Rio Chama
Streamflow, conditions and background by watershed segment. Data through November 1, 2026.
Data gaps and disparities
Found automatically in the gauge records behind this river, and notes from a reviewer who checked them against other sources. Gauges need at least 26 weeks of daily data to appear on the Flow tab.
Warnings (4)
- warning: peak conflict Rio Chama Above Abiquiu Reservoir, NM: 9 approved USGS daily values exceed that water year's USGS annual peak, in water years 1974, 2027 (e.g. 5,370 cfs on Oct 25, 2026 against a peak of 2,060). A day's mean cannot exceed the year's peak, so one of the two USGS records is wrong for those years; the daily values are kept.
- warning: seasonal Rio Chama Above Chama, NM: No record in Dec–Mar most years: the gauge reports seasonally, so yearly and some monthly means are missing or cover only part of the year.
- warning: gap Rio Chama At Park View, NM: 1 gap of 60+ days inside the record (5,480 days in all). Longest: Sep 30, 1915 to Sep 30, 1930 (5,480 days).
- warning: gap Rio Chama Near Chamita, NM: 4 gaps of 60+ days inside the record (2,834 days in all). Longest: May 1, 1923 to Jan 31, 1927 (1,372 days); Oct 1, 1919 to Sep 30, 1921 (731 days); Oct 1, 1915 to Sep 30, 1916 (366 days).
Context (10)
Show 10 notes
- ended Discontinued gauges: 2 gauges have stopped reporting: Rio Chama At Park View, NM (last 1955); Rio Chama Near Abiquiu, NM (last 1967). Their segments rest on fewer gauges after those years.
- flatline Rio Chama Above Abiquiu Reservoir, NM: 1 run of 30+ days at exactly the same flow: 86.0 cfs for 32 days from Dec 17, 1999. Usually an estimated period (ice, a broken gauge) rather than measured daily flow.
- gap Rio Chama Above Chama, NM: 4 gaps of 60+ days inside the record (786 days in all). Longest: Oct 2, 2022 to May 16, 2023 (227 days); Oct 6, 2023 to Apr 10, 2024 (188 days); Oct 29, 2015 to May 1, 2016 (186 days).
- flatline Rio Chama At Park View, NM: 7 runs of 30+ days at exactly the same flow: 30.0 cfs for 53 days from Dec 10, 1953; 45.0 cfs for 47 days from Dec 31, 1949; 45.0 cfs for 39 days from Dec 11, 1932. Usually an estimated period (ice, a broken gauge) rather than measured daily flow.
- flatline Rio Chama Below El Vado Dam, NM: 5 runs of 30+ days at exactly the same flow: 1.0 cfs for 41 days from Dec 6, 1953; 25.0 cfs for 40 days from Jan 20, 1978; 20.0 cfs for 31 days from Jan 1, 1955. Below a dam this is usually a steady set release, which is real flow.
- flatline Rio Chama Near Abiquiu, NM: 3 runs of 30+ days at exactly the same flow: 730.0 cfs for 31 days from Oct 1, 1941; 120.0 cfs for 31 days from Dec 1, 1941; 650.0 cfs for 30 days from Nov 1, 1941. Usually an estimated period (ice, a broken gauge) rather than measured daily flow.
- copy disagree Rio Chama Near Chamita, NM: The usace_cwms copy agrees on the median but differs by more than 10% on 34% of 7,871 shared days (often provisional vs approved data, or a different daily averaging window). The report does not use usace_cwms for this gauge.
- flatline Rio Chama Near Chamita, NM: 10 runs of 30+ days at exactly the same flow: 90.0 cfs for 35 days from Oct 1, 1912; 30.0 cfs for 34 days from Dec 8, 1953; 45.0 cfs for 31 days from Jan 1, 1913. Usually an estimated period (ice, a broken gauge) rather than measured daily flow.
- copy disagree Rio Chama Near La Puente, NM: The usace_cwms copy agrees on the median but differs by more than 10% on 30% of 7,825 shared days (often provisional vs approved data, or a different daily averaging window). The report does not use usace_cwms for this gauge.
- flatline Rio Chama Near La Puente, NM: 1 run of 30+ days at exactly the same flow: 70.0 cfs for 43 days from Dec 21, 1961. Usually an estimated period (ice, a broken gauge) rather than measured daily flow.
Values removed (43)
A reading is removed automatically only when it is impossible (for example, a daily mean above the highest flow USGS recorded that water year). Low and zero flows are never removed: rivers here really do dry up.
