Otay River

The Otay River (/ˈoʊtaɪ/) is a river in southern San Diego County, California. The 25 mi (40 km) river begins at San Miguel Mountain, flows through the Upper and Lower Otay Reservoirs, and continues on between the southern part of the Chula Vista and the Otay Mesa West district of San Diego, to its river mouth on San Diego Bay.

Otay River
The river as it flows at the northern extreme of Imperial Beach, California
Location
Country	United States
State	California
Region	San Diego County
Physical characteristics
Source	Outlet of Lower Otay Reservoir
• location	Otay County Open Space Preserve
• coordinates	32°36′39″N 117°06′59″W
• elevation	392 ft (119 m)
Mouth	San Diego Bay
• location	Imperial Beach
• coordinates	32°36′23″N 116°55′29″W
• elevation	0 ft (0 m)
Length	25 mi (40 km)
Basin size	160 sq mi (410 km2)
Basin features
Tributaries
• left	Jamul Creek

River

The river has a 160-square-mile (410 km²) watershed.^[1] To its north is the watershed of Sweetwater River, and to its south is the watershed of Tijuana River.^[2] Between Interstate 5 and Interstate 805 is Otay Valley Regional Park.^[3] As of 2016^[update], there is a plan to restore part of its pre-Mexican era estuary on lands utilized by the South Bay Salt Works.^[4][5]

Otay Reservoirs

Savage Dam, completed in 1921,^[6] forms the 49,510 acre⋅ft (61,070,000 m³) Lower Otay Reservoir, which is used to supply drinking water to parts of southern San Diego County.^[7] The reservoir is also the terminus for Pipeline 3 of the Second San Diego Aqueduct, which delivers water from the Colorado River via the Colorado River Aqueduct.^[8] Its predecessor, the Lower Otay Dam was a "rockhill type", which was completed in 1897;^[9] it failed in 1916 following heavy rains.^[10]

The Upper Otay Reservoir is formed by Upper Otay Dam, built in 1901.^[9] The reservoir was established as a hatchery for the introduction of Florida-strain largemouth bass in 1959.^[11] The reservoir was chemically treated first, which killed all of the native fish.^[12] In 1996, the reservoir was opened to fishing, but all fish caught must be released.^[13]

Since the river is used as a municipal water supply, there is no human contact allowed at either of the Otay Reservoirs.

Early testing of manned gliders by noted aviator John J. Montgomery occurred in the region in the late 19th century.^[14]

References

1. "The Otay Watershed (HU 910.00)". San Diego Bay Watersheds Common Ground Project. San Diego State University. Retrieved November 11, 2017.
2. "Real-time water-data collection sites in the San Diego County Drainage Basins study area" (PDF). California Water Science Center. United States Geological Survey. June 29, 2009. Retrieved November 11, 2017.
3. The Canyoneers (December 2, 2015). "Hike along one of the three rivers that discharge into San Diego Bay". San Diego Reader. Retrieved November 11, 2017.
4. "Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Otay River Estuary Restoration Project" (PDF). San Diego Bay National Wildlife Refuge. United States Fish and Wildlife Service. October 2016. Retrieved November 11, 2017.
   −Collins, Brian. "Otay River Estuary Restoration Project". San Diego Bay. United States Fish and Wildlife Service. Retrieved November 11, 2017.
5. Diehl, Phil (August 8, 2022). "Poseidon failed to start wetlands restoration on time, says Coastal Commission". San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved August 8, 2022.
6. "The new Lower Otay Dam, completed in 1921 to replace the rockfill structure washed out by the 1916 floods". Library of Congress. 1995. Retrieved November 11, 2017.
7. "Water Treatment Plants". Water. City of San Diego. Retrieved November 11, 2017.
8. "San Diego Project". United States Bureau of Reclamation. Retrieved November 11, 2017.
9. Pacific Municipalities. 1910. p. 107.
10. McGlashan, H.D.; Ebert, F.C. (1918). Southern California Floods of January, 1916 (Technical report). United States Geological Survey. Water-Supply Paper 426.
    Krier, Robert (November 21, 2016). "Rain promised, flood followed in 1916". San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved November 11, 2017.
11. Rice, Bill (November 1, 2012). "Florida-Strain Bass Changed the World of Bass Fishing". Bass Fishing Archive. Retrieved November 11, 2017.
12. Monte Burke (February 28, 2006). Sowbelly: The Obsessive Quest for the World-Record Largemouth Bass. Penguin Publishing Group. p. 28. ISBN 978-1-101-66654-8.
13. Zieralski, Ed (January 7, 2015). "Upper Otay project continues". San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved November 11, 2017.
14. Gary B. Fogel; Craig S. Harwood (October 11, 2012). Quest for Flight: John J. Montgomery and the Dawn of Aviation in the West. University of Oklahoma Press. pp. 39–40. ISBN 978-0-8061-8781-5.

Further reading

• "Otay Watershed". Project Clean Water. Retrieved March 22, 2009.
• Cohen, Saul Bernard (2000). "Osseo to Palmhurst: Otay River". Columbia Gazetteer of North America. New York: Columbia University Press. ISBN 0-231-11990-9.
• Otay River Watershed Management Plan. San Diego County, Accessed 2011-01-28