Arkansas Basin water today
Today's figures for Division 2 of the Colorado Division of Water Resources: river calls, flows, reservoirs, snowpack and drought, each with its source and time.
River flows
| Gauge | cfs | % of median | Source | Reading |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arkansas River near Leadville | 12 | 44% | USGS | Oct 4, 2026, 1:15 p.m. |
| East Fork Arkansas River at US Highway 24 near Leadville | 14 | 70% | USGS | Oct 4, 2026, 1:15 p.m. |
| Arkansas River at Moffat Street at Pueblo | 243 | 171% | USGS | Oct 4, 2026, 12:45 p.m. |
| Arkansas River near Avondale | 610 | 179% | USGS | Oct 4, 2026, 1:30 p.m. |
Reservoirs
| Reservoir | Full | Storage (AF) | Capacity (AF) | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pueblo Reservoir | 44% | 156,891 | 357,678 | Oct 3, 2026 |
| Twin Lakes | 71% | 99,736 | 140,900 | Oct 3, 2026 |
| Turquoise Lake | 54% | 70,132 | 129,440 | Oct 3, 2026 |
| John Martin Reservoir | 8% | 26,733 | 346,000 | Oct 3, 2026 |
All stream gauges in the Arkansas basin
A page per gauge with its latest flow; 83 in the division.
Show all 83 gauges, by river
- East Fork Arkansas River
- US Highway 24
- Arkansas River
- Leadville · below Empire Gulch · Granite · below Granite · Nathrop · Parkdale · Canon City · at Portland · near Portland · above Pueblo · Moffat Street · Avondale · Nepesta · Catlin Dam · La Junta · Las Animas · below John Martin Reservoir · Lamar · Granada · Holly
- Halfmoon Creek
- Malta · below Halfmoon Diversion
- Fourmile Creek
- below Cripple Creek
- Beaver Creek
- above Upper Beaver Cemetery · above Highway 115
- Turkey Creek
- above Teller Reservoir
- Teller Reservoir Spillway
- Stone City
- Arkansas River Tributary
- above Highway 227
- Williams Canyon
- above Mouth
- Fountain Creek
- near Colorado Springs · at Colorado Springs · below Janitell Road below Colorado Springs · Security · Fountain · Pinon · Pueblo · 8th Street
- Camp Creek
- Garden of the Gods
- Monument Creek
- above North Gate Blvd · below Sewage Treatment Plant · above Woodmen Road · Pikeview · Bijou Street
- Goat Camp Creek
- above Reservoir No. 4
- Lehman Run
- below Stadium Blvd
- Reservoir No. 1 Spillway
- Husted Road
- West Monument Creek
- below Rampart Reservoir · U.S. Air Force Academy · Pikeview
- Kettle Creek
- above USAF Academy
- Pine Creek
- above Briargate Parkway above Colorado Springs
- Cottonwood Creek
- Woodmen Road · Union Blvd · Mouth
- Bear Creek
- Colorado Springs
- Cheyenne Creek
- Evans Avenue
- Sand Creek
- above Mouth
- Clover Ditch Drain
- Quinn Street · Widefield
- Jimmy Camp Creek
- Fountain
- Little Fountain Creek
- below Ripley Ditch · Fountain
- Rock Creek
- above Fort Carson Reservation
- St. Charles River
- Burnt Mill · Vineland
- Huerfano River
- Boone
- Apishapa River
- Fowler
- Timpas Creek
- Mouth
- Purgatoire River
- Madrid · below Trinidad Lake · Thatcher · Rock Crossing · Las Animas
- Van Bremer Arroyo
- Model
- Wild Horse Creek
- above Holly
- Turkey Creek West Seep
- below Teller Reservoir
- Turkey Creek East Seep
- below Teller Reservoir
- Lytle Ditch
- Fort Carson
- Strobel Ditch from Turkey Creek
- Fort Carson
- Merriams Rock Creek Ditch
- Fort Carson
- Ripley Ditch from L. Fountain Creek
- Fort Carson
- Womack Ditch from L. Fountain Creek
- Fort Carson
Counties in this basin
This week's drought by county, wholly or partly in Division 2: Baca · Bent · Chaffee · Cheyenne · Crowley · Custer · Elbert · El Paso · Fremont · Huerfano · Kiowa · Lake · Las Animas · Lincoln · Otero · Park · Prowers · Pueblo · Teller
About the Arkansas basin
The Arkansas basin is Division 2 of Colorado's seven water divisions. It takes in the Arkansas River and its tributaries, from the headwaters near Leadville to the Kansas line, and its Division Engineer's office and water court sit in Pueblo. BasinMind follows conditions here at Leadville, Salida, Cañon City, Pueblo, Rocky Ford and La Junta.
The division is split into 13 water districts, the units water commissioners administer day to day. The first two digits of a structure's WDID are its district (What is a WDID?).
- 10 Fountain Creek
- 11 Arkansas: Headwaters to Salida
- 12 Arkansas: Salida to Portland
- 13 Wet Mountain Valley
- 14 Arkansas: Portland to Fowler
- 15 Saint Charles
- 16 Cucharas River
- 17 Arkansas: Fowler to Las Animas
- 18 Apishapa River
- 19 Purgatoire River
- 66 Cimarron River Basin
- 67 Arkansas: Las Animas to Stateline
- 79 Huerfano River
BasinMind follows 4 reservoirs in the division, with the capacity it records for each: Pueblo Reservoir (357,678 acre-feet), Twin Lakes (140,900 acre-feet), Turquoise Lake (129,440 acre-feet) and John Martin Reservoir (346,000 acre-feet, conservation pool; flood pool excluded). The largest is Pueblo Reservoir; daily storage comes from Colorado DWR telemetry or Reclamation.
The Arkansas River Compact (1948) between Colorado and Kansas shapes administration of the lower river and of John Martin Reservoir. More in The Arkansas River Compact.
Water planning here runs through the Arkansas Basin Roundtable of the Colorado Water Conservation Board.
Each figure above carries the time its source stamped it. Percent of median compares today's flow with the median for this date over the gauge's record (cfs and acre-feet); a call shows how far down the priority list rights are being served on a stretch of river (What is a water call?).
More for this basin
Explainers
- What is a water call?
- Is my ditch in priority?
- Colorado's seven water divisions
- cfs and acre-feet
- Snowpack and SWE
- Reading the U.S. Drought Monitor
- The Arkansas River Compact
Other basins
- South Platte · Division 1
- Rio Grande · Division 3
- Gunnison · Division 4
- Colorado River · Division 5
- Yampa-White-Green · Division 6
- San Juan/Dolores · Division 7