No matter the season, we are out monitoring Colorado waters.
In winter...
In winter...
No matter the season, we are out monitoring Colorado waters.
In spring...
In spring...
No matter the season, we are out monitoring Colorado waters.
In summer...
In summer...
No matter the season, we are out monitoring Colorado waters.
and in the fall.
and in the fall.
Colorado Water Science Center
Welcome to the USGS Colorado Water Science Center! Please use these pages to explore the hydrologic data and scientific investigations we conduct on Colorado water resources.
NOTICE: USGS is improving the way that sample data are stored and served to the public.
Current Conditions
Current Conditions
Explore real-time Colorado streamflow, groundwater, and water-quality conditions.
Science Highlight
Science Highlight
Next Generation Water Observing System: Upper Colorado River Basin
The Next Generation Water Observing System provides high-fidelity, real-time data on water quantity, quality, and use to support modern water prediction and decision-support systems that are necessary for informing water operations on a daily basis and decision-making during water emergencies.
News
2025 USGS 'STREAM' Workshop: Science, Technology, Research, and Evaluations for Actionable Management
2025 USGS 'STREAM' Workshop: Science, Technology, Research, and Evaluations for Actionable Management
Media Alert: USGS Dye Tracing Study in Fraser River
Media Alert: USGS Dye Tracing Study in Fraser River
Media Alert: USGS Dye-Tracing Study in Lake Fork Creek to Map Groundwater Flow
Media Alert: USGS Dye-Tracing Study in Lake Fork Creek to Map Groundwater Flow
Publications
Systematic approach to prioritize wells for effective groundwater monitoring and management in the Arkansas Headwaters Basin, Colorado, USA Systematic approach to prioritize wells for effective groundwater monitoring and management in the Arkansas Headwaters Basin, Colorado, USA
Study regionThe Arkansas Headwaters Basin, an intermountain basin in the Southern Rocky Mountains of North America.Study focusOur specific focus is choosing a set of wells to support a possible future regional groundwater-surface water model that would support water management. We present a three-step process using multiple criteria to score, predict, and choose prioritized wells that...
Computing discharge using the entropy-based probability concept Computing discharge using the entropy-based probability concept
This report describes the techniques and methods for computing the mean-channel velocity and discharge using the entropy-based probability concept (probability concept). The method is an alternative to or augments standard streamgaging methods adopted by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). Although sensor technology for measuring the mean velocity and discharge has advanced, standard...
Characterization of suspended sediment flux and streamflow trends in the Fountain Creek watershed, Colorado, 1998 through 2022 Characterization of suspended sediment flux and streamflow trends in the Fountain Creek watershed, Colorado, 1998 through 2022
The U.S. Geological Survey evaluated long-term suspended sediment flux and streamflow datasets for temporal trends (monotonic and step trends) at 10 streamgage sites within the Fountain Creek watershed in central Colorado using the Mann-Kendall test (monotonic trend) and the Wilcoxon signed-rank test (step trend). Data were collected in cooperation with Colorado Springs Stormwater...
Science
Quantifying groundwater recharge and discharge dynamics in the Upper Colorado River Basin
The Upper Colorado River Basin (UCOL) serves as an important source of water to millions of people, supports irrigation for agriculture, and provides aquatic habitat for a variety of species. Salinity concentrations endanger water supply in the Colorado River Basin, potentially causing hundreds of millions of dollars in annual economic damage because of corrosion of infrastructure, water treatment...
Next Generation Water Observing System (NGWOS) Snow Hydrology Monitoring Network in the Upper Colorado River Basin
Representative observations of snowpack conditions are vital for informing water availability assessments and modeling in snow dominated regions of the western United States. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) established a snow hydrology monitoring network in 2021 with the objective of providing high-quality, representative, and publicly available data on snowpack, soil moisture, and...
Agricultural Return Flows in the Upper Gunnison River Basin
Canals and ditches divert water from streams in the Upper Gunnison River Basin, Colorado, to irrigate agricultural fields. In some areas, irrigation water that percolates below the root zone can locally recharge groundwater and later return to streams through the subsurface, which can extend streamflow outside of the snowmelt runoff season. Understanding the timing and quantity of agricultural...