The Corps completed three studies for the San Diego Creek Watershed SAMP:
- Riparian Ecosystem Restoration Plan (2004): The objective of the Watershed Restoration Plan is to facilitate development of an aquatic resources reserve program in the San Diego Creek watershed through an evaluation of both the potential for restoring a riparian ecosystem, given the current condition within the riparian ecosystem as well as the adjacent landscape and drainage basin, and the "level of effort" required to restore individual riparian reach segments to their appropriate restoration template.
Results from this study included three different datasets:
- Baseline Habitat Integrity
- Increase in Functions Following Restoration
- Watershed Factors
- Planning Level Delineation (2000): The planning level delineation identified areas that meet the jurisdictional requirements under Section 404 of the Clean Water Act (Section 404) at watershed scale covering regulated water bodies at a high level of accuracy. The study mapped geomorphic surfaces and sampled vegetation units in the riparian zones that represent several different return intervals to make jurisdictional determinations with regards to “Waters of the United States (WoUS), including wetlands" across the entire watershed.
Click here to view a web map showing results of the Planning Level Delineation (2000) .
- Assessment of Riparian Ecosystem Integrity (2000): This study conducted a baseline assessment of riparian ecosystem integrity in the San Diego Creek Watershed by dividing the riparian ecosystems into “riparian reaches” and assessing each using a suite of indicators of ecosystem integrity. The study ranked riparian reaches in terms of hydrologic, water quality, and habitat integrity. This assessment of baseline conditions allowed for a comparison between riparian ecosystem assessment units under current and future conditions.
Click here to view a web map showing results of the Assessment of Riparian Ecosystem Integrity .