STATE OF THE WATERSHED: A TOOL FOR BRIDGING RESEARCH AND EDUCATION

Water-quality studies at the watershed scale are crucial for effective water-resource and land-use planning. In order to serve as effective watershed management tools, studies must not only contain rigorous scientific data, but also encourage public involvement by providing clear and engaging interpretations accessible to readers of diverse backgrounds. A “State of the Watershed” report was prepared for the Boulder Creek Watershed, Colorado by the U.S. Geological Survey to provide scientific guidance for the City of Boulder's first Water Quality Strategic Plan. The report combines scientific data and interpretation with color maps and photographs to describe how land-use change, water diversions, urban runoff, wastewater effluent, and other factors affect water quality in the watershed. State and Federal water-quality regulations are discussed, with a focus on how they apply to Boulder Creek and its tributaries. While focusing on the present-day state of the watershed, the report also discusses past and future water quality. Gold-mining records, typhoid cases, water-quality regulations, and historical accounts are used to assess how water quality has changed since European-American settlement began in 1858. Water-quality issues of the future, such as invasive species, urban stormwater runoff, emerging contaminants, and reproductive disruption in fish are addressed. In addition to assisting the City of Boulder make water-quality management decisions and informing the public about water quality in the Boulder Creek Watershed, the State of the Watershed report can also serve as a template for presenting scientific data in an accessible manner for other watersheds.