Rainfall continues to ease drought conditions across the Arkansas Basin, with extreme drought lingering in only a thin sliver of southern Baca County, according to the latest U.S. Drought Monitor report. The report shows severe drought continuing along the southern and eastern edges of the basin with about half the basin experiencing moderate drought. Most of the Front Range and Upper Basin is now categorized as abnormally dry.

Precipitation

CoCoRaHS, the Community Collaborative Rain, Hail and Snow Network, reports the following precipitation amounts for the past week:

• Leadville - 0.13 inch.
• Buena Vista - 0.03 inch.
• Salida - 0.02 inch.
• ​Westcliffe -  0.04 inch.
• Cañon City - 0.0 inch.
• ​Walsenburg -  0.0 inch.
• Trinidad - 0.0 inch.
• Pueblo -  0.0 inch.
• Colorado Springs -  0.01 - 0.16 inches.
• Rocky Ford - 0.0 inch.​
• Pritchett -  0.0 inch.
• Lamar -  0.0 inch.

Reservoir Storage

U.S. Bureau of Reclamation reservoir data shows Pueblo Reservoir water storage decreased to 184,430 acre-feet, 57.1% full. Water storage in Turquoise Lake water storage increased to 184,430 acre-feet or 85.5% full. Twin Lakes storage decreased to 104,251 acre-feet, or 73.9%  full, as the Bureau has begun releasing Fry-Ark Project water in support of the Voluntary Flow Management Program (VFMP). According to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, water stored in John Martin Reservoir dropped to 14,788 acre-feet.

River Flows

Arkansas River flows near Leadville dropped to 54.9 cfs this week, while flows below Granite increased to 585. Flows at the Wellsville gauge are at 724 cfs. Flows at Cañon City have increased to 664 cfs and are 440 at Pueblo. Lower Ark Basin gauges are reporting 747 cfs near Avondale, 475 cfs near Rocky Ford, 107 cfs below John Martin Reservoir and 95.9 cfs at Lamar.

River Calls

The basin again has 16 calling water rights. In addition to the Arkansas River Compact call, calling rights on the mainstem are the Catlin Canal (1884 priority), the Lamar Canal (1886) and the X-Y Irrigating Ditch (1889). The most senior calling water rights remain the Titsworth Ditch (1863) on Fourmile Creek, the Model Ditch (1865) on the Purgatoire River and the Hayden Supply Ditch (1866) on Greenhorn Creek.

Additional calling water rights include the Baxter Pioneer Ditch (1866) on the Huerfano River,  the Gonzales Ditch (1866) on the Apishapa River, the Coleman Ditch (1867) on Hardscrabble Creek and the Cottonwood and Maxwell Ditch (1874) on Cottonwood Creek. Other calls are for the Marmaduke Ditch (1878) on Stout Creek, the Dotson Ditch No. 1 (1881) on the St. Charles River, the Hoosier Ditch (1882) on the North Fork of the South Arkansas River, the Missouri Park Ditch (1882) on the South Ark River, the Lake Mirriam Ditch (1884) on the Cucharas River and the Welton Ditch (1889) on the Huerfano River.