Loma Alta Creek/Slough

Loma Alta Creek is the northernmost watershed in the Carlsbad Hydrologic Unit. It flows alongside Oceanside Boulevard, beginning as rising springs just west of Melrose Drive in the City of Vista and ending at Buccaneer Beach Park where it enters the Pacific Ocean. Approximately 5 percent of the Loma Alta Creek Watershed is in the City of Vista, and the remaining portion is entirely in the City of Oceanside. Loma Alta Creek is just over seven miles long and encompasses nearly 6,300 acres of land, 70 percent of which is developed. Almost 90 percent of the land within the watershed is privately owned.

Several tributaries drain into Loma Alta Creek, however, the only named tributary is Garrison Creek, located along Garrison Street west of El Camino Real. Much of the creek has been modified throughout the years, with the use of fully or partially concrete-lined channels to stabilize the creek-bed slopes.

Most of the undeveloped land in the Loma Alta Watershed supports disturbed and non-native habitat, with numerous exotic/invasive plant species. The seven percent of remaining native vegetation includes freshwater marsh, willow riparian scrub, coastal sage scrub, chaparral and valley and coastal grassland. Loma Alta Creek is an important wildlife corridor and supports several threatened and endangered species, as well as approximately 100 species of wildlife.

Residential development comprises 45 percent of the predominant land use in the Loma Alta Watershed. Industrial facilities account for 7 percent, commercial businesses 4 percent, and public facilities make up nearly 16 percent of the additional land uses. All of these land uses are potential sources of pollutants for the watershed. According to the State Water Resources Control Board, Loma Alta Creek has been found to have high levels of bacteria and nutrients.

Loma Alta Creek is characterized as a typical urbanized waterbody. The City of Oceanside is concerned about the health of the watershed and strives to continually improve its water quality, which is why in June of 2000 the City received a 205(j) grant from the State Water Resources Control Board to create a Loma Alta Creek Watershed Management Plan. A copy of the Management Plan is provided in sections for quick downloading.

LACWMP Cover, Table of Contents, Glossary and Executive Summary (1.4 MB)
LACWMP Section 1 (2.2 MB)
LACWMP Section 2.1 (2.14 MB)
LACWMP Section 2.2 (8.1 MB)
LACWMP Section 2.3 (2.1 MB)
LACWMP Section 2.4, Part 1 (8.3 MB)
LACWMP Section 2.4, Part 2 (3.8 MB)
LACWMP Sections 3 & 4 (454 KB)
LACWMP Section 5, Part 1 (8.5 MB)
LACWMP Section 5, Part 2 (652 KB)
LACWMP Sections 6 & 7 (169 KB)

Due to the increasing efforts focused on managing pollutants entering our waterbodies from urban runoff, a Watershed Urban Runoff Management Plan (WURMP) has been created specifically for the Carlsbad Hydrologic Unit. This management plan identifies tasks related to urban runoff that all jurisdictions in the Carlsbad Hydrologic Unit are committed to implementing in order to improve the water quality of the individual watersheds. Attached is a copy of the Watershed Urban Runoff Management Plan (WURMP) for the Carlsbad Hydrologic Unit, broken into five sections for quick downloading.

Carlsbad WURMP Title Page, Executive Summary, Table of Contents and Acronyms List (336 KB)
Carlsbad WURMP Section I (498 KB)
Carlsbad WURMP Section II (2.2 MB)
Carlsbad WURMP Section III, Part 1 (451 KB)
Carlsbad WURMP Section III, Part 2 (659 KB)

Myers Property Restoration

Project Introduction

The City of Oceanside is conducting a habitat restoration and erosion-control project with Proposition 13 grant funding on the City-owned Myers Property along El Camino Real, south of Oceanside Boulevard. The goal of the project is to improve water quality and reduce sediment in the Loma Alta Creek watershed, and improve habitat for the federally threatened California gnatcatcher.

Restoration was completed in January 2007, and involved three tons of trash removal, the stabilization of soils and the restoration of native plants to help reduce erosion and sediment load into the Loma Alta Creek watershed and improve habitat for migratory birds, raptors and numerous other species. The Myers Property Restoration and Erosion Control Project will be the first publicly funded and community-based project to contribute to the overall health of the watershed.

Coastal Sage Scrub Habitat on Myers Property

Installation of erosion control log dams

For more information on this project, please checkout the Myers Property Restoration (306 KB) page.

Additionally, the Clean Water Program hosts an annual volunteer cleanup day along Loma Alta Creek. For more information, check out the Clean Water Projects page on this website.