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The Ventura River flows approximately 16 miles from its headwaters to the Pacific Ocean. It is the smallest of the three major rivers in Ventura County, it flows through the steeply sloped, narrow Ventura Valley, through the broader Ventura River estuary, which extends from the 101 Freeway bridge through to the Pacific Ocean.

The Ventura River watershed encompasses 226 square miles consisting of steep mountains and foothills, with altitudes ranging from 6,025 feet to sea level. Valley floors are home to communities and farms. Conditions in much of the watershed remain natural and undeveloped, with 1,964 acres of watershed protected forever by local land conservancies and their supporters; and 51 percent of the watershed is within National Forest lands.

For more information on the State Water Resources Control Board’s California Water Action Plan efforts in the Ventura River Watershed, please visit the Instream Flow Unit’s website and sign up for our email list.