Biological Assessment on Mining Disturbance of Stream Invertebrates in Mineralized Areas of Colorado

Scientific methods for biological assessment of surface waters have been developed and applied broadly in the United States, primarily within the regulatory context of the Clean Water Act (Ransel, 1995; Davis et al., 1996). The widespread contamination of headwater streams in the western United States by historic and contemporary mining operations represents an opportunity to extend biological assessment to a new regulatory context under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) which designates Superfund sites for remediation and monitoring.