Learn: Colorado water explained
Short, sourced explainers for the ideas behind BasinMind's data. Each one shows a live figure from today and links to the original records.
Right now · Division 2 · ArkansasToday's river flow and calls in Division 2 (Arkansas) load here from public sources. They are also on Today.
Explainers
- Prior appropriation: first in time, first in rightWhy the oldest water right is served first, and what that means in a dry year.
- What is a water call?How a senior right short of water curtails juniors upstream, and how to read the call list.
- Is my ditch in priority?Step by step: find your WDID, read your rights, compare with today's calls.
- What is a WDID?The seven-digit ID on every ditch, reservoir and well, and what its digits mean.
- cfs and acre-feetFlow versus volume, the 1 cfs ≈ 2 acre-feet-a-day rule, and percent of median.
- Colorado's seven water divisionsThe seven divisions, their basins, offices and water courts.
- The Colorado River CompactUpper and Lower Basins, Lee Ferry, and Colorado's 51.75% Upper Basin share.
- The Rio Grande CompactIndex gauges, deliveries at Lobatos, and curtailment in the San Luis Valley.
- The Arkansas River CompactColorado, Kansas, John Martin Reservoir and Kansas v. Colorado.
- Acequias in ColoradoCommunity ditches, parciantes and mayordomos, and the 2009 recognition law.
- Reading the U.S. Drought MonitorHow the weekly map is made and what D0 to D4 mean.
- Snowpack and snow water equivalent (SWE)Snow water equivalent, SNOTEL, percent of median and the water year.
Your basin today
The same ideas, applied: each of the seven water divisions has a page with today's figures and its active calls. All seven basins.
- South PlatteDivision 1: today's calls, flows, reservoirs and snowpack.
- ArkansasDivision 2: today's calls, flows, reservoirs and snowpack.
- Rio GrandeDivision 3: today's calls, flows, reservoirs and snowpack.
- GunnisonDivision 4: today's calls, flows, reservoirs and snowpack.
- Colorado RiverDivision 5: today's calls, flows, reservoirs and snowpack.
- Yampa-White-GreenDivision 6: today's calls, flows, reservoirs and snowpack.
- San Juan/DoloresDivision 7: today's calls, flows, reservoirs and snowpack.
About BasinMind
BasinMind is a free public good for Colorado citizens. About explains what it is and who it is for, Methodology how figures are gathered and how AI answers are checked, and Sources lists every agency and dataset. Everything here is advisory: Colorado DWR administers water, and water courts decide rights.
Ask in your own words, in English or Spanish. The answer uses live public data and cites its sources; it is advisory only.
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