The Colorado Information Marketplace
WHAT IS IT?
The Colorado Information Marketplace (https://data.colorado.gov/) is a repository of information of all sorts that pertains to data collected in Colorado and there is an entire section on water-related data sets. While a lot of the information can be found across other websites and links, many of which are highlighted in the LWS useful resources page on our website (https://www.lytlewater.com/useful-resources), the Colorado Information Marketplace is a great warehouse of data and visualizations.
WHERE IS IT?
The water portion of the site can be found here: https://data.colorado.gov/browse?category=Water. From here you can browse the more than 350 data sets: From the call history for the entire state to dam safety to water rights to surface water conditions, etc.; these data are collected from a variety of databases on the Colorado Decision Support System (CDSS). Shown below are two examples of data sets.
HOW DO I USE IT?
The more interesting parts of this site are the pre-made visualizations of different data sets. A great example of this is a map of the current calls in Colorado (see below). While some old salts still talk in river miles and calling rights by name, it is really useful to see a map of Colorado with dots showing where calls are occurring with more details just a couple of clicks away.
Current calls in Colorado (2021)
Another example is the current surface water conditions map (shown below). This map aggregates data from various data providers including the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the Colorado Division of Water Resources (DWR) to create a map of Colorado where reservoirs, streams, and even diversions are shown.
Current surface water conditions in Colorado (2021)
There are many more user-created maps, some more specific than others, but these maps might be useful for your task. From a map of Colorado wells and their depths to a map just showing the flows in Division 5, there are many data visualizations available - each showing a different aspect of the collected data.
These visualizations can have many applications in the field of water rights. Seeing an up-to-date map of where calls are on a river system can be very useful for understanding where calls are located and what calls are impacting any particular user.
The Colorado Information Marketplace is a vast repository for state information, and is a great resource for water-related databases and visualizations. And with a navigable interface, you can even create your own.
We hope some of your questions can be answered by this useful state resource, and you can always give LWS a call at (303) 350-4090 or contact us by email. We are ready to help you find solutions and answers!
Bruce Lytle bruce@lytlewater.com
Ben Bader ben@lytlewater.com
