Hydrohistorian
Bootstrap review report — d4_wd73_little_dolores_river
Generated 2026-08-14 06:33 UTC for Division 4 / Water District 73.
This is a review checklist, not a finished config. Everything below is a suggestion from live DWR data — confirm or correct each section in config.yaml before running this basin for real.
1. Stream-name patterns
Assumed mainstem pattern: BIESER CREEK (highest-count waterSource value). Candidates below by structure count — decide which are real tributaries worth their own centerline vs. noise, and add them to longitudinal.tributary_stream_patterns in priority order (more-specific names, e.g. "WEST FORK X", must precede substrings of themselves, e.g. "X").
| waterSource | structure count |
|---|---|
| BIESER CREEK (assumed mainstem) | 13 |
| LITTLE DOLORES RIVER | 12 |
| COATES CREEK | 12 |
| HILL CREEK | 7 |
| CLARK WASH | 6 |
| HAY PRESS CREEK | 5 |
| CRUSE WASH | 3 |
| TRAIL CANYON WASH | 3 |
2. Diversion / return classification
Auto-classified from structureType + name patterns: 60 diversions, 8 returns, 2 unclassified (neither pattern matched — these render as neither on the schematic unless added to return_flow_wdids/force_diversion_wdids or a type is added to the diversion/return type lists).
This layer needs the least manual work — it's the same heuristic the engine uses at runtime. Spot-check a sample rather than reviewing every row; if you have a water-year accounting spreadsheet for this basin, cross-reference it against the 'other' bucket specifically (that's where a real augmentation return with an unusual DWR structureType will hide).
2b. Cross-checked against decreed water rights (CDSS)
2 structure(s) have a decreed water right (CDSS waterrights/netamount) that disagrees with the structureType/name-pattern classification above. Same-agency evidence (DWR/HydroBase), not independent of DWR the way the NLDI topology check is — worth a glance, not an automatic correction.
| wdid | structure | currently | decreed uses suggest | decreed uses |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7305004 | HALAVITY WELL | other | diversion | Domestic, Stock |
| 7305012 | THOMPSON WELL #1 | other | diversion | Domestic, Stock |
3. Suspected nested tributaries
7 flag(s) confirmed connected by USGS NLDI — real surveyed stream-network topology, not a distance guess (see VERIFICATION-PLAN.md). This confirms the two candidates' channels really do merge (ruling out a coincidental-proximity false flag) but NOT auto-applied to tributary_parent_overrides — NLDI's overlap test can't reliably tell which side is upstream once two streams have already merged near DWR's own recorded structures, only that they connect. Confirm the direction (which one is the tributary, which is the parent) from local knowledge or the evidence below, then set it yourself.
| pair | NLDI evidence |
|---|---|
| LITTLE DOLORES RIVER <-> MAINSTEM | tributary's downstream NHD trace (comid 2521376) first overlaps MAINSTEM's own downstream trace at index 0 (next-nearest candidate: none) |
| HAY PRESS CREEK <-> LITTLE DOLORES RIVER | tributary's downstream NHD trace (comid 2523268) first overlaps LITTLE DOLORES RIVER's own downstream trace at index 12 (next-nearest candidate: ('MAINSTEM', 16)) |
| CLARK WASH <-> TRAIL CANYON WASH | tributary's downstream NHD trace (comid 2523448) first overlaps TRAIL CANYON WASH's own downstream trace at index 7 (next-nearest candidate: ('MAINSTEM', 12)) |
| HILL CREEK <-> COATES CREEK | tributary's downstream NHD trace (comid 2523156) first overlaps COATES CREEK's own downstream trace at index 0 (next-nearest candidate: none) |
| COATES CREEK <-> HILL CREEK | tributary's downstream NHD trace (comid 2522444) first overlaps HILL CREEK's own downstream trace at index 0 (next-nearest candidate: none) |
| CRUSE WASH <-> CLARK WASH | tributary's downstream NHD trace (comid 2523128) first overlaps CLARK WASH's own downstream trace at index 16 (next-nearest candidate: ('MAINSTEM', 21)) |
| TRAIL CANYON WASH <-> CLARK WASH | tributary's downstream NHD trace (comid 2522042) first overlaps CLARK WASH's own downstream trace at index 3 (next-nearest candidate: ('MAINSTEM', 8)) |
4. Gage placement risk
None — every gage with a resolvable position is within the placement cutoff.