Show 43 removed values
| Gauge | Date | Source | cfs | Why |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rio Chama Above Abiquiu Reservoir, NM | 1973-12-16 | codwr | 2230 | automatic: daily mean above that water year's USGS peak of 2,120 cfs |
| Rio Chama Above Abiquiu Reservoir, NM | 1973-12-16 | usbr_hydrodata | 2230 | automatic: daily mean above that water year's USGS peak of 2,120 cfs |
| Rio Chama Above Abiquiu Reservoir, NM | 1973-12-17 | codwr | 2230 | automatic: daily mean above that water year's USGS peak of 2,120 cfs |
| Rio Chama Above Abiquiu Reservoir, NM | 1973-12-17 | usbr_hydrodata | 2230 | automatic: daily mean above that water year's USGS peak of 2,120 cfs |
| Rio Chama Above Abiquiu Reservoir, NM | 1973-12-18 | codwr | 2230 | automatic: daily mean above that water year's USGS peak of 2,120 cfs |
| Rio Chama Above Abiquiu Reservoir, NM | 1973-12-18 | usbr_hydrodata | 2230 | automatic: daily mean above that water year's USGS peak of 2,120 cfs |
| Rio Chama Above Abiquiu Reservoir, NM | 2026-10-23 | codwr | 5360 | automatic: daily mean above that water year's USGS peak of 2,060 cfs |
| Rio Chama Above Abiquiu Reservoir, NM | 2026-10-23 | nwps | 5146.8 | automatic: daily mean above that water year's USGS peak of 2,060 cfs |
| Rio Chama Above Abiquiu Reservoir, NM | 2026-10-23 | usbr_hydrodata | 5330 | automatic: daily mean above that water year's USGS peak of 2,060 cfs |
| Rio Chama Above Abiquiu Reservoir, NM | 2026-10-24 | codwr | 3970 | automatic: daily mean above that water year's USGS peak of 2,060 cfs |
| Rio Chama Above Abiquiu Reservoir, NM | 2026-10-24 | nwps | 3962.7 | automatic: daily mean above that water year's USGS peak of 2,060 cfs |
| Rio Chama Above Abiquiu Reservoir, NM | 2026-10-24 | usbr_hydrodata | 4010 | automatic: daily mean above that water year's USGS peak of 2,060 cfs |
| Rio Chama Above Abiquiu Reservoir, NM | 2026-10-25 | codwr | 5410 | automatic: daily mean above that water year's USGS peak of 2,060 cfs |
| Rio Chama Above Abiquiu Reservoir, NM | 2026-10-25 | nwps | 5403.9 | automatic: daily mean above that water year's USGS peak of 2,060 cfs |
| Rio Chama Above Abiquiu Reservoir, NM | 2026-10-25 | usbr_hydrodata | 5370 | automatic: daily mean above that water year's USGS peak of 2,060 cfs |
| Rio Chama Above Abiquiu Reservoir, NM | 2026-10-26 | codwr | 4210 | automatic: daily mean above that water year's USGS peak of 2,060 cfs |
| Rio Chama Above Abiquiu Reservoir, NM | 2026-10-26 | nwps | 4206.6 | automatic: daily mean above that water year's USGS peak of 2,060 cfs |
| Rio Chama Above Abiquiu Reservoir, NM | 2026-10-26 | usbr_hydrodata | 4100 | automatic: daily mean above that water year's USGS peak of 2,060 cfs |
| Rio Chama Above Abiquiu Reservoir, NM | 2026-10-27 | codwr | 2780 | automatic: daily mean above that water year's USGS peak of 2,060 cfs |
| Rio Chama Above Abiquiu Reservoir, NM | 2026-10-27 | nwps | 2772.6 | automatic: daily mean above that water year's USGS peak of 2,060 cfs |
| Rio Chama Above Abiquiu Reservoir, NM | 2026-10-27 | usbr_hydrodata | 2700 | automatic: daily mean above that water year's USGS peak of 2,060 cfs |
| Rio Chama Above Abiquiu Reservoir, NM | 2026-10-28 | codwr | 2200 | automatic: daily mean above that water year's USGS peak of 2,060 cfs |
| Rio Chama Above Abiquiu Reservoir, NM | 2026-10-28 | nwps | 2204.4 | automatic: daily mean above that water year's USGS peak of 2,060 cfs |
| Rio Chama Above Abiquiu Reservoir, NM | 2026-11-01 | codwr | 2320 | automatic: daily mean above that water year's USGS peak of 2,060 cfs |
| Rio Chama Above Abiquiu Reservoir, NM | 2026-11-01 | nwps | 2285.5 | automatic: daily mean above that water year's USGS peak of 2,060 cfs |
