Alkalis In Colorado 
43 
seated sources or may issue from an open, shallow mineralized veins 
are not included in this statement. The waters, for instance, of a 
stream in South Park whose very head is a brine that in early times 
was boiled as a source of salt, could not be included, even though these 
waiters, later in their flow, appear as mountain waters, nor a spring 
which was struck in the bed of Clear Creek, Gilpin County, which was 
rich in the sulfates of iron, manganese, and zinc associated with calcic 
sulfate. Such . springs may discharge their waters into mountain 
streams, and if their volume is sufficiently big, may modify the char¬ 
acter of the water of that stream in a lower part of its course. It 
really seems unnecessary to state such evident exceptions as these but 
they are of actual occurrence, and there are many such iwithin the 
State. I know of a small spring which is discharging an almost pure 
solution of aluminic sulfate into one of our rivers. This spring is at 
an altitude of approximately 5,000 feet, but we would scarcely consider 
the river at this point a mountain stream, though it is a branch of the 
Gunnison River. Such a water would of course be changed quickly 
on mingling with any ordinary water. 
By mountain waters is meant such as run off of the mountain 
areas or issue from springs fed by such waters which have been in con¬ 
tact with metamorphic or igneous rock in which felspathic constituents 
are abundant. The presence of carbonic acid is assumed, as it is pres¬ 
ent in the atmosphere, in all surface waters, and in the soil. 
I will give the analysis of a residue obtained by evaporating about 
40 gallons of water to dryness. This water was taken from the Poudre 
River above the mouth of the North Fork before it receives any other 
than mountain water. 
ANALYSIS OF POUDRE RIVER WATER 
Percent 
Calcic sulfate. 11.782 
Calcic carbonate . 24.781 
Magnesic carbonate. 9.063 
Potassic carbonate . 4.325, 
Sodic carbonate . 9.146 
Sodic Chlorid. 5.899 
Sodic silicate. 8.772 
Iron and aluminic oxids. 0.388 
Manganic oxid (br). 0.063 
Silicic acid uncombined. 16.546 
Ignition . (9.235) 
I 
SANITARY ANALYSIS 
Total solids . 
Chlorin . 
Nitrogen as nitrates . 
Nitrogen as nitrites . 
Saline ammonia . 
Albuminoidal ammonia . 
Oxygen consumed . 
100.000 
Parts per Million 
.. 41.4286 
1.9804 
Trace 
. i.’one 
0.0350 
0.0900 
2.5500 
