Water for the proposed West Side Campground site, Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado

Abstract

At the request of the U.S. National Park Service, the U S. Geological Survey investigated the possibility of obtaining a water supply at the proposed West Side Campground Site in the western part of Rocky Mountain Park (fig. 1). The first field investigation of the site, made July 24, 1962, revealed two possibilities for obtaining a water supply: a well or wells tapping terrace deposits or diverting part of the flow of the North Fork of the Colorado River Each possibility was investigated considering the location of the source with respect to the proposed point or points of use, adequacy of quantity and chemical quality of water, reliability as a perennial source, and problems of development involving topography and earth materials. Because a ground-water source was preferred by Park Service officials and the ground-water possibilities seemed to be promising, the remaining study effort was devoted entirely to the appraisal of the ground-water potential. Work in and near the proposed campground site consisted of field observation and mapping of surface geologic and hydrologic features, selection of a drilling site for a test well, supervision of the drilling of the test well, and testing the yield of the well. The assistance of Robert Haraden and Dave Spivey, National Park Service, is gratefully acknowledged. Thanks are given to Earl Reaksecker, driller, for his excellent cooperation during the drilling of the test well.