"Promote a Healthy Santa Ana Watershed for both Wildlife and People"
The Santa Ana Watershed Association will develop, coordinate and implement natural resource programs which support a sustainable ecosystem and social benefits from the San Bernardino Mountains to the Pacific Ocean.
The Santa Ana Watershed is the largest coastal river system in Southern California. The Watershed area is home to more than 4.5 million people and includes portions of San Bernardino, Riverside, Los Angeles, and Orange County. The Santa Ana Watershed is composed of five Resource Conservation Districts and several participating agencies. SAWA is involved in a variety of projects designed to improve environmental quality and habitat within the watershed of the Santa Ana River.
The flow of the Santa Ana River begins in the San Bernardino Mountains and discharges into the ocean at Huntington Beach, a distance of over 100 miles. The watershed of the Santa Ana River covers 2650 acres of mountains, foothills and valleys. This watershed area contains portions of Los Angeles, Riverside, San Bernardino, and Orange Counties, and supports a population of over 4.5 million people.
The average annual rainfall for the watershed is 13 inches. Thus, under natural conditions the river would actually be an intermittent stream with little to no flow during the dry summer months. However, contributions of water from wastewater treatment plants have greatly increased the flow of the Santa Ana River.
The Santa Ana Watershed Association (SAWA) is committed to the protection and improvement of areas within the Santa Ana River watershed. Major focuses of SAWA are the removal of invasive species, which are a significant problem throughout the watershed, native habitat enhancement, and the protection of endangered and threatened species.
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