The river originates in the Tell Atlas and the Khachna Mountains, near the municipality of Kedara in the Boumerdes province, flowing through Algiers before draining into Lake Reghaïa near the Réghaïa forest, and eventually emptying into the Mediterranean Sea.

The coastal areas along the Mediterranean Sea feature a series of raised surfaces created by the withdrawal of seawater, leaving behind cohesive landforms.

[11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20] Reghaïa Valley is noted for pollution in its waters, particularly from dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT), which has been detected at a concentration of 1,600 picograms per liter in marine sediments at the river's mouth.

In addition to DDT, low concentrations of other chlorinated organic, insecticides, including lindane, heptachlor, aldrin, dieldrin, and endosulfan, have also been identified in the river.

Measurements taken in 2004 indicated oxygen concentration values in the Reghaïa River that reflected minimum pollution thresholds, with a recorded level of 7 milligrams per liter at the riverbed.