Laguna Canyon
Laguna Canyon Cañada de Las Lagunas[1] | |
---|---|
Location | |
Country | United States |
State | California |
Region | Orange County |
Physical characteristics | |
Source | San Joaquin Hills |
• coordinates | 33°37′22″N 117°45′20″W / 33.62278°N 117.75556°W |
• elevation | 380 ft (120 m) |
Laguna Beach | |
• coordinates | 33°32′32″N 117°47′05″W / 33.54222°N 117.78472°W |
• elevation | 0 ft (0 m) |
Length | 7 mi (11 km) |
Basin size | 10.5 sq mi (27 km2) |
Discharge | |
• location | Pacific Ocean |
• average | 0 cu ft/s (0 m3/s) |
• maximum | 2,000 cu ft/s (57 m3/s) |
Basin features | |
Tributaries | |
• left | El Toro Creek |
• right | Laurel Canyon Wash, Little Sycamore Canyon, Willow Canyon Wash |
Laguna Canyon, also called Cañada de las Lagunas (
Geologically, the canyon likely originated millions of years ago as the result of San Diego Creek cutting through the San Joaquin Hills. Uplift diverted that stream to its present course, leaving Laguna Canyon as a wind gap. California State Route 133 runs the entire length of the canyon connecting Laguna Beach and Irvine, while California State Route 73 crosses it, running southeast–northwest. A majority of the canyon is located within the Laguna Coast Wilderness Park; small portions are part of Aliso and Wood Canyons Wilderness Park and the cities of Irvine, Laguna Beach, Laguna Woods and Aliso Viejo.
Geography and geology
Laguna Canyon is approximately 8 miles (13 km) long and 1 mile (1.6 km) wide at the widest points. The city of Irvine lies to the northeast, Lake Forest and Aliso Viejo to the east, the undeveloped San Joaquin Hills to the west, and Laguna Beach to the south. The drainage divide of the canyon near its northern end separates Laguna Canyon Creek from the San Diego Creek watershed.[3][4]
State Route 133, locally called Laguna Canyon Road, winds through Laguna Canyon for the entire length of the gorge. California State Route 73 bisects the gorge east–west. The lower section of the canyon is part of the Laguna Coast Wilderness Park, while the upper section also has a few smaller wilderness preserves. The upper section contains Barbara's Lake which is Orange County's only natural lake formed by groundwater rising along a local fault line. This and two smaller intermittent ponds are the namesake of the canyon. A section of the lower canyon within the city limits of Laguna Beach is heavily developed. The northernmost extreme of the canyon lies near a residential area that adjoins Interstate 405.[3][4]
The canyon was most likely formed by San Diego Creek cutting through the rising San Joaquin Hills over a span of about 1.22 million years. At some point, however, the creek changed course, and the water gap it had formed was walled off by the mountains and became a separate watershed. The gradient of the drainage divide separating Laguna Canyon and the San Diego Creek watershed is very small, allowing for the canyon's modern use as a transportation route.[5]
The creek
Laguna Canyon Creek begins as an ephemeral creek draining a mountainside west of the valley floor down into the canyon. It is briefly culverted where it crosses under Laguna Canyon Road, but most of the upper course flows in a natural channel. It soon passes the Laguna Lakes[6] and receives Little Sycamore Canyon from the right; this creek drains a narrow side canyon which runs about 2 miles (3.2 km) eastward. The creek continues southward, and then passes beneath Laguna Canyon Rd. again and receives Camarillo Canyon, a short and steep tributary, from the right.[7]
The stream then runs south under the twin
The creek turns sharply west and then back south, then shortly after, is forced into a concrete-lined box culvert that carries it through downtown Laguna Beach (This stretch is also known as Broadway Creek.) It then is diverted completely underground and its channel winds to an outfall at Main Beach, one of the most popular beaches in Laguna Beach.[7]
Modifications
Laguna Canyon and its side tributaries have received some flood control modifications. These include
There is little development within the main canyon, although the El Toro Creek area is primarily
