Sunday, April 11, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. (See registration form for fees.)
Be prepared for inclement weather and wear good walking shoes.
Box lunches and drinks will be provided.
(This field trip may add a final stop at the Gates Planetarium. This stop would be optional and extend the field trip end time to the early evening.)
Field trip leaders: Ralf Topper, Colorado Geological Survey; Bob Raynolds, Denver Museum of Nature and Science.
This all-day field trip integrates the geology and hydrology of the Denver Basin aquifer system of eastern Colorado to provide participants a better understanding of this nationally recognized groundwater resource and the issues surrounding its continued development. This essentially nonrenewable resource consists of four overlying, separate administrative aquifers that are the principal water supply for an urban corridor containing some of the fastest growing counties in the nation. We will see these aquifers first-hand in outcrop and discuss the geologic evolution of the basin, environments of deposition, and stratigraphic relationships. Field trip stops at various municipal water supply wells afford the opportunity to discuss the history of Denver Basin groundwater development, its management, and regulatory environment.
Featured stops include:
- Daniels Park
- Wildcat Mountain
- Castle Pines Metro
- Castle Rock Conglomerate
- Town of Sedalia Well
- Town of Castle Rock
- Thunderbird Metro
- Rueter-Hess Reservoir.
NGWA thanks the Colorado Ground-Water Association for providing the tour guidebook and format for this field trip.