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 - 0.10 inch.
• Buena Vista - 0.03 inch.
• Salida - 0.01 inch.
• Westcliffe -  0.39 - 0.6 inch.
• Cañon City - 0.0 inch.
• Walsenburg -  0.76 - 1.06 inches.
• Trinidad - 0.0 inch.
• Pueblo -  0.0 inch.
• Colorado Springs -  0.01 - .13 inch.
• 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 increased slightly to 184,575 acre-feet, 57.1 percent full. Water storage in Turquoise Lake water storage decreased to 110,026 acre-feet or 85.3 percent full. Twin Lakes storage decreased to 103, 103 acre-feet, or 73.1 percent  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 increased to 15,372  acre-feet.

River Flows

Arkansas River flows near Leadville increased to 61.8 cfs this week, while flows below Granite decreased to 574 cfs. Flows at the Wellsville gauge are at 736 cfs. Flows at Cañon City have increased to 691 cfs and are 383 at Pueblo. Lower Ark Basin gauges are reporting 486 cfs near Avondale, 158 cfs near Rocky Ford, 118 cfs below John Martin Reservoir and 80 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.