Wildlife
Animals
The Laguna Canyon area supports a variety of native Southern California wildlife, including large mammals such as
Plants
The dominant vegetation cover of coastal sage scrub typically goes through approximately 25-year cycles, with its peak biodiversity reached in roughly 10 years after the beginning of a new 25-year period. Such periods are typically separated by wildfires, which clear away dead or dying vegetation and leave bare ground for new growth.[9] The canyon is one of the last remaining sanctuaries for many plants native to Southern California. Approximately one hundred species of plants, most native to California, are found in Laurel and Willow Canyons alone. These include monkey flower, goldenrod, and sagebrush.[12]
Recreation
Laguna Canyon forms the center section of an approximately 17,500-acre (71 km2) strip of wilderness preserve running northeast–southwest along the
History
Lying to the north of
Laguna Canyon Creek was a seasonal stream but the Laguna Lakes, formed by springs arising from a minor fault zone, stayed year round. A Native American path ran through the canyon to the present-day Laguna Beach area, where they fished and collected abalone and limpets. The Tongva lived in villages of 50-100 people, in huts made of brushes and tules on a wooden framework. When Spanish explorers arrived in the mid-18th century, they named the canyon "Cañada de las Lagunas", referring to the Laguna Lakes. A land grant called La Bolsa de San Joaquín occupied the canyon area up to the 19th century. By 1905, Laguna Beach began to draw municipal water from springs in Laguna Canyon.[14]
Before Laguna Canyon became a wilderness park, a housing development was proposed to be built in and around the canyon, tentatively called "Laguna Laurel". The 2,150-acre (8.7 km2)
The proposal to stop the development was supported by a crowd of eight to eleven thousand on November 11, 1989. This large group gathered in downtown Laguna Beach and marched out to the photographic mural "The Tell",[17] created by the Laguna Canyon Project,[18] in the Sycamore Hills area of Laguna Canyon. This protest was called the "Walk to Save Laguna Canyon". Several years later, two to three thousand gathered to protest the construction of California State Route 73 (which would cross the canyon), but the highway was built eventually.[19]
In 1993, a massive
Future
The canyon is one of the last remaining wild areas in Orange County in a strip of preserves along the San Joaquin Hills about 20 miles (32 km) long and 8 miles (13 km) wide. Recently, State Route 133 between the 405 and 73 freeways has been expanded to four lanes from the original two lanes, and much of the original road down the center of the canyon has been demolished and re-vegetated. The new road was constructed further from the creek bed to lessen environmental impacts.[22] The northernmost extreme of the canyon is being developed into a residential area consisting of 590 homes, called Laguna Crossing, the first phase of which was opened in 2013.[23]
Other parts of Laguna Canyon have been impacted by development. The last 3 miles (4.8 km) of the canyon, closest to downtown Laguna Beach, are urbanized, containing the Laguna College of Art and Design, the Sawdust Art Festival venues and other establishments. Most of the remaining wild areas are now found in the side canyons. Urban runoff has resulted in bacterial pollution downstream at Main Beach in Laguna Beach.[24] Several organizations are now dedicated to preserving the remaining wild areas of the canyon, including the Laguna Canyon Foundation.
See also
- Biology of Aliso and Wood Canyons Regional Park
- Wildlife of Aliso Creek
- Mark Chamberlain (photographer)
References
- ^ a b "Laguna Canyon". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved 2009-06-06.
- ^ "Laguna Canyon Area". Enjoy California's Open Space. caopenspace.org. Retrieved 2009-06-06.
- ^ a b "Introduction to Laguna Canyon Watershed". Watershed and Coastal Resources Division of Orange County. www.ocwatersheds.com. Archived from the original on 2007-10-09. Retrieved 2009-06-06.
