City of Boulder/USGS Water Quality Monitoring

Map bar plots are plotted
on the following scale

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Boulder Creek Watershed
North Boulder Creek - Boulder Creek
Turbidity Time Series for 2000
Indicated monitoring site:

Select on the map plot to view detailed time series information for Turbidity at that site. Select on the site icon to view time series information for all parameters at that site.


Information on Turbidity:

Turbidity is a measure of the cloudiness of the water. Cloudiness is caused by suspended solids or organic matter including silt, microorganisms, plant fibers, sawdust chemicals and coal dust. High levels of turbidity can block light from reaching submerged aquatic vegetation and can raise surface water temperatures because the suspended particles absorb heat from sunlight. The most frequent causes of turbidity are from logging, road and building construction, and mining activity. Turbidity affects fish by decreasing light penetration thus reducing the amount of photosynthesis taking place in the water. This reduces the amount of oxygen available to fish. Large amounts of suspended solids can also clog fish gills, and it affects their ability to see and catch foo

More general information about Turbidity
Measurement of Turbidity
Factors affecting Turbidity
Standards regarding Turbidity
Interpretation of Boulder Creek Turbidity data
Data Source: City of Boulder Water Quality Monitoring
Point of Contact: Chris Rudkin
Collection and Analysis notes
Analysis method: Hach 2100N

Return to the BASIN water quality catalog

Return to the BASIN environmental data catalog


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Last Page Update - Monday December 26, 2005