1 more gage(s) pass but are within 2x the cutoff distance — worth a glance if the structure dataset changes later.
Next steps
- Fill in
tributary_stream_patternsfrom section 1. - Resolve section 3's flags (or confirm none apply).
- Resolve section 4's at-risk gages.
- Cross-reference
return_flow_wdids/force_diversion_wdidsagainst any local accounting source you have for this basin. - Review the rendered schematic for this district before relying on it.
Evolution of the network
Computed 2026-08-20 09:04 from 1 gage(s) with cached period-of-record data. Statistical tests (Mann-Kendall trend, Pettitt changepoint) require at least 8 years spanning at least 10 years of record -- gages below that report no signal, not "no change."
Data provenance & quality
Where these numbers come from and how far they can be trusted. Grade D (2/6 points) — the components below are the finding; the letter alone is not. Sources: DWR HydroBase snapshot HydroBase_CO_20260707 (imported 2026-08-19) for history, plus the CDSS REST API for current conditions.
| Check | State | What was measured |
|---|---|---|
| gage freshness | stale | newest gage reading is 14021 day(s) old (target 7) |
| diversion record | expected-lag | newest diversion record is 293 day(s) old (DWR publishes ~1 year in arrears) |
| structure coverage | sparse | 39% of schematic structures have data |
Independent check: PASS — 100.0000% agreement across 123,747 stored values re-checked against DWR's authoritative record (HydroBase_CO_20260707), over 20 structures. 0 disagreement(s) beyond a 0.01 cfs tolerance. Checked 2026-08-19; a rotating sample covers the whole basin across successive runs, and the structures this report cites are checked every time.
Federal cross-check: PASS — 100.00% day-level agreement with USGS's own published records for the same gages, across 1 co-listed station(s) and 1,827 overlapping days (within max(2%, 0.5 cfs) daily). Pre-1950 records at some gages carry known between-agency day-stamp and transcription differences — scored at each year's best ±1-day alignment; residual disagreement is real historical divergence, flagged for review.
1 gage(s) / 1,918 daily values (1983-04-01–1988-03-31); 79 structure(s) with diversion records; 221 with decreed rights. Methodology has not yet had independent expert review — treat every figure as an advisory screen, not an administrative or legal conclusion.
Read this first: the measurement network itself evolved
This basin was not always measured the way it is today — the API-era record is dense and recent, the early record sparse. 0 gage(s) and 51 structure(s) report in 2025, but structure reporting only reached half its modern level around ~2008. Every historical claim below is checked against this: long-term shifts that co-move with the growth of the network carry an explicit measurement-evolution caution, and abandonment screens whose idleness begins before the modern reporting era are flagged †.
| Decade | Gages with data (median yr) | Structures reporting (median yr) |
|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 0 | 22 |
| 1980s | 1 | 28 |
| 1990s | 0 | 26 |
| 2000s | 0 | 24 |
| 2010s | 0 | 52 |
| 2020s | 0 | 52 |
Gage flow trend & changepoints
Every located gage with a period of record — dot size scales with the strength of its flow trend (|Sen slope| in %/decade, the same statistic as the table below), color with direction. An amber ring marks a detected Pettitt changepoint. Click a gage to chart its trend and shift.
No gage shows a statistically significant trend or changepoint yet.
1 other gage(s) show no significant trend or changepoint (not shown).
Mass-balance (network closure) trend
Structure divrec-history backfill coverage as of the last check: 39% of 28 schematic-relevant structures. 7 year(s) clear the 30% coverage gate so far (2015–2021) -- the trend activates automatically once qualifying years span a full decade. No action needed; the nightly backfill keeps extending the record.
Reach gain/loss shifts (–)
Mass-balance kinks computed for every summer month back to (0 reach-snapshots) — which reaches gain or lose water, and how that has shifted across decades. Each shift is cross-checked against the observation record above: as more diversions became metered, "unaccounted" water shrinks mechanically, which can masquerade as a hydrologic shift.
No reach shows a statistically significant long-term gain/loss shift.
Reservoirs now has its own tab: 10 reservoir(s), end-of-year storage back to 1996, click-to-chart histories.
