Researcher enlists San Luis Valley residents in exploring how drought affects aquifer health
Katherine James, an epidemiologist and engineer at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, is leading the research on a study that has her partnering with hundreds of well owners to learn more about metal contamination in water — an issue of increasing concern in the Mountain West. She came up with the idea about 15 years ago when she was working on her dissertation in the valley. … The study started last summer, and it aims to understand how drought contributes to the presence of metals in well water in the San Luis Valley in Southern Colorado. Growing research shows our water is more likely to become acidic and contain naturally occur ring metals like arsenic due to increased temperatures and drought in the West. This could be problematic in the San Luis Valley be cause as James said , most families rely on groundwater for their irrigation systems and water supply.