Supply and Demand Assessment (SDA) – Gualala River

The Gualala River Watershed is located on the Mendocino Coast. The watershed has a drainage area of approximately 300 square miles and flows for 40 miles before draining into the Pacific Ocean. The elevation ranges from near sea level to over 2,600 feet in the easternmost portion near Gube Mountain. The majority of the watershed is evergreen forest and shrubland, with the river being important habitat for native aquatic species and spawning ground for anadromous fish, especially steelhead trout. Increased sediment and stream temperatures have been linked to declines in salmonid populations over time. As a result, the U.S. EPA and North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board established a Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) for sediments in the Gualala River and its tributaries in 2001.