Dominguez Watershed Current Conditions

Sources: Homepages of the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach

Today, the Dominguez Watershed is comprised of approximately 110 square miles of land in the southern portion of Los Angeles County. 96% of its total area is developed and the overall watershed land use is predominantly residential. Rather than being defined by the natural topography of its drainage area, the Dominguez watershed boundary is defined by a complex network of storm drains and smaller flood control channels. The Dominguez Channel extends from the Los Angeles International Airport to the Los Angeles Harbor and drains large if not all portions of the cities of Inglewood, Hawthorne, El Segundo, Gardena, Lawndale, Redondo Beach, Torrance, Carson and Los Angeles. The remaining land areas within the watershed drain to several debris basins and lakes or directly to the Los Angeles and Long Beach Harbors.

Both harbors are considered to be one oceanographic unit. The Port of Long Beach includes more than 7,600 acres of wharves, state-of-the-art cargo terminals, roadways, rail yards and shipping channels. The Port of Los Angeles includes 29 major cargo terminals, including facilities to handle automobiles, containers, dry bulk products and liquid bulk products. Its six modern container facilities together handle in excess of four million units of cargo containers annually. Considered individually, let alone as one unit, the harbors are among the world's busiest seaports. Considered by itself, the Port of Los Angeles is one of the top 10 busiest ports in the world.