Cuyama River

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The Cuyama River is a river in southern San Luis Obispo County and northern Santa Barbara County, California. The 85-miles river is a tributary of the Santa Maria River, which is formed when the Cuyama River meets the Sisquoc River. Its upper reaches are in Ventura County, where it is split into a north and south fork. After the forks combine, the river briefly flows through the far northeast through the towns of Cuyama and New Cuyama in Santa Barbara County before entering San Luis Obispo County, California. The river travels just inside San Luis Obispo County for most of its length, a couple of miles above Santa Barbara County. When it becomes the Santa Maria River, it serves as the boundary between the two counties.

The North Fork's heawaters are above 8,000 feet in the southern section of the Los Padres National Forest, specifically the Chumash Wilderness Area. The South Fork's headwaters are above 5,000 feet in Dick Smith Wilderness and Sespe Wilderness, also in the southern section of the Los Padres National Forest. Downstream from the confluence of the forks, the river flows between the Caliente Range and the Sierra Madre Mountains in the Cuyama Valley. About 66 miles from its source, the river reaches Twitchell Reservoir, formed by Twitchell Dam. The dam provides flood control and allows water to be released gradually, so that as much of it will seep into the soil, recharging the groundwater, as possible. The water is released as quickly as possible while still allowing it percolate into the ground, so the reservoir is often empty. The river and the reservoir are usually dry during the summer, when there is little or no rain. However, large flows can occur following winter storms. The river flows another 6 miles before its confluence with the Sisquoc River, about 20 miles upstream from the Pacific Ocean. The river's course has been altered over its history by fault displacement.