Roaring Fork Valley residents are lucky to live in an area that is dominated by high water quality. To ensure that it stays that way, and to locate the areas that need our help, Roaring Fork Conservancy is performing water quality testing and analysis throughout the watershed. Currently, sampling is conducted on a periodic basis at 30 sites around the watershed including numerous sites along the Roaring Fork as well as many of its tributaries.
Working with Colorado Parks and Wildlife's River Watch Program, Roaring Fork Conservancy's staff, Stream Team volunteers, and student-collected data contributes to a state-wide water quality database. With this information, coordinated management practices are implemented and specific water quality concerns are addressed. Using this data, Roaring Fork Conservancy published the first State of the River Report in 2001 summarizing water quality around the watershed. A second report, the 2006 Water Quality Report, looked at the previous five years worth of data and identified areas of concern, including Cattle, Brush, and Fourmile Creeks, and the lower Crystal River.
