Watershed Map of the San Diego River.png

The San Diego River Watershed encompasses a land area of 434 square miles, making it the second largest watershed management area (WMA) located in San Diego County. It lies in the central portion of the County and neighbors Los Penasquitos and San Dieguito River Watersheds to the north and San Diego Bay WMA to the south.

The watershed can be divided into four distinct hydrological areas, each with unique geological and environmental features:

San Diego River Watershed supplies roughly 760,000 individuals with potable water sourced from one of five reservoirs: Lake Murray, Lake Jennings, San Vicente, El Capitan and Cuyamaca Reservoirs. The majority of these reservoirs can be found in the eastern half of the watershed, upstream from the Lower San Diego Hydrologic Area.

It is important to note, however, that the watershed serves more than just humans. The San Diego River Watershed consists of a variety of unique and diverse ecosystems that act as critical habitat for a number of endangered species, including the arroyo toad, least bell’s vireo, and the southwestern pond turtle.

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