Santa Ynez River

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The Santa Ynez River is one of the largest rivers on the Central Coast of California. It flows from east to west, reaching the Pacific Ocean at Surf, near Lompoc.

The 90-mile long river drains the north slope of the Santa Ynez Mountains, the south slope of the San Rafael Mountains, as well as much of the southern half of Santa Barbara County. There is one major reservoir on the river, Lake Cachuma. The 205,000 acre-foot lake supplies Santa Barbara with drinking water. Bradbury Dam, which forms the lake, was built by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. The other two reservoirs, Jameson and Gibraltar, are much smaller. The river's flow is highly variable. It can be nearly dry in the summer, but a raging torrent in the winter. Lake Cachuma and the upper Santa Ynez River are located in the Los Padres National Forest.