Cross-gage pattern fingerprint
Not enough gages with a long enough common-coverage window yet to fingerprint shared patterns.
10 reservoir(s) with 843 storage measurement(s), 1996–2026. Storage change is real water the mass balance must credit — a losing reach beside a filling reservoir isn't losing water, it's banking it.
Reservoir map — how full is each vessel?
Each reservoir drawn as a vessel: bubble size ∝ its record-high storage, fill level = last recorded storage as a share of its surveyed capacity (USACE National Inventory of Dams) where a confident NID match exists — the tooltip names the matched dam — and of its own record high otherwise (a wrong capacity would be worse than an honest record high, so only confident joins upgrade). Hover for numbers, click to chart its history below the map. A dashed teal ring marks reservoirs reporting live DWR telemetry — their fill reflects yesterday's storage, drawn as a dotted tail on charts and treated as provisional until the next verified HydroBase snapshot supersedes it. ● <25% ● 25–60% ● 60–90% ● >90%
Basin storage, end of each water year
End-of-water-year totals; per-year reservoir counts shown because reporting coverage varies -- a total is only comparable to years with similar counts.
Largest reservoirs on record
Click a reservoir to chart its full storage history.
| Reservoir | Last recorded storage (AF) | As of |
|---|---|---|
| ▸ GREEN SHAFT RES (7303602) | 0 | 2025-10-24 |
| ▸ SPRING CREEK RES (7303607) | 0 | 2025-10-24 |
| ▸ THOMPSON RES #1 (7303608) | 0 | 2012-10-15 |
| ▸ THOMPSON RES #2 (7303609) | 0 | 2012-10-15 |
| ▸ THOMPSON RES #3 (7303610) | 0 | 2012-10-15 |
| ▸ CARNS NO 1 RESERVOIR (7303611) | 0 | 2014-09-02 |
| ▸ DUVALL RES. NO. 1 (7303612) | 0 | 2025-10-24 |
| ▸ FRUITA RES #3 (7303621) | 0 | 2025-10-28 |
Decrees, seniority, and administrative calls connected to this basin's flow network. Advisory reading aids on public DWR data — not administrative or legal conclusions. Rights on file: 275 across 221 structure(s); 2 structure(s) carry 0 court-case references.
Abandonment radar (7 screens)
Absolute rights with 10+ years of no recorded diversions. Screens only — storage, alternate points, and plan operations can explain nonuse lawfully. And diversion REPORTING itself only reached its modern level ~2008 — idleness that begins before then may be unreported use, not nonuse (flagged † below).
- COOK IRRIGATING DITCH (7300532) (1886-11-26, 4.0 cfs decreed): last active 1996 — 29 years idle † predates modern reporting era — last recorded activity predates this basin's modern reporting era (~2008) -- early absence of record is weak evidence of nonuse
- RAY FILES DITCH (7300514) (1916-06-15, 0.8 cfs decreed): last active 1997 — 28 years idle † predates modern reporting era — last recorded activity predates this basin's modern reporting era (~2008) -- early absence of record is weak evidence of nonuse
- MCGINLEY DITCH (7300511) (1913-08-07, 4.7 cfs decreed): last active 2011 — 14 years idle
- GREEN SHAFT RES (7303602) (1911-11-15, 0.0 cfs decreed): last active 2011 — 14 years idle
- HALAVITY WELL (7305004) (1913-12-31, 0.0 cfs decreed): last active 2012 — 13 years idle
- LOCKHART SPRING (7300565) (1910-05-01, 0.2 cfs decreed): last active 2014 — 11 years idle
- ROBBINS DITCH (7300516) (1886-04-01, 5.9 cfs decreed): last active 2015 — 10 years idle
Compliance screens (29 advisory flags)
Screened 53 of 221 structures with rights (68 have diversion history on file). A flag is a lead for expert review — augmentation plans, exchanges, and free-river conditions can make over-decree diversions lawful and are deliberately not modeled.
- CHIQUITO DOLORES NO 2 (7300505): Observed p99 daily rate 10.6 cfs (max 13.5) exceeds total decreed absolute 6.0 cfs across 15522 recorded day(s).
- ROBBINS DITCH (7300516): Observed p99 daily rate 9.4 cfs (max 11.8) exceeds total decreed absolute 5.9 cfs across 6006 recorded day(s).
