What is a Watershed? It’s the land that water flows across or under on its way to a stream, river, lake, or the ocean.
The City of Santa Barbara’s four main watersheds run north/south from the top of the Santa Ynez Mountains, down through Los Padres National Forest, through county areas and the city, and out to the beaches and ocean.
They include:
- Arroyo Burro on the west;
- Mission Creek through downtown;
- Sycamore Creek on the east; and
- Laguna Creek (also known as Santa Barbara), which runs mostly in pipes under the city.
To the east of the city, we have the watersheds called Montecito, Oak, San Ysidro, Romero and Toro.
Most of the city of Santa Barbara is located within the lower floodplains of the respective watersheds, which once included native riparian forests. A riparian zone or riparian area is the interface between land and a river or stream. Now home to more than 90,000 people, most areas of the city are developed with roads, parking lots, offices, shops and housing. These surfaces don’t allow water to percolate down into the ground. Instead, water runs off at high speed into creeks, which can overflow and make flood conditions worse.
Based on scientific analysis and community priorities, there are eight primary water quality strategies for watershed health:- Build watershed water quality enhancements on publicly owned
land, similar to the Las Positas Storm Water Management Project. - Address unpaved and eroding roads in Los Padres National Forest and
unincorporated County lands, and develop measures to reduce sediment. - Establish water quality guidelines for new development to treat storm
water runoff, reduce creek bank erosion, and eliminate pollutants - Retrofit developed areas with vegetated swales, filters and pervious surfaces to reduce pollution and storm flows.
- Expand water quality monitoring through surveys and modeling to predict and measure sources of and transport of pollutants.
- Continue DNA water quality research to determine the extent and source of human and domestic animal fecal pollution.
- Work with private landowners to replace septic systems with municipal sewer service and establish a sewer lateral inspection program.
- Expand creek clean-ups and educate the public about sources of pollution.
Thanks to the Santa Barbara Community Guide to Healthy Watersheds, and Explore Ecology’s watershed map for providing information for this article.