Noyo River

Noyo River
Aerial view of the mouth of the Noyo River at Fort Bragg
Location of mouth
Location
Country	United States
State	California
Region	Mendocino County
Physical characteristics
Source	Mendocino Range
• location	3 mi (5 km) west of Willits, California
• coordinates	39°24′17″N 123°25′20″W / 39.40472°N 123.42222°W / 39.40472; -123.42222[1]
• elevation	1,560 ft (480 m)
Mouth	Pacific Ocean
• location	Fort Bragg, California
• coordinates	39°25′40″N 123°48′33″W / 39.42778°N 123.80917°W / 39.42778; -123.80917[1]
• elevation	0 ft (0 m)
Length	30 mi (48 km)
Basin size	113 sq mi (290 km2)

The Noyo River (Pomo: Chemli-bida) is a river on the north coast of California in Mendocino County. The river's headwaters are in the steep Mendocino Range, but downstream the river flows through gently sloping marine terraces before draining into the Pacific Ocean. The 113 square miles (290 km²) watershed extends east to the small city of Willits and the river's mouth is at Noyo Harbor in Fort Bragg, which uses the river for drinking water; it is neighbored on the south by Hare Creek and the Big River, on the east by the South Fork Eel River, and on the north by Ten Mile River, named for its distance from the Noyo River. The average annual rainfall is between 40 inches (1,000 mm) and 65 inches (1,700 mm).

In the language of the Pomo people the Noyo River was Chemli-bida; the name "Noyo" referred to a village several miles north, on Pudding Creek, and by extension to the creek itself. European settlers transferred the name from Pudding Creek to the larger river to the south.^[2] The name Pudding Creek is thought to be a corruption of put-in creek - a term used by sailors to identify the uniquely sheltered mouth of the Noyo River. The two names were switched in the 1855 Coast Survey report.^[3]

The watershed has been logged for timber since the 19th century. Historical logging practices, particularly widespread clear-cutting, caused severe erosion, which led to excessive sediment buildup in the river and its tributaries. In addition, large woody debris that trapped sediment was removed from the streambed to improve flows. Noyo River estuary is recognized for protection by the California Bays and Estuaries Policy.^[4] In 1998, the river was listed as sediment impaired by the State of California North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board. The watershed is slowly improving, but it is far from full recovery.

Timber production continues to be the primary land use in the watershed. About half of the land is owned by Mendocino Redwood Company and Hawthorne Timber Company, which bought its land from Georgia Pacific in 1999. Jackson Demonstration State Forest, owned by the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, makes up about one fifth of the watershed. The rest of the land is split into smaller parcels, such as ranches and private residences. Public land is largely limited to the state forest.