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California Water Science Center
Image updates every 5 minutes.
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Weekly Video & Image Archive
08:47 AM PDT
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This webcam is located at the USGS stream-gaging station on VENTURA RIVER NEAR VENTURA (see map). This station provides continuous monitoring of certain river conditions such as flow and stage. The webcam provides valuable information to the National Weather Service, first-responders, and area residents to evaluate real-time conditions in the creek channel during storms. The visual record of flooding and potential debris flows also provides valuable research data for the USGS. The Ventura River begins at the confluence of Matilija Creek and North Fork Matilija Creek, 15 miles upstream from the Pacific Ocean. Coyote Creek, a tributary a couple of miles downstream is regulated by Casitas Dam, which forms Lake Casitas, about 2 miles upstream of it's Ventura River confluence.
| Latest Gage Readings*
*Gage records are provisional and subject to revision. |
River Flow (Discharge) | Stage (Gage Height) |
| 2013-05-21 08:15 PDT | 6.12 ft³/s (graph) | 2.4 feet (graph) |
Matilija Dam
About 15 miles upstream of the Ventura River's mouth at the Pacific Ocean, are Matilija Creek and North Fork Matilija Creek. Matilija Dam on Matilija Creek was completed in 1948. In 1965, following a 1964 study condemning the dam's safety, it was notched down to 65% of it's capacity then further again in 1978. It's capacity has since been reduced to 95% due the accumulation of 6 million cubic yards of sediment behind it. Many groups, including governmental, are working towards the removal of the dam.
USGS Gaging Station
This radar gage periodically sends a radio wave down to the water surface. By measuring the time for the signal's echo from the surface of the water, the distance to the water surface is caclulated, which is directly correlated to river stage (gage height). These data are transmitted in real time to the USGS National Water Information System (NWIS).