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Cucharas River

Division 2 · Water District 16 · As of 2026-09-22 05:24 MDT · 3 weeks ago
Live · machine-built

Cucharas River on the ground — the ditches, wells, reservoirs and gages of Water District 16 · clicktap anything for its record

Browse this district’s ditches, gages, reservoirs, wells and springs as a list.

2% of normal flow, week of 2026-09-21
1 call the record places on it, 16 unsettled

The Cucharas River is critically low for late September -- 2% of normal flow, its 2nd-driest such week in 87 years of record. 1 call stands against it right now; the most senior right calling dates to 1871. DWR's statements do not settle whether 16 more calls reach it. This year's runoff outlook, issued 2026-06-01, called for 26% of normal.

Schematic

Historical

Evolution of the network

Hydrographs vs. historical envelope

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Snowpack — no snow on the ground at 1 SNOTEL site — normal for the date; the snow year begins in October and typically peaks around March 16. Runoff outlook — Cucharas R nr La Veta: even odds of at least 2 kAF over 06-01 to 09-30 — 26% of a normal season, per NRCS, issued 2026-06-01 — the season’s final; new forecasts begin in January. Full snow & runoff picture — charts, forecast history and how the forecasts have verified →

Sites, exceedance bands and sources
SNOTEL siteElev (ft)SWE (in)Median (in)% of medianTypical peak
Apishapa10000 0.00.0 — March 16 (7.6 in)

Cucharas R nr La Veta — 06-01 to 09-30 volume, thousand acre-feet (chance the volume is AT LEAST this):

90%70%50%30%10%Normal
01223 6

Snow-water equivalent and medians (1991–2020) from NRCS SNOTEL; seasonal volume forecasts from the NRCS National Water and Climate Center. Sites and forecast points are assigned to the district whose boundary contains them — snowpack that feeds this district can also sit in a neighboring headwater district. Toggle the Snow chip on the map above to see the sites.

Topology cross-check: 4 parent disagreements, 9 sizable streams not on this network (vs DWR's route framework — under review)

This flow network was built mechanically; DWR's Source Water Route Framework disagrees with it in the places below. Each row is a question a human reviewer has not yet answered — not an error verdict. Checked 20 streams, 16 agree. Know this water? Tell us →

StreamThis site routes it toDWR routes it to
South Abeyta Creek the mainstem Middle Creek
Indian Creek the mainstem Middle Creek
School Creek the mainstem Wahatoya Creek
Pictou Arroyo the mainstem Sandy Arroyo

Sizable streams DWR maps here that this network does not carry:

Bear Creek (22 mi) · Walsen Arroyo (20 mi) · Sand Arroyo (9 mi) · Sandy Arroyo (7 mi) · Chaparral Creek (5 mi) · Cucharas Creek (5 mi) · Ritter Arroyo (4 mi) · Rilling Creek (4 mi)

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