San Diego Watershed
From SDCK Watershed Wiki
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With a land area of approximately 440 square miles, the San Diego River watershed is the second largest hydrologic unit (HU) in San Diego County. It also has the highest population (~475,000) of the County’s watersheds and contains portions of the cities of San Diego, El Cajon, La Mesa, Poway, and Santee and several unincorporated jurisdictions. Important hydrologic resources in the watershed include five water storage reservoirs, a large groundwater aquifer, extensive riparian habitat, coastal wetlands, and tidepools. Approximately 58.4% of the San Diego River watershed is currently undeveloped. The majority of this undeveloped land is in the upper, eastern portion of the watershed, while the lower reaches are more highly urbanized with residential (14.9%), freeways and roads (5.5%), and commercial/ industrial (4.2%) land uses predominating.
 | Watershed monitoring sites by San Diego Coastkeeper |
 | Formerly monitored sites by San Diego Coastkeeper |
 | Beach water monitoring sites by County DEH |
 | Beach water monitoring sites by wastewater agencies |
Coastkeeper Monitoring Sites in San Diego Watershed
San Diego Coastkeeper currently conducts monthly water quality monitoring at 2 sites in the San Diego watershed.
The Site codes and their locations are as follows
SDG-010 : San Diego River, Fashion Valley Road
SDG-020 : San Diego River, Old Mission Historical Dam
General Watershed Information
Hydrologic Unit: 907.11 - 907.43
Hydrologic Areas: Lower San Diego 907.1 ; San Vincente 907.2 ; El Capitan 907.3 ; Boulder Creek 907.4
Major Water Bodies: (i)San Diego River (ii) El Capitan Reservoir (iii)San Vincente Reservoir (iv) Lake Murray (v)Boulder Creek (vi)Santee Lakes
Impaired Water Bodies
CWA 303(d) List :
| Waterbody | Pollutant/Stressor |
|---|---|
| San Vincente Reservoir | Chloride, Color, Manganese, pH(high), Sulfates |
| San Diego River(Lower) | Fecal Coliform, Low Dissolved Oxygen, Phosphorus, Total Dissolved Solids |
| Pacific Ocean Shoreline, San Diego HU | Indicator bacteria |
| Murray Reservoir | pH |
| Forester Creek | Fecal Coliform, Dissolved Oxygen, pH, Phosphorus, Total Dissolved Solids |
| Famosa Slough and Channel | Eutrophic |
| El Capitan Lake | Color, Manganese, pH |
Watershed Land Use
Land Use by type
| Type | Share of Watershed |
|---|---|
| Residential | 14.0% |
| Commercial | 7.9% |
| Parks & Open Spaces | 75.0% |
| Golf Course | 0.4% |
| Agriculture | 1.2% |
| Under Construction | 0.1% |
| Industry | 0.7% |
Watershed Captains
Joel Engelson
Watershed Groups
San Diego River Park Foundation
The San Diego Wildfires Education Project
Watershed Resources
Videos by HTHMA Students
Pictures
Research Studies and Reports
Surface Water Ambient Monitoring Program (SWAMP) Report on the San Diego Hydrologic Unit - 2007
Civic Involvement
Coastkeeper Sites and Sampling Frequency
San Diego Coastkeeper currently conducts monthly water quality monitoring at 2 sites in the San Diego watershed.
The Site codes and their locations are as follows:
SDG.1 : San Diego River at Fashion Valley Mall
SDG.2 : San Diego River at Old Mission Historical Dam
Data Interpretations
Water Quality at Site SDG.1 in 2009
