Alamosa River river
Total streamflow across the Alamosa River was last observed at 194 cfs, and is expected to yield approximately 385 acre-ft of water today; about 24% of normal. River levels are low and may signify a drought. Average streamflow for this time of year is 808 cfs, with recent peaks last observed on 2017-06-06 when daily discharge volume was observed at 2,373 cfs.
Maximum discharge along the river is currently at the Alamosa River Above Terrace Reservoir reporting a streamflow rate of 194.00 cfs. However, the streamgauge with the highest stage along the river is the Alamosa River Below Terrace Reservoir with a gauge stage of 3.00 ft. This river is monitored from 3 different streamgauging stations along the Alamosa River, the highest being situated at an altitude of 9,403 ft, the Alamosa River Above Wightman Fork Near Jasper.
River streamflow levels
Daily aggregate streamflow across every monitored gauge along the Alamosa River. Use the range buttons to zoom in on a specific period.
Total streamflow
Sum of all monitored streamgauges · daily
Every streamgauge along the Alamosa River
All 3 USGS gauges Snoflo tracks for this river, with current flow, stage, recent change, percent of normal, and the gauge's all-time min / max. Click any header to sort. Cells are heatmapped relative to the column min/max -- darker blue = higher.
| Streamgauge▾ | Streamflow (cfs)▾ | Gauge stage (ft)▾ | 24h Δ (%)▾ | % Normal▾ | Min (cfs)▾ | Max (cfs)▾ | Elevation (ft)▾ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Alamosa River Above Wightman Fork Near Jasper
CO
USGS 08235250
|
-999 | 0.66 | 0.0 | 1% | 0 | 1,440 | 9,403 |
|
Alamosa River Above Terrace Reservoir
CO
USGS 08236000
|
194 | 1.43 | 2.7 | 51% | 0 | 1,040 | 8,621 |
|
Alamosa River Below Terrace Reservoir
CO
USGS 08236500
|
131 | 3.00 | -1.5 | 34% | 1 | 1,150 | 8,400 |
Maximum streamflow discharge by year
The single highest aggregate discharge recorded each year. Spotting the multi-year trend reveals droughts vs. wet cycles long before the headline daily flow does.
Annual peak discharge
From the river's full record · one point per water year
Streamflow elevation profile
Each bubble is one gauge along the river, plotted by current streamflow (x-axis) vs elevation (y-axis), sized by gauge stage. Reading top-to-bottom traces the river from headwaters down to its mouth -- you can see flow accumulate as elevation drops.
Elevation vs streamflow
One point per monitored gauge · bubble size = gauge stage
Alamosa River
The Alamosa River is a tributary of the Rio Grande in southern Colorado. It stretches 50 miles from its headwaters in the San Juan Mountains to its confluence with the Rio Grande. Historically, the river was used for gold mining and agriculture, but today, it is primarily used for recreation, including fishing and kayaking. The river's hydrology is heavily influenced by snowmelt, which can cause significant flooding during the spring and early summer. There are several reservoirs and dams on the Alamosa River, including Terrace Reservoir and Platoro Reservoir. These reservoirs were built for irrigation purposes and to manage the river's flow for flood control. Despite the use of the river for recreation and agriculture, efforts are being made to improve water quality and habitat for fish and wildlife.
Recreation along the Alamosa River
Fishing access and paddle runs Snoflo tracks within the watershed.
Track the Alamosa River in the Snoflo app
Set per-gauge push alerts (e.g. "alert me when flow at the Russian R Nr Healdsburg crosses 5,000 cfs"), and Snoflo's iOS app pushes the moment USGS reports the crossing.
About the Alamosa River
Where does the data for the Alamosa River come from?
Streamflow and gauge stage data are sourced from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) National Water Information System. The aggregate flow shown at the top of the page is computed by Snoflo as the sum of all monitored gauges along the river.
How is "percent of normal" calculated?
Today's aggregate streamflow is compared to the historical average aggregate streamflow on this calendar day across the river's full record. 100% means right on average; values above 100% indicate above-normal flow (wet year); values below indicate below-normal (dry year or drought).
Why are some gauges showing very different flows?
Gauges along a river measure flow at different points: headwater gauges read what's coming off the snowpack or mountain runoff; downstream gauges integrate everything upstream, including tributary inputs. Wide spreads usually mean a tributary is contributing significantly between gauges.
What's the elevation profile chart showing?
Each bubble is one gauge along the river, plotted by streamflow (x-axis) and elevation (y-axis), sized by gauge stage. Reading top-down traces the river from headwaters to mouth -- you can see flow build as elevation drops.
Can I get alerts when a specific gauge crosses a threshold?
Yes -- alerts are managed in the Snoflo iOS app on a per-gauge basis. Open any individual streamgauge from the table above and favorite it to set a discharge threshold.