| Hydrologic Areas: |
Lower San Luis
Monserate
Warner Valley |
903.1
903.2
903.3 |
|
| Major Water Bodies: |
San
Luis Rey River and Lake Henshaw |
| CWA 303(d) List: |
Pacific
Ocean shoreline: indicator bacteria; San Luis Rey River
(lower 13 miles): chloride; San Luis Rey River (lower 19
miles): total dissolved solids. |
| Major Impacts: |
Surface
water quality degradation, habitat loss, invasive species, channel bed erosion |
| Constituents of
Concern: |
Indicator bacteria and
nutrients |
| Sources / Activities: |
Agriculture, orchards, livestock, domestic animals, urban
runoff, and septic systems |
|
| The San Luis Rey River
Watershed is located in northern San Diego County. It is
bordered to the north by the Santa Margarita River Watershed
and to the south by the Carlsbad and San Dieguito River
Watersheds. The San Luis Rey River originates in the Palomar
and Hot Springs Mountains, both over 6,000 feet above mean sea
level, as well as several other mountain ranges along the
western border of the Anza Borrego Desert Park. The river
extends over 55 miles across northern San Diego County forming
a watershed with an area of approximately 360,000 acres or 562
square miles. The river ultimately discharges to the Pacific
Ocean near the City of Oceanside. Of the nine major watersheds
in the San Diego region, the San Luis Rey is the third
largest.
About half (49%) of the land
in the watershed is privately owned, 37% is publicly owned,
and the remaining 14% consists of six federally recognized
Tribal Indian Reservations. In the western half of the
watershed, private ownership dominates. Population centers
include the City of Oceanside and the unincorporated
communities of Fallbrook, Bonsall, and Valley Center. Moving
east through the watershed, public lands become increasingly
dominant. Over 54% of the land in the watershed is vacant or
undeveloped. The next largest land uses in the watershed are
residential (15%) and agriculture (14%). Principal
agricultural uses include cattle grazing, nurseries, citrus
groves, and avocado groves.
The watershed is comprised of
three Hydrologic Areas (HAs), which have been delineated by
the San Diego Regional Water Quality Control Board based on
drainage patterns: Lower San Luis (HA 903.1), Monserate (HA
903.2), and Warner Valley (HA 903.3). The Warner Valley HA is
upstream of Lake Henshaw, a reservoir owned and operated by
the Vista Irrigation District. Water from the San Luis Rey
River is diverted approximately ten miles downstream of
Henshaw Dam to serve the municipal drinking water needs of
customers in Escondido and Vista.
|
