The County's precious water resources are vital to every aspect of our lives.

Rivers, streams, ponds and wetlands provide essential habitat for plants and animals. Springs and streams that originate high in the upper watersheds of the County's forested lands are a critical source of our drinking water, and they help replenish water supplies deep in underground aquifers. The County's remarkable agricultural productivity and diversity of crops is supported in turn by the availability of high quality groundwater.

Watersheds and wetlands provide a host of ecosystem services including purification of surface water before it enters rivers and streams, absorption of storm and floodwater and stream bank stabilization and erosion control.

The Conservation Blueprint will identify opportunities to protect and restore vital water resources through conservation of headwaters forests, streams and waterways, wetlands, riparian forests and areas of high groundwater recharge. In the face of climate change and a warmer, dryer planet, it will be essential to protect and maintain these vital water resources.

• There are more than 770 miles of waterways in Santa Cruz County. Download a jpg map from the Library to the right.
  
• To see habitat quality of these waterways for Steelhead rearing download a jpg map from the Libary to the right.