San Dieguito River

32°58′23.01″N 117°14′57.57″W / 32.9730583°N 117.2493250°W / 32.9730583; -117.2493250

San Dieguito River
Rio San Bernardo[1]
The San Dieguito River entering Lake Hodges
Map
EtymologyLikely based on the name of San Diego River "ito" is the Spanish diminutive suffix for "little". Thus, Little San Diego River.
Location
CountryUnited States
StateCalifornia
RegionSouthern California
DistrictSan Diego County
MunicipalityDel Mar
Physical characteristics
SourceSanta Ysabel Creek
2nd sourceSanta Maria Creek
MouthPacific Ocean
 • location
Del Mar
 • elevation
0 ft (0 m)
Length24 mi (39 km), northeast-southwest
Basin size346 sq mi (900 km2)
Discharge 
 • average50 cu ft/s (1.4 m3/s)
 • minimum0 cu ft/s (0 m3/s)
 • maximum72,100 cu ft/s (2,040 m3/s)[2]
Basin features
Tributaries 
 • leftSanta Maria Creek
 • rightTemescal Creek, San Diego County|Temescal Creek

The San Dieguito River is a major river in Southern California, United States. Its headwaters rise on the southern slope of the Volcan Mountains in San Diego County, and the river flows generally southwest for 23.8 miles (38.3 km),[3] draining 346 square miles (900 km2) before emptying into the Pacific Ocean 20 miles (32 km) north of San Diego.[4]

  1. ^ Durham, David L. (1998). California's geographic names: a gazetteer of historic and modern names of the state. Sanger, CA: Word Dancer Press. p. 1337. ISBN 978-1-884995-14-9. Retrieved June 25, 2010.
  2. ^ Hill, Joseph (2002). "Dry Rivers, Dammed Rivers and Floods: An Early History of the Struggle Between Droughts and Floods in San Diego". The Journal of San Diego History. 48 (1). San Diego History Center. Archived from the original on February 19, 2003. Retrieved June 10, 2023.
  3. ^ U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data. The National Map, accessed March 16, 2011
  4. ^ "San Dieguito Watershed". project clean water. Retrieved December 12, 2009.