Indicators

Water Quality and Quantity

Annual low flow – Annual low flow examines the mean flow of the driest 7-day period in any given year.
Zero Flow Days – Zero flow days analyzes the number of days when perennial streams or the river are dry.
Municipal Water Supply – Municipal water supply scores the trend in domestic water use per capita.
Groundwater – Groundwater analyzes the change in water level for aquifers in the basin.
Agriculture surface water supply – Agriculture surface water supply evaluates the surface water delivered to agricultural users.
Flow Alteration – Flow alteration assesses the current flows alteration compared to the historic natural flows.
Water Supply for Compact – Water supply for compact evaluates if states meet the compact between NM, CO, and TX.
Impaired Streams – Impaired streams is the streams deemed impaired by the EPA compared to unimpaired streams.

Park Visitation – Park visitation scores the number of state and national park visitors from the most recent year against visitation from previous years.
Recreation Access – Recreation access examines if people think public access to outdoor recreation is adequate.
Cultural and Historical Places – Cultural & historic places examines if people think cultural and historic sites are being respected and maintained.
Walkability – Walkability assesses if people in urban areas can walk to a park in 10 minutes.
Heat Vulnerability Index – Heat vulnerability index measures climate- safe neighborhoods, including tree canopy, impervious surface, temperature, and poverty.
Social Vulnerability Index – Social vulnerability index measures how vulnerable a community is to hazardous events.
Air Quality – Air quality assesses presence of air pollutants such as ozone and nitrogen dioxide.
Affordable Housing – Affordable housing assesses the amount of income spent on housing.

Native peoples and acequias support – Native peoples and acequias support considers the level of government and state funding for tribal nations, Pueblos, and acequias.
Native peoples and acequias representation – Native peoples and acequias representation examines whether indigenous communities can equitably participate in water management.
Water Resource Governance – Water resource governance examines if people think water resources are being governed effectively.
Water Resource Management – Water resource management examined citizen perception of water resource management.
Protected Lands – Protected lands examines areas of protected lands in the basin to meet the goal of 30% protection by 2030.
Fire – Fire measures preventative burn treatments for forests with potential fire impact.

Riparian Areas – Riparian areas calculates the loss of riparian vegetation area compared to the historic area.
Invasive Trees and Shrubs – Invasive trees and shrubs assesses wetlands area of native versus non-native trees and shrubs.
Wetland Loss – Wetland loss calculates the net loss of wetland habitat.
Bird Diversity – Bird diversity calculates the Simpson’s Diversity Index for all bird species in the region.
Silvery Minnow – Silvery minnow assesses the last remaining population, which only occurs in the Middle Rio Grande, by looking at the catch per unit effort per river length.
Native Fish Diversity – Fish diversity calculates the Simpson’s Diversity Index for native fish species in the region.
All Fish Diversity – Fish diversity calculates the Simpson’s Diversity Index for all fish species in the region.

Overall Health Index – This index measures the overall health of the Upper Rio Grande watershed.