Tecate-Campo Creek sub-basin is a predominantly rural area and in 1998 was 88% non-developed. The major land use categories are agricultural (6.5%) and dispersed residential (3.1%). Discharge from Tecate Municipal Sewage Treatment Plant and the Tecate Brewery feed into the Tecate Creek (Gersberg, Richard M. 1996). In 2000 Tecate served 92% of its residents with running water and 84% with sewage services (USFWS 2000).
| City | Population 1990 | Population 2001 | Average Annual Growth Rate |
| Tijuana | 689,000 | 1,149,00 | 4.9 |
| Tecate | 40,000 | 55,000 | 4.2 |
Economic growth in the region over the last 20 years has caused significant impacts on the watershed. Industry such as maquiladoras (international industries) offer salaries that are higher than the minimum national wage, drawing migrants from other parts of Mexico. Migration has resulted in a population explosion of unplanned settlements without access to water supply or wastewater systems (Ganster 1996).