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
Country	United States
State	California
Region	Ventura County, Los Angeles County
City	Piru, California
Physical characteristics
Source	San Emigdio Mountains
• location	An unnamed spring, Ventura County, United States
• coordinates	34°38′12″N 119°12′11″W / 34.63667°N 119.20306°W / 34.63667; -119.20306[1]
• elevation	5,200 ft (1,600 m)
Mouth	Santa 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)
Length	71 mi (114 km)
Basin size	497 sq mi (1,290 km2)
Discharge
• location	Above Lake Piru[2]
• average	68.2 cu ft/s (1.93 m3/s)[3]
• minimum	0 cu ft/s (0 m3/s)
• maximum	40,000 cu ft/s (1,100 m3/s)
Basin features
River system	Santa Clara River
Tributaries
• left	Sheep Creek (California), Lockwood Creek, Smith Fork Piru Creek, Osito Creek, Ruby Creek (California), Michael Creek
• right	Cedar Creek (California), Mutau Creek, Fish Creek (California), Turtle Creek (California), Agua Blanca Creek
National Wild and Scenic Rivers System
Type	Wild, Recreational
Designated	March 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.