Ventura River

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Coordinates: 34°16′32″N 119°18′28″W / 34.27556°N 119.30778°W / 34.27556; -119.30778
Ventura River
Country United States
State California
Tributaries
 - left Ojai Creek, San Antonio Creek (Ventura River)
 - right Matilija Creek, Coyote Creek
Source Santa Ynez Mountains
 - location Confluence of Matilija Creek and North Fork Matilija Creek, near Ojai
 - elevation 915 ft (279 m)
 - coordinates 34°29′07″N 119°18′02″W / 34.48528°N 119.30056°W / 34.48528; -119.30056 [1]
Mouth Pacific Ocean
 - location Emma Wood State Beach, near Ventura
 - elevation 0 ft (0 m)
 - coordinates 34°16′32″N 119°18′28″W / 34.27556°N 119.30778°W / 34.27556; -119.30778 [1]
Length 16.5 mi (27 km) [2]
Basin 227 sq mi (588 km2) [3]
Discharge for near Ventura
 - average 72.6 cu ft/s (2 m3/s) [4]
 - max 63,600 cu ft/s (1,801 m3/s)
 - min 0 cu ft/s (0 m3/s)

The Ventura River is a river in Ventura County, California. The river forms at the confluence of Matilija Creek and North Fork Matilija Creek, 16.5 miles (26.6 km)[2] upstream from the Pacific Ocean. San Antonio Creek joins the river halfway to the ocean and Coyote Creek does the same a couple of miles downstream.

Ecology

Genetic analysis of the steelhead trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) in the Ventura river watershed (both above and below Matilija Dam) has shown them to be of native and not hatchery stocks.[5] In 1997 the Ventura River steelhead, part of the Southern California Steelhead Distinct Population Segment (DPS) were listed as federally endangered.[6]

Dams

The flow of the Ventura River and its tributary Coyote Creek have been reduced by the completion of Casitas Dam, which forms Casitas Reservoir. The dam is on Coyote Creek about 2 miles upstream of the junction with the Ventura River. The Robles Diversion Dam was constructed on the Ventura River in 1958 to divert up to 107,800 acre-feet of water per year through a four-and-a-half mile canal to Casitas Reservoir.[7] About 40% of the total water in Lake Casitas is supplied from high winter flows in the Ventura River. Casitas Municipal Water District sells water to both domestic and agricultural customers.

The Matilija Creek tributary is also dammed, by Matilija Dam. Completed in 1948, it was built to store 7,000 acre feet (8,600,000 m3) of water, but sediment has reduced its capacity by 90%. Many groups, including some governmental ones, are working towards the removal of the dam. On November 8, 2007, the 110th Congress overturned President Bush's veto of a bill delegating approximately $89.7M to the project.

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Ventura River". Geographic Names Information System, U.S. Geological Survey. 1981-01-19. Retrieved 2014-01-19. 
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data. The National Map, accessed March 16, 2011
  3. ↑ "Our Watershed". Ventura River Watershed Council. Retrieved 2014-01-19. 
  4. ↑ "USGS Gage #11118501 Ventura River and Ventura City Diversion near Ventura, CA". National Water Information System. U.S. Geological Survey. 1933–2007. Retrieved 2014-01-19. 
  5. ↑ Anthony J. Clemento, Eric C. Anderson, David Boughton, Derek Girman, John Carlos Garza (2009). "Population genetic structure and ancestry of Oncorhynchus mykiss populations above and below dams in south-central California". Conservation Genetics: 1321–1336. Retrieved 2011-06-11. 
  6. ↑ NOAA/NMFS (1997-08-18). "Endangered and Threatened Species: Listing of Several Evolutionary Significant Units (ESUs) of West Coast Steelhead". Federal Register. Retrieved 2013-03-16. 
  7. ↑ "Robles Dam". U.S. Department of Interior Bureau of Reclamation. 2009-06-04. Retrieved 2013-03-16. 

External links


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