Dolores River flow climbs to above average in late July

　

USGS gaging station at Montelores Bridge over the Dolores River, 4 miles south of Rico near Hwy 145 at the Montezuma-Dolores county line.

Ore Cart photo
August 2, 2022

Early summer low-flows caused by early snowmelt runoff and dry May-June

End of July rains in the upper Dolores River basin boosted streamflows to above the 70-year daily median in late July. Water volume reached 107.3 cubic feet per second (CFS) July 30 at the USGS Montelores Bridge gaging station south of Rico. This volume was the maximum for July 2022. The station collects streamflow readings at 15-minute intervals for upload to the USGS National Water Dashboard. ↪

Dolores River flow has been below normal since the end of snowmelt runoff in mid'-May. Runoff volume reached 732 CFS on May 15, 2-3 weeks earlier than normal.

Charts (below) depict summer 2022 Dolores River conditions.

Dolores River Valley
Rico & Montelores Bridge
gaging station

Screenshot of U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) upper Dolores River valley map - Rico south to Dolores/Montezuma county line. Green dot indicates "normal" streamflow volume at USGS Montelores Bridge gaging station on August 1, 2022.

map source:
USGS National Water Dashboard ↪

Dolores River flow
last week of July 2022

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USGS chart ↪ created from Ore Cart custom query, Ore Cart graphic edits to improve clarity.

Dolores River flow
April-July 2022

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USGS chart ↪ created from Ore Cart custom query, Ore Cart graphic edits to improve clarity.

> Note: vertical cubic feet per second axis is not linear. Distances between scale numbers are not proportional to actual values.

USGS National Water Dashboard ↪ southwest Colorado. Montelores Bridge gaging station is DOLORES RIVER BELOW RICO, CO.

more info:
USGS Streamgaging Network ↪

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