- NELLIE S DITCH (7300513): Observed p99 daily rate 9.0 cfs (max 15.8) exceeds total decreed absolute 5.6 cfs across 10901 recorded day(s).
- SELBY IRRIGATING DITCH (7300538): Observed p99 daily rate 6.1 cfs (max 7.4) exceeds total decreed absolute 5.1 cfs across 12003 recorded day(s).
- THOMPSON FEEDER DITCH (7300518): Observed p99 daily rate 6.0 cfs (max 6.0) exceeds total decreed absolute 3.0 cfs across 1327 recorded day(s).
- COOK IRRIGATING DITCH (7300532): Observed p99 daily rate 5.6 cfs (max 6.5) exceeds total decreed absolute 4.0 cfs across 3868 recorded day(s).
- REED DITCH (7300515): Observed p99 daily rate 5.3 cfs (max 5.4) exceeds total decreed absolute 4.1 cfs across 4168 recorded day(s).
- HAFEY SOUTH SIDE DITCH (7300508): Observed p99 daily rate 5.1 cfs (max 5.6) exceeds total decreed absolute 1.1 cfs across 2266 recorded day(s).
- COOK IRRIGATING DITCH ALTERNATE POINT (7300641): Observed p99 daily rate 3.8 cfs (max 4.0) exceeds total decreed absolute 2.2 cfs across 1980 recorded day(s).
- SKINNER DITCH (7300634): Observed p99 daily rate 3.8 cfs (max 4.5) exceeds total decreed absolute 2.5 cfs across 1402 recorded day(s).
Seniority (top structures by decreed rate)
| Structure | Senior priority date | Rights | Decreed abs (cfs) | Decreed abs (AF) | Conditional? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CHIQUITO DOLORES DITCH (7300504) | 1885-12-31 | 4 | 17.7 | 0 | — |
| MOORLAND DITCH (7300537) | 1886-11-26 | 9 | 13.0 | 0 | — |
| BRIER DITCH (7300531) | 1903-04-15 | 4 | 9.9 | 0 | yes |
| UPPER SAXBURY DITCH (7300519) | 1885-04-01 | 7 | 7.7 | 0 | — |
| KELL DITCH NO 1 (7300541) | 1913-06-01 | 1 | 6.0 | 0 | — |
| CHIQUITO DOLORES NO 2 (7300505) | 1886-04-01 | 3 | 6.0 | 0 | — |
| ROBBINS DITCH (7300516) | 1886-04-01 | 2 | 5.9 | 0 | — |
| NELLIE S DITCH (7300513) | 1910-12-10 | 1 | 5.6 | 0 | — |
| SELBY IRRIGATING DITCH (7300538) | 1883-05-10 | 4 | 5.1 | 0 | — |
| H H RUSSEL D (7300533) | 1910-06-23 | 6 | 4.9 | 0 | — |
| MCGINLEY DITCH (7300511) | 1913-08-07 | 1 | 4.7 | 0 | — |
| HILL DITCH (7300534) | 1929-06-01 | 2 | 4.7 | 0 | — |
| REED DITCH (7300515) | 1892-04-01 | 3 | 4.1 | 0 | — |
| COOK IRRIGATING DITCH (7300532) | 1886-11-26 | 1 | 4.0 | 0 | — |
| BROUSE DITCH (7300502) | 1911-08-10 | 1 | 3.4 | 0 | — |
No inventory or legal-document changes detected since the daily watch began.
If a call were placed at a given seniority, which structures in this basin would be out of priority, and how much of their decreed rate would be curtailed? Computed from this basin's cached decrees.
What this does and doesn't model. Seniority arithmetic only: every right junior to the call is treated as curtailed. It does not model reach applicability — structures downstream of the calling point are not administered by it — and it applies no futile-call judgment. Read it as “who is junior to this date, and by how much,” not as a prediction of what the Division Engineer would actually order.
Pick a calling right
Real decrees from this basin, ordered by administration number — that is, by actual seniority. The years will look out of order, and that is correct: an administration number encodes the adjudication date as well as the appropriation date, so a right appropriated in 1970 can be administered ahead of one from 1950. A senior call curtails almost everything; a junior one curtails almost nothing.
Or enter an administration number directly
DWR administration numbers encode appropriation and adjudication dates; lower is more senior.