| Rio Chama Above Abiquiu Reservoir, NM | 2026-11-01 | usbr_hydrodata | 2350 | automatic: daily mean above that water year's USGS peak of 2,060 cfs |
| Rio Chama Below Abiquiu Dam, NM | 2013-05-03 | usace_cwms | 1291.9 | automatic: daily mean above that water year's USGS peak of 1,120 cfs |
| Rio Chama Below Abiquiu Dam, NM | 2013-05-04 | usace_cwms | 1287.5 | automatic: daily mean above that water year's USGS peak of 1,120 cfs |
| Rio Chama Near Chamita, NM | 2006-08-13 | usace_cwms | 3066.6 | automatic: daily mean above that water year's USGS peak of 2,880 cfs |
| Rio Chama Near Chamita, NM | 2006-08-14 | usace_cwms | 3093.3 | automatic: daily mean above that water year's USGS peak of 2,880 cfs |
| Rio Chama Near Chamita, NM | 2016-08-27 | usace_cwms | 2261.7 | automatic: daily mean above that water year's USGS peak of 1,970 cfs |
| Rio Chama Near Chamita, NM | 2016-08-28 | usace_cwms | 2261.9 | automatic: daily mean above that water year's USGS peak of 1,970 cfs |
| Rio Chama Near Chamita, NM | 2016-08-29 | usace_cwms | 2145.4 | automatic: daily mean above that water year's USGS peak of 1,970 cfs |
| Rio Chama Near La Puente, NM | 2016-02-05 | usace_cwms | 3684 | automatic: daily mean above that water year's USGS peak of 2,910 cfs |
| Rio Chama Near La Puente, NM | 2016-02-06 | usace_cwms | 4821.5 | automatic: daily mean above that water year's USGS peak of 2,910 cfs |
| Rio Chama Near La Puente, NM | 2016-02-07 | usace_cwms | 3923.3 | automatic: daily mean above that water year's USGS peak of 2,910 cfs |
| Rio Chama Near La Puente, NM | 2016-02-08 | usace_cwms | 4928.9 | automatic: daily mean above that water year's USGS peak of 2,910 cfs |
| Rio Chama Near La Puente, NM | 2016-02-09 | usace_cwms | 3495 | automatic: daily mean above that water year's USGS peak of 2,910 cfs |
| Rio Chama Near La Puente, NM | 2016-02-10 | usace_cwms | 3251.6 | automatic: daily mean above that water year's USGS peak of 2,910 cfs |
| Rio Chama Near La Puente, NM | 2019-01-03 | usace_cwms | 5322.9 | automatic: daily mean above that water year's USGS peak of 4,630 cfs |
| Rio Chama Near La Puente, NM | 2019-01-04 | usace_cwms | 5163.7 | automatic: daily mean above that water year's USGS peak of 4,630 cfs |
| Rio Chama Near La Puente, NM | 2019-01-05 | usace_cwms | 4987 | automatic: daily mean above that water year's USGS peak of 4,630 cfs |
| Rio Chama Near La Puente, NM | 2019-01-22 | usace_cwms | 4921.4 | automatic: daily mean above that water year's USGS peak of 4,630 cfs |
Gauges
Each row is one physical gauge; "published by" lists every agency copy that was merged into it.
| Gauge | Segment | Published by | First | Last | Weeks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rio Chama At Park View, NM | Rio Chama | usgs | 1913-03-31 | 1955-09-26 | 1435 |
| Rio Chama Below El Vado Dam, NM | Rio Chama | codwr, usace_cwms, usbr_hydrodata, usgs | 1935-10-28 | 2026-10-26 | 4749 |
| Rio Chama Above Chama, NM | Rio Chama | usgs | 2014-08-18 | 2026-10-19 | 370 |
| Rio Chama Above Abiquiu Reservoir, NM | Rio Chama | codwr, nwps, usbr_hydrodata, usgs | 1961-07-31 | 2026-10-26 | 3405 |
| Rio Chama Below Abiquiu Dam, NM | Rio Chama | codwr, nwps, usace_cwms, usbr_hydrodata, usgs | 1961-10-30 | 2026-10-26 | 3392 |
| Rio Chama Near Abiquiu, NM | Rio Chama | usgs | 1941-09-29 | 1967-09-25 | 1357 |
| Rio Chama Near Chamita, NM | Rio Chama | codwr, nwps, usace_cwms, usbr_hydrodata, usgs | 1912-09-30 | 2026-10-26 | 5548 |
| Rio Chama Near La Puente, NM | Rio Chama | codwr, usace_cwms, usbr_hydrodata, usgs | 1955-10-03 | 2026-10-26 | 3709 |