- ^ a b "Laguna Canyon - City / County Boundaries". Watershed and Coastal Resources Division of Orange County. www.ocwatersheds.com. Archived from the original on May 16, 2008. Retrieved 2009-06-07.
- ^ Colburn, Ivan P. "The Role of Antecedent Rivers in Shaping the Orange/Los Angeles Coastal Plain" (PDF). California State University Los Angeles, Department of Geology. www.calstatela.edu. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2010-06-02. Retrieved 2009-08-19.
- ^ a b "Laguna Coast Wilderness Park". OC Parks: Wilderness Parks. www.ocparks.com. Retrieved 2009-06-06.
- ^ a b c "Laguna Canyon Watercourses and Elevation Ranges". Watershed and Coastal Resources Division of Orange County. Archived from the original on May 16, 2008. Retrieved 2009-06-06.
- ^ "Laurel Canyon, Willow Canyon Trails". The Trailmaster. www.hike-oc.com. Retrieved 2009-06-06.
- ^ a b "Laguna Canyon Annexation Area" (PDF). City of Laguna Beach. pp. 22–23. Retrieved 2009-09-14.
- ^ "Laguna Beach At A Glance" (PDF). City of Laguna Beach. p. 22. Retrieved 2009-09-14. Much of the information in this publication is attributed to the Orange County Transportation Authority, Nature Preserve of Orange County, Orange County Climate Archives, and the Laguna Beach General Plan.
- ^ "Laguna Coast Wilderness Park". OC Parks. www.ocparks.com. Retrieved 2009-09-10.
- ^ Tom Chester, Jane Strong. "Plant Guide to Laurel Canyon.Willow Canyon Road Loop, Laguna Coast Wilderness Park". tchester.org. Retrieved 2009-06-07.
- ^ "More History of the Greenbelt". Laguna Greenbelt, Inc. Retrieved 2009-09-09.[dead link]
- ^ "Short History of Laguna Beach". Laguna Ocean Foundation. Archived from the original on Nov 19, 2008. Retrieved 2009-09-09.
- ^ Drummond, Tammerlin (19 January 1990). "Talks Continue Over Laguna Laurel". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2009-06-08.
- ^ "History of Laguna Coast Wilderness Park". Laguna Canyon Foundation. Archived from the original on 2009-07-25. Retrieved 2009-06-06.
- ^ Cathy Curtis. "'The Tell' Does Indeed Deliver Its Message of Protest", Los Angeles Times, 21 August 1989.
- ^ Cathy Curtis. "Litterscapes Inspired by Road Debris", Los Angeles Times, 19 June 1989.
- The Los Angeles Times. pqasb.pqarchiver.com (Archive). Retrieved 2009-06-06.
- ^ Lichtblau, Eric (30 October 1993). "Wary Laguna Begins Recovery: 1 Person May Have Set 2 Blazes, Officials Say Disaster: Predicted return of winds has crews alert for flare-ups. Downtown shops reopen, residents return home. Arson investigators seek driver of a car seen near site of Anaheim Hills fire". The Los Angeles Times. pqasb.pqarchiver.com (Archive). Retrieved 2009-06-06.
- ^ Turnbull, Steve (27 October 1993). "The Great Laguna Beach Fire of 1993". www.light-headed.com. Retrieved 2009-06-06.
- ^ Berkman, Leslie (19 October 1994). "Supervisors OK Laguna Canyon Road Widening". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2009-09-24.
- ^ Smith, Sonya (19 September 2007). "Irvine's Laguna Crossing village on track". OC Register. Retrieved 2009-09-24.
- ^ "Urban Runoff Management Program Effective Assessment: Plan Development and Implementation, Section C-3" (PDF). City of Laguna Beach. Retrieved 2009-09-24.
External links
- Laguna Canyon Foundation
- Laguna Coast Wilderness Park
- Introduction to Laguna Canyon Watershed
- Orange County Watershed Information