Carpinteria Creek
| Carpinteria Creek | |
|---|---|
| Location | |
| Country | United States |
| State | California |
| Region | Santa Barbara County |
| City | Carpinteria |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | |
| • location | Santa Ynez Mountains, Los Padres National Forest |
| • coordinates | 34°27′48″N 119°29′56″W / 34.46333°N 119.49889°W[4] |
| • elevation | 3,460 ft (1,050 m) |
| Mouth | Santa Barbara Channel, Pacific Ocean |
• location | Carpinteria, California |
• coordinates | 34°23′25″N 119°31′13″W / 34.39028°N 119.52028°W[4] |
• elevation | 0 ft (0 m)[4] |
| Basin features | |
| Tributaries | |
| • left | Gobernador Creek[5] |
| • right | Sutton Canyon Creek |
Carpinteria Creek is an 8.1-mile-long (13.0 km)[6] stream that runs from headwaters in the Santa Ynez Mountains, flows south past Snowball Mountain, then continues southwest to its estuary at Carpinteria State Beach on the Santa Barbara Channel at Carpinteria.[4]
History
The
Watershed and course
The Carpinteria Creek watershed drains 15.3 square miles (40 km2). Carpinteria Creek originates at 3,460 feet (1,050 m) above sea level, and its main tributaries are Sutton Canyon Creek and Gobernador Creek.[5] The tributaries of Gobernador Creek are El Dorado Creek and Steer Creek. The latter's source is on Divide Peak at 4,690 feet (1,430 m) elevation. Unlike many other southern California coastal streams, Carpinteria Creek still runs freely under open spans (rather than through culverts) at both the Union Pacific tracks and the 101 freeway. The creek is perennial through the urban reach of the creek. An historical map from 1869 showed that the Carpinteria salt marsh "El Estero" extended almost to Carpinteria Creek.[9]
Ecology
Once a significant spawning stream for hundreds of southern
Monarch butterflies winter at Salzgeber Meadow, which is located along the eastern bank of Carpinteria Creek upstream of the railroad tracks.[9]
Conservation
Major habitat restoration efforts include removal on non-native giant reed (Arundo donax) and other water-thirsty species as well as removal of non-native iceplant from the coastal area.[11]
References
- ISBN 1-88499-514-4.
- ^ "Palo Alto Creeks Topo, 1899". Oakland Museum. Retrieved 2010-11-07.
- JSTOR 1929116.
- ^ a b c d U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Carpinteria Creek
- ^ a b U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Gobernador Creek
- ^ U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data. The National Map Archived 2012-03-29 at the Wayback Machine, accessed March 15, 2011
- ISBN 978-0-520-21271-8. Retrieved 2011-02-02.
- ^ David L. Durham (2001). Durham's Place Names of California's Central Coast: Includes Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, San Benito, Monterey & Santa Cruz Counties. 9781884995293. p. 42.
- ^ a b The Carpinteria Creek Watershed (PDF) (Report). Carpinteria Creek Watershed Coalition. Retrieved 2011-02-02.
- ^ "Threatened/Endangered Species Carpinteria Creek" (PDF). Carpinteria Creek Watershed Coalition. Retrieved 2011-02-02.
- ^ Carpinteria Creek Watershed Plan (Report). Cachuma Resource Conservation District & the Carpinteria Creek Watershed Coalition. March 2005. Retrieved 2011-02-02.