Ventura River

The Ventura River is a river in Ventura County, California. The river forms at the confluence of Matilija Creek and North Fork Matilija Creek, 15 miles upstream from the Pacific Ocean. San Antonio Creek joins the river halfway to the ocean and Coyote Creek does the same a couple of miles downstream. However, the flow from Coyote Creek has not been very large since the completion of Casitas Dam, which forms Lake Casitas. The dam is about 2 miles upstream of the junction with the Ventura River. There is also a dam on Matilija Creek, Matilija Dam. Completed in 1948, it was built to store 5,000 acre-feet (6,000,000 m³) of water, but sediment has reduced its capacity by 90%. Many groups, including some governmental ones, are working towards the removal of the dam. On November 8, 2007, the 110th Congress overturned President Bush's veto of a bill delegating approximately $89.7M to the project. Finally, Robles Dam, which is 2 miles downstream from Matilija Dam, diverts water to Lake Casitas, further reducing the river's flow.

References

* [http://www.stream-team.org/SanAntonio/Ventura%20River/venturariver.htm Santa Barbara Channelkeeper]
* [http://www.friendsoftheriver.org/site/DocServer/RiversReborn.pdf?docID=224&AddInterest=1004 Friends of the River - Matilija Dam]
* [http://www.usbr.gov/dataweb/html/ventura.html United States Bureau of Reclamation - Ventura River Project]