Piru Creek

Piru Creek
Arroyo de Piruc, Arroyo Piru, Rio Peru
Piru Creek
Map of the Santa Clara River watershed, with the Piru Creek sub-watershed highlighted.
Location
CountryUnited States
StateCalifornia
RegionVentura County, Los Angeles County
CityPiru, California
Physical characteristics
SourceSan Emigdio Mountains
 • locationAn unnamed spring, Ventura County, United States
 • coordinates34°38′12″N 119°12′11″W / 34.63667°N 119.20306°W / 34.63667; -119.20306[1]
 • elevation5,200 ft (1,600 m)
MouthSanta Clara River
 • location
Piru, Ventura County
 • coordinates
34°23′56″N 118°47′08″W / 34.39889°N 118.78556°W / 34.39889; -118.78556[1]
 • elevation
643 ft (196 m)
Length71 mi (114 km)
Basin size497 sq mi (1,290 km2)
Discharge 
 • locationAbove Lake Piru[2]
 • average68.2 cu ft/s (1.93 m3/s)[3]
 • minimum0 cu ft/s (0 m3/s)
 • maximum40,000 cu ft/s (1,100 m3/s)
Basin features
River systemSanta Clara River
Tributaries 
 • leftSheep Creek (California), Lockwood Creek, Smith Fork Piru Creek, Osito Creek, Ruby Creek (California), Michael Creek
 • rightCedar Creek (California), Mutau Creek, Fish Creek (California), Turtle Creek (California), Agua Blanca Creek
TypeWild, Recreational
DesignatedMarch 30, 2009

Piru Creek is a major stream, about 71 miles (114 km) long, in northern Los Angeles County and eastern Ventura County, California. It is a tributary of the Santa Clara River, the largest stream system in Southern California that is still relatively natural.

The creek drains an area of about 497 square miles (1,290 km2), making it the Santa Clara River's biggest tributary in terms of watershed size.[4] Most of the creek above Lake Piru is located in the Los Padres National Forest. There are two major reservoirs on Piru Creek, Lake Piru and Pyramid Lake, which respectively store water for local irrigation and the California State Water Project.

  1. ^ a b "Piru Creek". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. 2000-06-14. Retrieved 2016-12-05.
  2. ^ "USGS Gage#11109600 on Piru Creek above Lake Piru: Annual Water Data Report 2013" (PDF). National Water Information System. United States Geological Survey. 1972–2013. Retrieved 2010-04-08.
  3. ^ "USGS Gage#11109600 on Piru Creek above Lake Piru: Annual Water Data Report 2013" (PDF). National Water Information System. United States Geological Survey. 1972–2013. Retrieved 2010-04-08.
  4. ^ U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data. The National Map. Retrieved 2011-03-16.