Flow Bands
What are flow bands?
Flow bands are named CFS ranges defined by the paddling community for a specific reach. They translate a raw cubic-feet-per-second number into something actionable — is the run on, too low, or blown out?
Standard band labels
| Label | Typical meaning |
|---|---|
| Too Low | Below minimum runnable level |
| Minimum | Technically runnable, likely scrappy |
| Fun | Good water, most lines available |
| Optimal | Peak conditions |
| Pushy | High but manageable, requires experience |
| High | Above typical comfort zone |
| Flood | Not recommended |
Not every reach uses all bands. A simple creek might just have Too Low / Runnable / Flood.
How bands are assigned
Each band is defined by a CFS range on a specific reach. The ranges are stored in the H2OFlows database and contributed by the paddling community.
When the dashboard reads a live CFS value for a gauge, it looks up which band that CFS falls into for each reach linked to that gauge. The band label is displayed on the reach sub-row in the watchlist.
Band colors
| Band | Color |
|---|---|
| Too Low | Gray |
| Minimum | Blue |
| Fun | Green |
| Optimal | Teal |
| Pushy | Yellow |
| High | Orange |
| Flood | Red |
No bands defined
If no flow ranges exist for a reach yet, the flow band label shows as neutral/gray. The raw CFS is still displayed. Contributing flow ranges for local runs is one of the easiest ways to improve H2OFlows data quality.
Contributing flow ranges
Flow range data is contributed by the community through reach pages. Navigate to a reach, open the Flow Ranges section, and propose or verify ranges. All contributions are reviewed before going live.