Animas River river
Total streamflow across the Animas River was last observed at 4,175 cfs, and is expected to yield approximately 8,281 acre-ft of water today; about 43% of normal. River levels are low and may signify a drought. Average streamflow for this time of year is 9,691 cfs, with recent peaks last observed on 2019-06-10 when daily discharge volume was observed at 40,738 cfs.
Maximum discharge along the river is currently at the Animas River Above Tacoma reporting a streamflow rate of 717 cfs. However, the streamgauge with the highest stage along the river is the Animas River Below Aztec with a gauge stage of 6.19 ft. This river is monitored from 9 different streamgauging stations along the Animas River, the highest being situated at an altitude of 9,629 ft, the Animas River At Howardsville.
River streamflow levels
Daily aggregate streamflow across every monitored gauge along the Animas River. Use the range buttons to zoom in on a specific period.
Total streamflow
Sum of all monitored streamgauges · daily
Every streamgauge along the Animas River
All 9 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)▾ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Animas River At Howardsville
CO
USGS 09357500
|
149 | 1.56 | 21.1 | 55% | 6 | 845 | 9,629 |
|
Animas River At Silverton
CO
USGS 09358000
|
201 | 0.91 | 33.1 | 67% | 7 | 1,250 | 9,305 |
|
Animas River Below Silverton
CO
USGS 09359020
|
405 | 3.17 | 19.1 | 72% | 22 | 2,450 | 9,203 |
|
Animas River Above Tacoma
CO
USGS 09359500
|
717 | 3.88 | 16.0 | 49% | 69 | 5,700 | 7,507 |
|
Animas River At Durango
CO
USGS 09361500
|
642 | 3.02 | 2.4 | 40% | 80 | 6,630 | 6,516 |
|
Animas River Blw Durango Pump Plant Nr Durango
CO
USGS 09362520
|
629 | 3.91 | -7.8 | 45% | 92 | 6,870 | 6,434 |
|
Animas River Near Cedar Hill
CO
USGS 09363500
|
627 | 4.87 | 2.8 | 39% | 11 | 6,870 | 5,972 |
|
Animas River Below Aztec
NM
USGS 09364010
|
417 | 6.19 | -1.0 | 30% | 5 | 6,850 | 5,560 |
|
Animas River At Farmington
NM
USGS 09364500
|
388 | 5.17 | -8.3 | 28% | 1 | 7,670 | 5,278 |
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
Animas River
The Animas River is a tributary of the San Juan River, located in Colorado and New Mexico in the United States. The river stretches for approximately 126 miles, with a drainage area of around 3,100 square miles. Historically, the river was used for mining and transportation purposes. Today, the Animas River is primarily used for recreational activities such as fishing, kayaking, and river rafting. However, the river has also been subject to contamination due to mining and agricultural runoff. Specific reservoirs and dams along the Animas River include the McPhee Reservoir and the Animas-La Plata project. These dams serve purposes such as irrigation and flood control. Despite the challenges facing the Animas River, efforts are being made to protect and restore this vital natural resource.
Recreation along the Animas River
Fishing access and paddle runs Snoflo tracks within the watershed.
Track the Animas 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 Animas River
Where does the data for the Animas 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.