Developed land (excluding grazing) comprises only about 13% of the total land area in the watershed. The northern half of the watershed lies within Los Padres National Forest. The watershed's southern half has agriculture as the dominant land use, with irrigated citrus and avocados as the primary crops while a significant area of land is used for cattle grazing. The populated area includes two cities and a number of unincorporated communities. The smaller of the two cities, Ojai, lies entirely within the watershed, at an elevation of . Only 13% of the larger city of Ventura lies within the watershed, adjacent to the coast on the lower stretch of the Ventura River.