Otay River Watershed Management Plan

Aspen provided wide-ranging technical and regulatory assistance to the County of San Diego Department of Planning and Land Use to prepare the Otay River Watershed Management Plan (ORWMP) for the 145-mi2 Otay River Watershed, in southern San Diego County, California. The primary goal of the ORWMP, which was the first watershed management plan to be adopted by the County of San Diego Board of Supervisors on May 10, 2006, is to serve as a framework management program for natural resource protection and uses in this watershed that is consistent with the local General Plans (County of San Diego and Cities of Chula Vista, San Diego, and Imperial Beach); San Diego Unified Port District’s Master Plan; San Diego Regional Water Quality Control Board’s San Diego Region NPDES Permit; Multiple Species Conservation Program and associated Subarea Plans; Otay Ranch General Development Plan and Resource Management Plan; East Otay Mesa Business Park Subarea Specific Plan; Otay Valley Regional Park Concept Plan, Trail Guidelines, and Habitat Restoration Plan; San Diego Bay National Wildlife Refuge Comprehensive Conservation Planning Process; and the Special Area Management Plan.

More specifically, the ORWMP provides implementation strategies to ensure the protection, enhancement, and restoration of existing beneficial uses and natural resources, including methods to monitor, maintain, and/or enhance existing water quality levels using non-structural and structural Best Management Practices. The main products include the Watershed Management Plan document and a centralized GIS database, which will be updated at regular intervals and as conditions in the watershed or regulatory requirements change.