studies in support of developing permitting, planning, and resource management strategies. Recent work has focused on developing a better understanding of the relationship between aquatic invertebrate populations and biological stressors including nonpoint and point source (from wastewater treatment plant discharges) nutrient loading and other factors such as sedimentation, habitat alteration, metals contamination, and urban runoff.

As part of this process, LRE continues to collect, analyze, and provide data to the State Water Quality Control Division (WQCD) to supplement its ongoing effort toward development of stream water quality standards. The data and analyses are helping clients develop a positive working relationship with the WQCD during their standards development process. In addition, the data will be used to inform WQCD staff about conditions that may be unique to specific waters in comparison to other streams and watersheds. These data can be used to better define expected (reference) conditions for these stream segments and how they differ from other similar streams in Colorado. They will also be used to gain a better understanding of how different proposed nutrient criteria would impact future discharge permitting for our clients’ wastewater treatment plants.

LRE’s water quality assessment studies provide important data (macroinvertebrates/algae/water chemistry) used to:

• Assess current biological and water quality conditions at key sites,
• Identify changing conditions, trends, and associated management strategies to address water quality problems,
• Evaluate potential impacts and management strategies associated with proposed projects such as expansion of existing plants and relocation of new treatment facilities, and
• Supplement data collected by other agencies and stakeholders to identify water quality trends.

Proper data management for water quality studies is critical for effective file maintenance, rapid data retrieval, and multi-purpose analyses by diverse users. Our GIS personnel and database management staff have developed efficient, user friendly and cost-effective systems tailored to the needs of our clients. Having a wide breadth of in-house expertise enables LRE to provide our clients with integrated and high quality water quality assessment services.