Rio Ojo Caliente

Streamflow, conditions and background by watershed segment. Data through November 1, 2026.

Minor flood on the Rio Ojo Caliente

Readings through Nov 4, 10:45 PM Mountain time

A Weather Service gauge on this river reached flood stage in the last 3 days. The map marks it with a diamond; one that pulses was in flood at its last reading, and a dashed ring means the gauge has stopped reporting.

  • Rio Ojo Caliente below La Madera

    Minor flood

    Peak 8.0 ft on Nov 2, 4:15 AM. Last reading Nov 4, 10:00 PM: 4.3 ft, below flood stage. Weather Service gauge page

Not a warning. This page is rebuilt at least once a day, and again when a river's flood status changes, so it can be hours out of date. For what is happening now, see the Weather Service's current river levels and its flood safety advice.

Where it is

Segments are the HUC8 watersheds the gauges sit in, numbered upstream to downstream. Use the buttons to switch between the state and the river.

Map of the Rio Ojo Caliente in New MexicoNew Mexico, with the Rio Ojo Caliente's 1 watershed segment shaded and numbered upstream to downstream, the river and its gauges. One gauge on the river reached flood stage in the last few days and is marked with a diamond: Rio Ojo Caliente below La Madera: minor flood, peak 8.0 ft on Nov 2.Beaver CreekCanadian RiverChaco RiverEast Fork Gila RiverGila RiverMimbres RiverPecos RiverRio ChamaRio GrandeRio HondoRio PuercoRio SaladoRio San JoseSalt CreekSan Francisco RiverSan Juan River1. Rio Chama (HUC 13020102)Rio Ojo CalienteAlbuquerqueSanta FeLas CrucesRoswellFarmingtonRio Ojo CalienteRio Ojo Caliente below La Madera: minor flood, peak 8.0 ft on Nov 21. Rio Chama (HUC 13020102)Rio TusasRio VallecitosRio TusasRio VallecitosCañada los ComanchesRio TusasRio TusasCañada los ComanchesRio Ojo CalienteRio Ojo Caliente below La Madera (Rio Chama)1Rio Ojo Caliente below La Madera: minor flood, peak 8.0 ft on Nov 2
  • 1Rio Chama
  • river and reservoirs
  • gauge
  • minor flood

About the Rio Ojo Caliente

This report follows 8 miles (13 km) of the Rio Ojo Caliente, all within the Rio Chama watershed segment. At the lower end of the report the river drains about 453 square miles. Downstream of the mapped reach it flows into the Arroyo el Rito. Named tributaries joining it here include the Rio Tusas, Rio Vallecitos and Cañada los Comanches. 1 gauge with at least 26 weeks of daily flow cover 1932 to 2026.

From the archive: NHDPlus river network, WBD watersheds, NHD waterbodies, TIGER urban areas and the report's gauges.

From the headwaters down

Each watershed segment in order, with last week's flow rated against the same week in 1991–2020.

  1. Rio Chama

    263 cfs last week much above normal.

    Median conductance 667 µS/cm in the 2020s. Rain over the last 3 months: 204% of normal.

Reservoirs

No reservoir with 500 acre-feet or more of storage on this river in the National Inventory of Dams.

Water users

Surface water withdrawn, 2020

In the counties this river crosses (Rio Arriba, Taos): 219,947 acre-feet. County totals include other streams.

UseShareAcre-ft
Irrigated agriculture82%180,046
Reservoir evaporation12%26,332
Commercial6%13,112
Public water supply0%260
Livestock0%193

State Engineer, New Mexico Water Use by Categories 2020.

Public water systems beside the river

Ancones MDWCA, La Madera MDWCA, Duranes Y Gavilan MDWCA, Ojo Caliente MDWCA Taos, Ojo Caliente MDWCA Rio Arriba

State Engineer's public water systems layer (service areas within 2 km).

Sources

Numbered sources for the statements above, as they were read when the page was prepared.