Weld County Water Intelligence Brief

September 28, 2026 | Water Division 1 | Free-Tier Edition

Situation Summary

Cache la Poudre River flows are split at current gauges — 10 cfs falling at Fort Collins and 9 cfs rising above Boxelder Creek near Timnath — while the South Platte mainstem at Fort Lupton is running at 190 cfs and rising, offering relatively stronger conditions for direct-flow irrigators on the mainstem as the irrigation season winds down. With late-season demand tapering for sugar beets and field corn, the immediate concern for Weld County irrigators is whether junior direct-flow rights on the Poudre remain curtailed under active priority calls and whether C-BT supplemental allocations have met season-end obligations. Reservoir storage data and 7-day forecast details are available in the full brief.

Snowpack Conditions

All three SNOTEL stations monitoring Cache la Poudre headwaters in Larimer County are reporting at expected seasonal baselines for late September. Deadman Hill shows 0.0" SWE with 1.0" snow depth; Hourglass Lake shows 0.0" SWE and 0.0" depth; Joe Wright shows 0.2" SWE with 1.0" depth. Because the historical median SWE for these stations is also 0.0" at this point in the calendar year, current readings do not indicate below-normal conditions — they reflect normal end-of-season snowpack status.

The relevant 2026 snowpack story is one of timing, not current deficit: Poudre headwaters stations melted out 4–6 weeks ahead of the historical median meltout date, driven by an anomalous March heat wave. That early meltout compressed the primary runoff window into late spring and is the underlying reason late-season Poudre flows are constrained. Note that South Platte basin headwaters snowpack — feeding the Denver metro area upstream system and Carter Lake — is not directly monitored by these three stations and represents an additional upstream supply variable for Weld County allotment holders.

Streamflow Conditions

Cache la Poudre River: The Fort Collins gauge is reading 10 cfs and falling; the above-Boxelder Creek gauge near Timnath — the closest active gauge to Weld County's northwestern boundary — is reading 9 cfs and rising. The divergence between a falling reading upstream at Fort Collins and a rising reading at Timnath warrants close monitoring but may reflect localized tributary contributions or measurement timing. At these flow levels, the Poudre is running at very low late-season volumes. Junior priority holders diverting from the Poudre should verify current call status with Water Division 1 before assuming delivery availability.

South Platte River: The Fort Lupton gauge is reading 190 cfs and rising, providing meaningfully stronger conditions on the mainstem than on the Poudre. For direct-flow irrigators on the South Platte corridor in central and eastern Weld County, rising mainstem flows may support continued deliveries depending on individual priority dates and any active downstream calls. Return flow dynamics on the lower South Platte remain relevant context — senior downstream rights holders' access to water is partly dependent on upstream irrigation return flows as the season closes.

Seasonal Guidance

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Data Sources: SNOTEL data through September 27, 2026; USGS streamflow data through September 28, 2026

Data Current As Of: Colorado Division of Water Resources

Important Disclaimers: This brief provides automated analysis for informational purposes only. Specific numerical claims have not been independently verified. Consult official sources including your local water district, Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District (Northern Water — northernwater.org; Horsetooth Reservoir data via Northern Water portal or USBR HydroMet site HRT), U.S. Bureau of Reclamation Eastern Colorado Area Office (Loveland, CO), and Colorado Division of Water Resources, Water Division 1 (Greeley office) for regulatory decisions and water rights administration.