Watershed Planning

Streams are one of the most important natural resources in Placer County. They area part of our natural heritage, convey water, provide habitat for salmon and steelhead, serve as critical wildlife corridors, and provide many opportunities for recreation. Hidden Falls Regional Park traversing Coon Creek, the Truckee River and the American River are among the county’s most attractive natural resources and most used recreational areas.

Placer County Watersheds

Placer County is made up of fourteen different major watersheds. Each watershed drains to the stream or river that gives the watershed its name:

  • American River
  • Auburn Ravine
  • Bear River
  • Coon Creek
  • Curry Creek
  • Dry Creek
  • Pleasant Grove
  • Truckee River
  • Others

Each is as diverse as the communities that occupy them.

Watershed-based planning provides the framework to coordinate environmental planning in Placer County. Watershed planning also provides a unique opportunity for local government cooperation in that watersheds exist irrespective of city and county boundaries. Placer County plans to develop a Watershed Management Plan for each of its drainage basins.

View the Primary Watersheds Map (PDF).


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  1. Management Plans
  2. Restoration Projects
  3. Greenway Plans
  4. Creek Crossing Signage

Watershed Management Plans

A watershed management plan is a document that guides efforts to control pollution, manage stormwater, and protect and improve local streams and the uplands that surround them. A watershed management plan is also the written expression of the collaborative agreement among government, other local stakeholders, and citizens that is developed during the planning process.

Development of Plans

Placer County has been involved in the development of a number of comprehensive watershed management plans. These watershed plans guide the County and other stakeholders in protecting, managing, and improving environmental resources and habitat.

Local Citizen & Stakeholder Involvement

Along with government, local citizens and stakeholders are active participants in watershed planning. Prior to, during, and following the development of each watershed plan, public meetings are held to share information with citizens and to ask for public input and comments.

Local stakeholders help establish priorities for each watershed. Watershed-specific steering committees, whose members represent environmental interests, the business and development communities, civic groups, and watershed residents, as well as local government, review data about their watershed, guide the creation of the watershed plan, and review the document as it develops.

Interested citizens and stakeholder groups can also participate in implementation of identified plan priorities in each watershed plan, turning the plans into positive action for the benefit of our local water resources.

Placer County Management Plans