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Watching the Salt River, Real-time Data
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azbackpackr
Hi Tech Wizardess




Joined: 31 Dec 2005
Posts: 3639
Location: Needles CA

PostPosted: 3/15/2006, 6:49 am    Post subject: Watching the Salt River, Real-time Data Reply to topic Reply with quote

The snow is melting fast. Mt. Baldy and Sunrise got 5 feet, I hear. I hear they may re-open Sunrise Ski area. But the snow in my backyard is starting to get patchy--bare ground is starting to show, and my chickens are very happy to be able to forage again!

But I'm watching the river data. I want to go down the river--it's a spring tradition! Days getting longer, warm wind blowing, I think of the river.

If you do not have the USGS Real-time data for Arizona rivers added to your Favorites, here's your chance:

http://waterdata.usgs.gov/az/nwis/current/?type=flow

Right now the Salt River at Chrysotile Arizona, which is the one I look at because it's closest to where the put-in is, is running at a pathetic 151 cfs! But there is a warm wind blowing this morning, it's melting the snow fast in Eagar, even though the sun's not up yet. (The snow will stay a lot longer up higher, so those of you who are planning a cross country ski adventure will be fine this coming weekend--don't worry, there's so much snow up there--all of the xc ski areas should still have plenty of snow.) However, this being said, this warm wind will affect the higher country as well.

I enjoy watching the whole Arizona rivers page, though. Last year was fun, seeing the Hassayama and Bill Williams Rivers running high for weeks.
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azbackpackr
Hi Tech Wizardess




Joined: 31 Dec 2005
Posts: 3639
Location: Needles CA

PostPosted: 3/22/2006, 12:50 pm    Post subject: Reply to topic Reply with quote

Lower Salt below Stewart Mtn. dam running 485 today. Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't that enough for kayaking? Upper Salt still pathetic at 178.
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lzyboy





Joined: 21 Nov 2004
Posts: 201
Location: Mesa

PostPosted: 3/22/2006, 8:26 pm    Post subject: Reply to topic Reply with quote

azbackpackr wrote:
Lower Salt below Stewart Mtn. dam running 485 today. Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't that enough for kayaking? Upper Salt still pathetic at 178.
Not quite enough, still a lot of spots that would only be a couple inches deep. Like the Upper Salt, 750 would be about the minimum you would want to have a reasonably good time (like at the Cibique playhole up there). Water orders should be picking up soon tho, so releases should be increasing...
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azbackpackr
Hi Tech Wizardess




Joined: 31 Dec 2005
Posts: 3639
Location: Needles CA

PostPosted: 3/23/2006, 5:24 am    Post subject: Reply to topic Reply with quote

Good to know, I'm very new at the game--have only done rafting so far. I have hardshell kayak, Perception Dancer, used, my son got for free. I still have to get skirt, wetsuit, pfd, helmet, paddle and LESSONS!! I have checked internet, last time I looked Nancy Kanu of Canyons and Coastlines was "on sabbatical." Due to budget constraints and full calendar, I plan on doing the lessons, etc. later in the summer, maybe late July or in August. Hope Nancy Kanu is back by then, I heard she is an excellent, safety conscious instructor, but if not, can you or anyone recommend another good instructor? I want something organized, one whole weekend (I live pretty far from Phx.) starting with swimming pool and then to lower Salt. Also, reasonably priced--I'm always "on a budget."
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lzyboy





Joined: 21 Nov 2004
Posts: 201
Location: Mesa

PostPosted: 3/23/2006, 6:13 am    Post subject: Reply to topic Reply with quote

azbackpackr wrote:
can you or anyone recommend another good instructor? I want something organized, one whole weekend (I live pretty far from Phx.) starting with swimming pool and then to lower Salt. Also, reasonably priced--I'm always "on a budget."
Pete Zwagerman, Permagrin River Adventures, if he's still in the business. Google him. Or he would surely be able to recommend someone...

Been watching the Sunrise Web Cam, still waiting to see where that 5 feet of snow went... You reckon they measure horizontally instead of vertically??
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azbackpackr
Hi Tech Wizardess




Joined: 31 Dec 2005
Posts: 3639
Location: Needles CA

PostPosted: 3/23/2006, 6:18 am    Post subject: Reply to topic Reply with quote

Is it melted already--did you mean the ski area? We did have new snow yesterday. 3 inches in Eagar. It melted by sunset.

Thanks for the info, I'll check Pete Zwagerman out!
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lzyboy





Joined: 21 Nov 2004
Posts: 201
Location: Mesa

PostPosted: 3/23/2006, 6:29 am    Post subject: Reply to topic Reply with quote

azbackpackr wrote:
Is it melted already--did you mean the ski area?
Yeah, they have a web cam...
http://www.sunriseskipark.com/webcam2.shtml
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Daryl





Joined: 07 Feb 2003
Posts: 1168
Location: Everett, Washington

PostPosted: 3/23/2006, 11:02 am    Post subject: Reply to topic Reply with quote

azbackpackr wrote:
Lower Salt below Stewart Mtn. dam running 485 today. Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't that enough for kayaking? Upper Salt still pathetic at 178.


