Animas River Monitoring
June 2022 - Post-416 Fire Aquatic Monitoring Summary
We are happy to share a summary of our research tracking aquatic impacts and recovery in the three-years following the 416 Fire:
May 2022 - Water Quality Improvements Resulting from Santa Rita Water Reclamation Facility (SRWRF) Upgrades
MSI partnered with City of Durango staff and the Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment’s (CDPHE) Measurable Results Program (MRP) to determine whether facility treatment upgrades resulted in measurable improvements to downstream water quality in the Animas River.
Curious what we found?
3 options for learning more:
April 2022 - Post-416 Fire Research Published
MSI’s Scott Roberts and Mandy Eskelson, with Colorado School of Mines, recently published results from our post-416 Fire research in a peer-reviewed journal, The Science of the Total Environment. The article focuses on observed elevated metal concentrations in downstream surface water following the fire and subsequent accumulation of metals in aquatic insect tissue. These observations are discussed in the context of historical precedent in the Animas River watershed, including the 2015 Gold King Mine release.
May 2021 - Post-416 Fire Aquatic Monitoring Summary
We are happy to share a summary of our research tracking aquatic impacts and recovery following the 416 Fire featuring an original illustration by our own Artemis Eyster:
September 2020 - 416 Fire Story Map
Click on the button below to explore the story map documenting ongoing monitoring efforts of the 416 Fire by MSI researchers and our partners. Be sure to revisit this living document as post-fire forest and aquatic monitoring results are updated with new photos and results!
May 2020 - Presentation on “416 Fire Impacts and Recovery of Water Quality and Aquatic Life”
To learn more about the original publication of Our Animas, scroll down to the May 2019 post about the Animas River Community Forum (ARCF) and Our Animas.
May 2019 - ‘Our Animas’ Educational publication available online
Our Animas is a publication of the Animas River Community Forum, created to address community concerns, use local data, promote understanding of river health, and share actions community members can take to support river resiliency.
October 2018 - Animas River and Hermosa Creek water quality conditions following the 416 fire
JUNE 2018 - WATER QUALITY MONITORING RESULTS FROM THE ANIMAS RIVER AT ROTARY PARK IN DURANGO, CO
December 2017 - MSI releases new Animas River benthic macroinvertebrate reports
Summary of 2017 water quality monitoring results from the Animas River at Rotary Park
animas river water quality results from other organizations and agencies:
-San Juan Basin Public Health, an authority for guidance on human health concerns related to the Animas River.
-USGS gauges on the Animas and San Juan Rivers
-Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
-Colorado Department of Public Health and the Environment (CDPHE)
Summary of 2016 water quality monitoring results from the Animas River at Rotary Park
Mountain Studies Institute (MSI), a nonpartisan independent research center, has been monitoring water quality of the Animas River before, during, and after the Gold King Mine release. MSI continued to monitor the Animas River at Rotary Park in 2016 and 2017 and has water quality results from samples collected during spring runoff, base flows, and storm events.
Click the above image to open the flipbook-style guide: Once you open the PDF, use the left and right arrow buttons on your keyboard to flip through the pages.
In 2016, MSI distributed rack cards to help the public understand animas river water quality:
August 2016 - MSI RELEASES REPORT THAT EVALUATES THE IMPACTS TO ANIMAS RIVER BENTHIC MACROINVERTEBRATE POPULATIONS FROM THE AUGUST 2015 GOLD KING MINE RELEASE.
Mountain Studies Institute (MSI) surveyed benthic macroinvertebrate (BMI) populations along the Animas River from Silverton to Durango and analyzed potential impacts to these populations from the Gold King Mine release. MSI analyzed the immediate survival of benthic insects and also compared observations of BMI populations from the fall of 2014, prior to the Gold King Mine release, to the fall of 2015, two months after the release.
June 2016 - Spring Runoff Update
In early April, for the first time in eight months, the reach of the Animas River from Tall Timbers Resort (located in the Animas River canyon) to Durango rose to the same level it was when the Gold King Mine release occurred, due mostly to snowmelt. “We collected water quality samples to coincide with this flushing event in an effort to capture conditions when sediment deposited along the margins of the Animas River banks could have been re-suspended.”
The monitoring program is part of a partnership between MSI and the City of Durango to communicate Animas River water quality information to the public.
“Our monitoring program aims to understand whether water quality this spring is any different than previous years and if metal concentrations in the river pose any threat to human health, agriculture, or aquatic life” said Marcie Bidwell, MSI’s director. Read More -->
For a summary and explanation of Animas River spring monitoring results check out these links:
Click to open the spring runoff update
Additional Animas River Resources
-Please refer to the San Juan Basin Public Health, an authority for guidance on human health concerns related to the Animas River.
-USGS gauges on the Animas and San Juan Rivers
-Environmental Protection Agency, Gold King Mine webpage
-Colorado Department of Public Health and the Environment, Animas River webpage
Click to open the flipbook: Once you open the PDF guide, use the left and right arrow buttons on your keyboard to flip through the pages.
