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 | | The Orange County Watershed |
"That area of land, a bounded hydrologic system, within which all living things are inextricably linked by their common water course and where, as humans settled, simple logic demanded that they become part of the community."
-John Wesley Powell
A watershed is the geographic area draining into a river system, ocean or other body of water through a single outlet and includes the receiving waters. Watersheds are usually bordered, and separated from other watersheds, by mountains ridges or other naturally elevated areas.
Pervious surface, mostly dirt and sand (undeveloped land) allows water to soak into the ground and can transport water into ground water or under surface aquifers that we pump up to use for drinking water.
Impervious surface, roofs, roads, sidewalks, parking lots etc. where rain water flows as runoff over the surface and does not soak in. This is the runoff that harms water quality because of the surface sediments, metals, toxics, nutrients and trash that are carried by the runoff flows. Fish and smaller forms of stream/bay/coastal organisms are sensitive to changes in factors such as streamflow and water quality. They are excellent biological indicators of the effects of urban development. If their environment is deteriorating, eventually the effects will be felt by humans.
We all live in a watershed
A watershed is a self-contained environmental unit, and that makes it a good area in which to learn how to manage the effects of urban development. Just as storm water systems (storm drains and flood control channels) protect our houses and cities to keep us safe, its the same system that delivers urban runoff when its not raining. Its called "dry weather flows" or better yet, dry storm water runoff!
The runoff usually ends up in a bay, wetland or along our coastline beaches. While the county health agency monitors our local waters for bacteria which can harm humans, not much monitoring is being implemented that tests the many harmful metals and toxics and nutrients that end up across our beaches and into the coastal ecosystem.
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| The Santa Ana River Watershed |
The Santa Ana River Watershed covers approximately 2800 square miles of southern California , roughly between Los Angeles and San Diego. The watershed's five million residents make it one of the most densely populated in the state.
The terrain in the watershed ranges from snow covered mountains as close as two hours from the world-famous broad, sandy ocean beaches. The climate is classified as Mediterranean : generally dry in the summer with mild, wet winters. The average annual rainfall in the region is about fifteen inches, most of it occurring between November and March. Much of the area would be near desert were it not for the influence of modern civilization. Regional Boundaries and Geography
In very broad terms, the Santa Ana Region is a group of connected inland basins and open coastal basins drained by surface streams flowing generally southwestward to the Pacific Ocean . The Santa Ana River Watershed is bounded by the San Bernardino and San Gabriel Mountains in the north, the Chino Hills on the west, and includes the San Jacinto River Watershed to the east. This “upper watershed” of the river covers the entire Inland Empire and the fast growing metropolitan areas of San Bernardino and Riverside Counties . Near Corona , the Santa Ana River cuts through the Santa Ana Mountains and flows down onto the “lower watershed” on the densely populated Orange County coastal plain. The Pacific Ocean coast of the Santa Ana Region extends from just north of Laguna Beach up to Seal Beach and the Los Angeles County line.
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| The Santa Ana River Watershed |
Other features of the coast include Newport Bay , Anaheim Bay-Huntington Harbor, and the major coastal wetlands areas associated with those bays. As one of the largest and most populated watersheds in California , the Santa Ana River watershed faces a variety of threats including explosive land development and population growth along with industrial, agricultural and urban runoff. In the past the Santa Ana River was generally dry during summer months but now flows year round with a mix of treated wastewater and urban runoff. Endangered species such as the Santa Ana Sucker and Arroyo Chub are facing increasing stress from poor water quality and habitat loss. As more people move into the area the Santa Ana River will become more important as a resource at the same time that it is under attack from the very people who need it.
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