The Santa Clara River Watershed

What’s a watershed? (Click Here) To learn about watersheds.

The Santa Clara River watershed, the ancestral land of the Chumash and Tativiam, covers approx. 1,600 square miles that drains parts of several coastal ranges in the Transverse Range including the San Gabriel, TopaTopa and Santa Susanna ranges

This river system is extremely important because, in comparison to other Southern California river systems, it retains the highest degree of its natural character and landscape processes.

The major tributaries of the Santa Clara are the headwaters in the Santa Clarita Valley, Castaic Creek, Piru Creek, Sespe Creek and Santa Paula Creek.

Map of the Santa Clara watershed.

Sespe Creek is the longest stretch of undammed river In Southern California and a protected Wild and Scenic River. Sespe Creek is a big reason why the Santa Clara River watershed is critical to the long-term survival of many native species.

Even with about 50% of the total watershed area in public ownership, primarily in Forest Service Lands (Los Padres and Angeles National Forest are the green areas in map above) the Santa Clara River has not escaped the impacts of human land use and development.