Complex sentence: The river flows northwest through the Carmel Valley and empties into the Pacific Ocean south of Carmel-by-the-Sea, draining about 255 square miles (660 km²).
Split into simpler sentences: The river flows northwest through the Carmel Valley with its mouth at the Pacific Ocean south of Carmel-by-the-Sea. The Carmel River drains a watershed of about 255 square miles (660 km²).