Coalition for the Upper South Platte (CUSP) collected 51 water samples, including 5 quality control samples, 29 domestic water well samples, 16 surface water samples, and one livestock well. The primary goal of this program was to identify baseline water quality conditions for both groundwater and surface water in the greater South Park area.
Generally speaking surface water quality is very good but test results were mixed for wells. Some wells have shown uranium concentrations and gross alpha radiation levels well above drinking water standards. Hard water was the most common finding, including very high concentrations of calcium, magnesium, and high alkalinity values in some wells. Because this monitoring program revealed that some homeowners’ water had high uranium concentrations, CUSP is currently looking into funding options to assist with reverse osmosis treatment systems that will remove uranium, other heavy metals, and other types of radiation.
Final Report - 2011 Groundwater and Surface Water Monitoring Project