USGS briefing: groundwater levels in parts of Elbert County's Denver Basin are declining

At an April 2 meeting, the Elbert County Board of Commissioners heard a USGS Colorado Water Science Center presentation showing that groundwater levels in parts of the Denver Basin beneath Elbert County are trending downward and that a new USGS Scientific Investigations Report (SIR) covering 2015–2023 is in final editorial review.

USGS scientists said the county’s 10-year monitoring network now provides a broader, clearer picture of aquifer behavior than earlier reports and that more data have reduced statistical uncertainty. ‘‘The water level trends are going down,’’ Kelly, a USGS scientist who led the presentation, said. She also noted that ‘‘all these data is publicly available’’ through the USGS National Water Information System (NWIS).

Why it matters: Elbert County planners and commissioners said groundwater from the Denver Basin supplies most county needs and that trends could affect approvals for new development, particularly in the northwest and north‑central corridors. Commissioners asked the USGS for more detail and asked staff to coordinate follow-up steps including restoring monitoring wells that have dropped out of the network.

USGS presentation and data USGS staff described the monitoring network…