Santa Anita Creek

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Santa Anita Creek
Big Santa Anita Creek,Santa Anita Wash [1]
River
First water (327235848).jpg
The creek near the First Water trail junction
Country United States
State California
Region Los Angeles County
Part of Rio Hondo
Tributaries
 - left North Fork Santa Anita Creek,East Fork Santa Anita Creek
 - right Winter Creek
Cities Sierra Madre, Arcadia, Monrovia, Azusa, Irwindale
Landmark Sturtevant Falls
Source Eastern flank of Mount Wilson
 - location Angeles National Forest, San Gabriel Mountains
 - elevation 4,600 ft (1,402 m)
Mouth Rio Hondo
 - location Irwindale, San Gabriel Valley
 - elevation 320 ft (98 m)
 - coordinates 34°06′12″N118°00′56″W / 34.10333°N 118.01556°W / 34.10333; -118.01556 Coordinates: 34°06′12″N118°00′56″W / 34.10333°N 118.01556°W / 34.10333; -118.01556
Length 10.4 mi (17 km), North-south
Basin 15 sq mi (39 km2)
Discharge
 - average 9 cu ft/s (0 m3/s)
 - max 7,000 cu ft/s (198 m3/s)
 - min 0 cu ft/s (0 m3/s)

Santa Anita Creek (Santa Anita Wash on federal maps [1] ) is a 10.4-mile (16.7 km) long stream in Los Angeles County, California. It flows southwards from its headwaters in the south ridge of the San Gabriel Mountains, to form the beginnings of the Rio Hondo near Irwindale.

California State of the United States of America

California is a state in the Pacific Region of the United States. With 39.6 million residents, California is the most populous U.S. state and the third-largest by area. The state capital is Sacramento. The Greater Los Angeles Area and the San Francisco Bay Area are the nation's second- and fifth-most populous urban regions, with 18.7 million and 8.8 million residents respectively. Los Angeles is California's most populous city, and the country's second-most populous, after New York City. California also has the nation's most populous county, Los Angeles County, and its largest county by area, San Bernardino County. The City and County of San Francisco is both the country's second-most densely populated major city after New York City and the fifth-most densely populated county, behind only four of the five New York City boroughs.

San Gabriel Mountains mountain range in Los Angeles and San Bernardino Counties, California

The San Gabriel Mountains are a mountain range located in northern Los Angeles County and western San Bernardino County, California, United States. The mountain range is part of the Transverse Ranges and lies between the Los Angeles Basin and the Mojave Desert, with Interstate 5 to the west and Interstate 15 to the east. This range lies in, and is surrounded by, the Angeles National Forest, with the San Andreas Fault as the northern border of the range.

Rio Hondo (California) river in Los Angeles County, California, USA

The Rio Hondo is a tributary of the Los Angeles River in Los Angeles County, California, approximately 16.4 miles (26.4 km) long. As a named river, it begins in Irwindale and flows southwest to its confluence in South Gate, passing through several cities. Above Irwindale its main stem is known as Santa Anita Creek, which extends another 10 miles (16 km) northwards into the San Gabriel Mountains where the source, or headwaters, of the river are found.

Course

The creek begins on the east slope of Mount Wilson, inside the Angeles National Forest. It flows in a curve southeast through Santa Anita Canyon, then drops over the 60-foot (18 m) Sturtevant Falls. The North Fork comes in from the left about a quarter-mile above the falls, and the East Fork also from the left about a quarter-mile downstream. The creek then flows south through a group of about 80 historic cabins on the canyon floor, before receiving Winter Creek from the right near Chantry Flat. Shortly downstream of there, it drops over Hermit Falls and flows into Santa Anita Reservoir, which is impounded by the 225-foot (69 m) Santa Anita Dam.

Mount Wilson (California) mountain in California, USA

Mount Wilson is a peak in the San Gabriel Mountains, located within the San Gabriel Mountains National Monument and Angeles National Forest in Los Angeles County, California. With only minor topographical prominence the peak is not naturally noticeable from a distance, although it is easily identifiable due to the large number of antennas near its summit. It is a subsidiary peak of nearby San Gabriel Peak.

Angeles National Forest

The Angeles National Forest (ANF) of the U.S. Forest Service is located in the San Gabriel Mountains and Sierra Pelona Mountains, primarily within Los Angeles County in southern California. The ANF manages a majority of the San Gabriel Mountains National Monument.

Santa Anita Canyon is a canyon in the San Gabriel Mountains, within the Angeles National Forest in Los Angeles County, California.

Leaving the foothills the creek continues southwards through Sierra Madre, Monrovia and Arcadia as the Santa Anita Wash, flowing in a concrete channel. It turns southeast towards Azusa, then south again at Irwindale, where it empties into a small flood control basin.

Sierra Madre, California City in California

Sierra Madre is a city in Los Angeles County, California whose population was 10,917 at the 2010 U.S. Census, up from 10,580 at the time of the 2000 U.S. Census. The city is in the foothills of the San Gabriel Valley below the southern edge of the Angeles National Forest. Pasadena and Altadena are to its west, with Arcadia to its south and east. Sierra Madre is known as "Wisteria City", and its city seal is decorated with a drawing of the now widely known 500-foot (150 m) vine. It is also called the "Village of the Foothills" and was an All-America City in 2007.

Monrovia, California City in California

Monrovia is a city located in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains in the San Gabriel Valley of Los Angeles County, California, United States. The population was 36,590 at the 2010 census, down from 36,929 in 2000. Monrovia has been used for filming TV shows, movies and commercials.

Arcadia, California City in California, United States

Arcadia is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States located about 13 miles (21 km) northeast of downtown Los Angeles in the San Gabriel Valley and at the base of the San Gabriel Mountains. It is the site of the Santa Anita Park racetrack and home to the Los Angeles County Arboretum and Botanic Garden. The city had a population of 56,364 at the 2010 census, up from 53,248 at the 2000 census. The city is named after Arcadia, Greece.

The water continues out of the basin as the Rio Hondo, which flows southwards to junctions with the San Gabriel River and the Los Angeles River. [2]

San Gabriel River (California) river in Los Angeles County, California, United States

The San Gabriel River is a mostly urban waterway flowing 58 miles (93 km) southward through Los Angeles and Orange Counties, California in the United States. It is the central of three major rivers draining the Greater Los Angeles Area, the others being the Los Angeles River and Santa Ana River. The river's watershed stretches from the rugged San Gabriel Mountains to the heavily developed San Gabriel Valley and a significant part of the Los Angeles coastal plain, emptying into the Pacific Ocean between the cities of Long Beach and Seal Beach.

Los Angeles River river in California that was the primary source of fresh water for the city but suffers pollution from agricultural and urban runoff.

The Los Angeles River starts in the Simi Hills and Santa Susana Mountains and flows through Los Angeles County, California, from Canoga Park in the western end of the San Fernando Valley, nearly 51 miles (82 km) southeast to its mouth in Long Beach. Several tributaries join the once free-flowing and frequently flooding river, forming alluvial flood plains along its banks. It now flows through a concrete channel on a fixed course, which was built after a series of devastating floods in the early 20th century.

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