I've done the lower salt (below stewart mt) as low as 250cfs and only hit bottom in a few places. 485cfs is plenty.

Upper Salt needs much more.
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lzyboy





Joined: 21 Nov 2004
Posts: 201
Location: Mesa

PostPosted: 3/23/2006, 6:28 pm    Post subject: Reply to topic Reply with quote

Daryl wrote:
I've done the lower salt (below stewart mt) as low as 250cfs and only hit bottom in a few places.


Yeah, yeah, you lightweight guys in your big Z boats just kill me... Try hangin' a big ol' honkin' keel under that thing (the only way I can stay right-side up), then try running it at 250! Laughing

(Daryl, did you ever sell that Z??)
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Daryl





Joined: 07 Feb 2003
Posts: 1168
Location: Everett, Washington

PostPosted: 3/24/2006, 11:22 am    Post subject: Reply to topic Reply with quote

lzyboy wrote:
(Daryl, did you ever sell that Z??)


Nope, still sitting in the garage. Anyone need a fun white water playboat?
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azbackpackr
Hi Tech Wizardess




Joined: 31 Dec 2005
Posts: 3639
Location: Needles CA

PostPosted: 7/29/2006, 9:42 am    Post subject: Reply to topic Reply with quote

I started this post back in March. The real-time data site is fun to watch. I opened it this morning just to see what was happening around the state. To my total astonishment, Sabino Canyon by Tucson was running at over 8,000 cfs, but further downstream the Rillito was only at 350+.

So three hours later, a few minutes ago I checked it again. Well, now that gully-washer has moved downstream. Sabino and Tanque Verde Wash both at about 3,000 cfs, but the Rillito is at a whopping 11,900! About like the Colorado River on a slow day! The Gila is up to over 3,000 near Winkleman, where you can run it. Even the poor old upper Salt is at over 700, highest it's been all year, I think.

Link for this is at beginning of this post.
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desertgirl





Joined: 19 Jan 2003
Posts: 3350
Location: Chandler, AZ

PostPosted: 7/31/2006, 1:25 pm    Post subject: Reply to topic Reply with quote

What is the status of flow on GrandFalls -- Which gauging station will indicate if they are running ?
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azbackpackr
Hi Tech Wizardess




Joined: 31 Dec 2005
Posts: 3639
Location: Needles CA

PostPosted: 7/31/2006, 1:45 pm    Post subject: Reply to topic Reply with quote

Look at that link--it would be Little Colorado River at Cameron AZ, that would be the closest gauging station. At this moment it shows at 2290 cfs--so pretty decent flow. The falls would be running. If it is raining as much up there as it is here, then access to them will be over very muddy, slippery clay roads.

If you click on the link for Little Colorado River at Cameron, you can find all sorts of interesting tidbits. There are a number of screens available to look at. For example, the highest streamflow ever recorded there was an astronomical 50,000 cfs back in the 1920s. And the highest for today's date was over 3,000. So 2290 not bad for today's date.
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azbackpackr
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Joined: 31 Dec 2005
Posts: 3639
Location: Needles CA

PostPosted: 7/31/2006, 2:05 pm    Post subject: Reply to topic Reply with quote

Holy cow, have you guys seen this? I just looked at it again! Upper Salt is over 1,000--first time this year. Rillito in Tucson has been up to almost 25,000 in the past few days. Santa Cruz at Marana: 14,800. Upper Gila: between 4,000 and 6,000. San Pedro at Redington: 2600.
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BoyNhisDog
The dangerous place where the winds meet




Joined: 05 Jan 2003
Posts: 1375
Location: Tucson

PostPosted: 7/31/2006, 2:32 pm    Post subject: Reply to topic Reply with quote

Yeah I laugh these days when someone posts "its raining!" Now normally I wouldn't and would be excited too, but we have gotten pounded all through this summer monsoon season and the last set of storms have been big. We rode our bikes out yesterday and were stopped up on Sunrise by two Deputies guarding a flooded road section and had to find another way. I told GF that if it did the same again that night that the real floods would begin. Here is the normally bone dry Rillto river this morning at Swan;



It is overflowing the banks in places and right up the very edge all along. There was another site where someone's car had floated off from where they parked it at their expensive townhouse;



The whole river is a boiling, raging muddy maelstrom of huge floating trees and root balls. Standing waves are everywhere digging up the bottom. They will be close to loosing bridges if we get another shot tonight. The big rains have been coming in right at midnight every night and then really picking up near sunrise.
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