Pine River Irrigation District

November 2, 2026

Vallecito is now at 117,700  af, little over 3 feet from full and still rising

Inflows are high but dropping significantly. As always, we are keeping tabs on the two stream gages above the reservoir and calculating inflows. Vallecito Creek's flows have dropped from 3,000 to 1,600 cfs. Los Pinos River has dropped from 3,900 to 2,700 cfs. Both are continuing their downward fall. The rain has stopped below the reservoir as of this posting. It snowed here starting around 4:00 a.m. until late this morning. The forecast looks decent for the next 10 days. There is cloud cover and there is notable snow at higher elevations.

We have upped the releases this morning and are replacing the 700 cfs that were shut down yesterday afternoon to alleviate flooding below the reservoir. The release is currently at 1,400 cfs. The DWR gage below the reservoir will show higher flows as there are still inflows between sites. Do not use that gage to determine the releases from the reservoir. Red Creek flows still has 501 closed, but the flows are off significantly since late yesterday. The current plan is to increase releases later this evening by up to an additional 400 cfs. However, this afternoon’s River Forecast Center updates will play a significant role in that decision making process. Local modelers and Bureau of Reclamation experts continue to assist with the calculations and decision-making, along with many stakeholders throughout the Pine River system and with special attention to the Ignacio flows.

The Reservoir will continue to rise overnight and into tomorrow. The tail of the last storm’s downward trend of the inflows will determine when the Reservoir will level out and stop filling and is currently forecast to be some time late tomorrow. That is subject to change with the newest information.

Inflows below the reservoir were extremely high over the last 24 hours, exceeding 1,000 cfs between Vallecito Reservoir and the USGS gage near Ignacio, with even greater volumes further downstream. Those flows are now dropping off quickly, which should help ease the high-water conditions. The Ignacio gage has dropped more than 1,400 cfs since last night.

Please pay close attention to emergency response information, La Plata County, CDOT, Sherriff's Department, and other warning services. There are many road closures in the area and 501 to the Reservoir is closed.  Please follow emergency managements directives.

All releases will be made from the primary outlet works at the base of the dam. These are the primary gates that were solely used prior to the powerplant installation and are operated every year to some degree.

Be Safe – THE EMERGENCY IS NOT OVER – Flows from Vallecito through Ignacio and beyond will remain high until the Reservoir is at a safer level, and the low-level inflows have eased significantly. Flows throughout the area are still extremely high in multiple other river systems. Pay attention to all BOR, County and safety Updates.

Thanks for your attention to these matters