 This watercourse has a catchment basin of about and drains the south-eastern slopes of Mount Tamalpais and much of the area in and around the town of Mill Valley; this stream discharges to Richardson Bay.Arroyo Corte Madera del Presidio is named for the Spanish "corte de madera" meaning "a place where wood is cut".In this case the wood was cut for the building of the Presidio of San Francisco.