The Cow Creek watershed of is approximately equally divided between agriculture, private residences, and commercial forestland, with very little public land. About 45 percent of the watershed is forested. Situated in the foothills of the southern Cascade Range, elevations range from about at the tallest peaks to less than at the confluence with the Sacramento River. Because the creek has no major dams, it is an important spawning area for Chinook salmon and steelhead trout; however, diversions for irrigation and pollution from farm runoff have reduced the quality of native fish habitat.