Otay Watershed

The Otay River watershed encompasses approximately 160 square miles in southwest San Diego County and is one of the three hydrologic units that discharge to San Diego Bay.Ê The watershed consists largely of unincorporated area, but also includes portions of the cities of Chula Vista, Imperial Beach, Coronado, National City, and San Diego.Ê The predominant land uses in the watershed are open space (67%) and urban/ residential (20%). The major inland hydrologic features, Upper and Lower Otay Lakes, are two water supply reservoirs that also provide important habitat and recreational opportunities.Ê Approximately 36 square miles of the watershed is part of the Multiple Species Conservation Plan effort that provides habitat for a wide range of endangered plant and animal species.Ê Other important conservation areas within the watershed include the San Diego National Wildlife Refuge, the Rancho Jamul Ecological Reserve, and the vernal pool lands in the region.
Hydrologic Areas:	Coronado, Otay Valley, Dulzura
Major Water Bodies:	Upper and Lower Otay Reservoirs, Otay River, San Diego Bay
If you would like to select one of these major water bodies as your collection site, follow these instructions to get the information you will need for the registration form: Copy the name of the water body (e.g., San Marcos Creek). Go to www.topozone.com and paste the water body name in the place name field. Select CA and click the Search button. The results will look similar to the screenshot below: The information you will need to write down or copy from the results are: Type: the water body type. USGS Quad: the Nearest City field on the registration form. Lat: the latitude. Lon: the longitude. Enter the information into the Collection Site Information section of the registration form. If you need assistance in selecting a collection site, please contact us. We'll be happy to help you find a site that's as close to your group' or school's location as possible.