In charge of cooperative water-resources investigations in Colorado. COVER: These are examples of surface waters in Colorado which are adversely affected by metal-mine drainage. See the back cover for explanation. PREFACE This report is the first product of a cooperative agreement between the U.S. Geological Survey and the Colorado Water Pollution Control Commission regarding the effects of mine drainage on streams in Colorado. The extensive background section in this first report serves to set

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... the stage for a discussion of the problem at hand, and provides a means for keeping the results of the study in per¬ spective. As this report is intended for a broad spectrum of the public, the Background section has been written using nontechnical language insofar as possible. The section on The Process of Acid Formation and Trace Element Liberation involves considerable chem¬ istry, and will be of interest only to those with training in this area. However, the nontechnical reader should not suffer greatly in his comprehension of the rest of the report if this section is omitted. For the benefit of the reader, a separate Glossary and List of Mineral Names and Formulae are included in the report.