Project overview

Infrastructure, such as roads, airports, water and energy transmission and distribution facilities, sewage treatment plants, and many other facilities, is vital to the sustainability and vitality of any populated area. Much of the Nation's infrastructure built during the 1950’s and 60’s has deteriorated to a point that extensive repair and replacement are required. In many areas of rapid population growth, even recent infrastructure may be inadequate and new infrastructure must be constructed to meet growing needs. Rehabilitation of existing and development of new infrastructure require three natural resources: natural aggregate (stone, sand and gravel), water, and energy. Despite the dependence of society on infrastructure resources, urban expansion often works to the detriment of the production of these essential raw materials. As urban areas expand, local sources of these resources become inaccessible (gravel cannot be mined from under a subdivision, for example), or the cost of recovery of the resource becomes prohibitive (oil and gas drilling in an urban area is costly), or the resources become unfit for some uses (pollution of ground water may preclude its use as a water supply). Further, land-use decisions and mandates by Federal, state, and local governments preclude development of resources in some areas. Resources that are unavailable locally must be imported from more distant sources, often at greater cost. Failure to plan for the protection and extraction of infrastructure resources often results in increased customer cost, environmental damage, and an adversarial relationship between industry and the community. Increased costs of maintaining or expanding infrastructure commonly are passed on to the public as higher taxes or reduced services in other areas. Well-reasoned decisions about land-use are critical to the National interest if infrastructure resources are to remain economically available.

The principal goals of the U. S. Geological Survey Front Range Infrastructure Resources Project (FRIRP) are to develop information, define tools, and demonstrate ways to 1) implement a multidisciplinary evaluation of the distribution and quality of a region’s infrastructure resources, 2) identify issues that may affect availability of resources, and 3) provide (by working with cooperators) decision makers with tools to evaluate alternatives so as to enhance decision making. A regional inventory of the resources needed for development and growth can define the basic physical resource limitations. Process studies can relate resource inventories to resource models and availability and can relate resource extraction to potential impacts on the environment. Geographic integration of data (geospatial databases) can provide an interactive tool to facilitate decision-making by stakeholders. Frequent interaction with stakeholders, including state and local agencies and the producers and users of infrastructure resources, can ensure a focus on the highest priority issues and can enhance the relevance of Project products.

The goals of the FRIRP are being implemented through 1) a three-year study of a demonstration area in the northern Colorado Front Range urban corridor; and 2) an overlapping, five-year study of the entire Rocky Mountain Front Range urban corridor from Cheyenne, Wyoming, to Pueblo, Colorado; the objectives will be pursued in conjunction with state and local groups. The structure of data sets, development of analytical models, construction of tools to spatially analyze data, and the approach to building state and local teams provide a pattern for similar work elsewhere in the United States.

The FRIRP is conducting studies of aggregate, energy, water, and biological resources:

Studies of aggregate resources include identification, characterization, and modeling of aggregate using traditional field techniques, as well as remote sensing and geophysical studies. Environmental and reclamation issues related to aggregate development also are being investigated. Our principal cooperators for aggregate studies are the Colorado Geological Survey, the National Stone Association, and the Colorado Rock Products Association and some of its members.

Studies of petroleum resources address issues related to the distribution, production, and future extraction of oil and gas resources. Environmental studies are underway to determine the relationship, if any, between water produced during oil and gas extraction and the formation of salt deposits in soils. The project is also investigating the distribution, extent, and depth to abandoned coal mine workings as related to coal mine subsidence. Our principal cooperators for energy resource studies are the Colorado Geological Survey and the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission.

Because water resources are required to sustain a growing infrastructure, the FRIRP is defining the extent and character of the ground-water supplies in the project demonstration area. Specifically, we are producing maps showing the extent, thickness, water table, and water quality conditions of the shallow aquifers, as well as the interconnection between shallow aquifers and deeply buried bedrock aquifers in the region. Our principal cooperators for water resources studies are the Colorado Water Conservation Board and the Colorado Department of Natural Resources, Division of Water Resources.

Biological resources, such as riparian (streamside) areas of the Front Range provide important wildlife habitat and significant human amenities. In places, they also overlie natural resources such as aggregate or water resources. Extracting mineral or water resources may impact habitats. Conversely, post-extraction reclamation may allow enhancement of habitat values. Evaluation of such consequences requires objective, current biological data. Similarly, commercial and residential developments often conflict with infrastructure resource extraction and habitat values. The FRIRP is studying the relative economic value of a variety of land use and resource development options. Our principal cooperators for biological resource studies include the Colorado Division of Wildlife, the Colorado State Heritage Program, the University of Colorado, and Western Mobile, Inc.

Identification of land use and landscape conditions, and the processes that change those conditions, is essential to management of infrastructure resources. Therefore, we are collecting data to evaluate land-surface characteristics such as topography, soils, vegetation, and historical and existing land-use. We are also developing Geographic Information System applications to manage and display these data, and a Decision Support System to demonstrate the usefulness of the data.

Communication and exchange of information with stakeholders is necessary to ensure maximum benefits from the FRIRP. We have an aggressive outreach program and are conducting our outreach activities in cooperation with a number of State and local government agencies and with industry representatives.