Publication of a Map Series on the Aquatic Resources for San Jacinto and Portions of the Santa Margarita Watersheds

Abstract : The Riverside County Flood Control and Water Conservation District, in cooperation with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, recently funded an effort to inventory and map the aquatic resources within the San Jacinto and portions of Santa Margarita River watersheds, Riverside County, California. This project is being undertaken as part of the Corps of Engineers' Special Area Management Plan (SAMP) for western Riverside County. A SAMP is a comprehensive aquatic resource planning effort in the context of Section 404 of the Clean Water Act. The ultimate goal of the SAMP is to provide a management tool that helps reach a balance between protection of aquatic resources and reasonable economic development. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Los Angeles District is leading the development of the SAMP in western Riverside County. Lichvar and Ericsson (2003), from the USACE Engineering and Research Development Center, Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory (CRREL), recently published a report containing detailed maps showing the SAMP planning-level delineation of aquatic resources in western Riverside County. This map series, along with background reports (Lichvar et al. 2003), is available in interactive format at the following web site: https://rsgis.crrel.usace.army.mil/vegmap/westriverside.watershedstart_pk The web site allows users to view the maps according to their choice of a variety of vegetation and hydrologic features at a variety of scales. It is also searchable by, for example, zip code, place name, or vegetation type. The result is easy access to a wealth of information on the aquatic resources of these watersheds.