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Coyote Creek
Coyote Creek
	North Fork of Coyote Creek in La Mirada
	Map of the Coyote Creek watershed
Etymology	Unknown
Location
Country	United States
State	California
Counties	Orange County, Riverside County, Los Angeles, San Bernardino
Cities	Brea, Buena Park, Fullerton, Hawaiian Gardens, La Habra, Lakewood, La Palma, Long Beach,
Physical characteristics
Source
• location	Orange County, California
• coordinates	33°56′49″N 117°57′31″W / 33.94694°N 117.95861°W
• elevation	2,300 ft (700 m)
Mouth	San Gabriel River
• coordinates	33°47′41″N 118°05′24″W / 33.79472°N 118.09000°W
• elevation	0 ft (0 m)
Length	13.7 mi (22.0 km)
Basin size	41.3 sq mi (107 km2)
Discharge
• location	Los Alamitos
• average	43.5 cu ft/s (1.23 m3/s)
• minimum	24 cu ft/s (0.68 m3/s)
• maximum	14,300 cu ft/s (400 m3/s)
Basin features
Tributaries
• left	Brea Creek, Fullerton Creek, Carbon Creek
• right	La Canada Verde Creek

Coyote Creek is a principal tributary of the San Gabriel River^[3] in northwest Orange County and southeast Los Angeles County, California. It drains a land area of roughly 41.3 square miles (107 km²) covering eight major cities, including Brea, Buena Park, Fullerton, Hawaiian Gardens, La Habra, Lakewood, La Palma, and Long Beach.^[4] Some major tributaries of the creek in the highly urbanized^[5] watershed include Brea Creek, Fullerton Creek, and Carbon Creek.^[6] The mostly-flat creek basin is separated by a series of low mountains,^[6] and is bounded by several small mountain ranges, including the Chino Hills, Puente Hills, and West Coyote Hills.^[7]

Course

Coyote Creek is roughly 13.7 miles (22.0 km) long^[8] and flows generally southwest, while its North Fork, shown on federal maps as La Canada Verde Creek, measures 9.1 miles (14.6 km). The longest single tributary is Carbon Creek, which flows 13.6 miles (21.9 km), followed closely by Fullerton Creek, which measures 13.0 miles (20.9 km).^[8] Two major flood control reservoirs, Brea Reservoir and Fullerton Reservoir, are located in the watershed^[7] and feed into Brea Creek and Fullerton Creek, respectively.^[6] Brea Creek and Tonner Canyon form the uppermost reaches of the watershed. Coyote Creek joins the San Gabriel River very near its mouth in Long Beach.

Beginning at the border of Los Angeles and Orange Counties, Coyote Creek rises in two forks in the northwesterly corner of the latter county. As it goes south, it turns west and quickly acquires many south-flowing streams on its right bank. The creek is soon joined by Imperial Creek as it begins to flow southwest through a series of flood control channels, alternatively earth- and concrete-lined. The somewhat-haphazardly-constructed channel is described as being either concrete-lined, "composite," trapezoidal, or riprap. After having crossed the Los-Angeles–Orange County border three times, Coyote Creek receives its first major tributary, the 9.8-mile (15.8 km) Brea Creek, on the right bank.^[6]^[7]

Brea Creek begins in the far northeastern corner of the watershed, at the border of Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties. The creek flows southwest, receiving numerous mountain tributaries on both banks. As it briefly turns north, it receives Tonner Canyon (also spelled Toner) on the left bank. Tonner Canyon begins in the vicinity of Brea Canyon, and flows south-southwest until it turns northwest and joins Brea. From the confluence downstream, the combined waters are called Brea Creek. The creek then proceeds to enter increasingly urbanized landscape, then flows into Brea Reservoir, which functions mainly for flood control. The creek then turns due west and flows into Coyote Creek on the left bank.^[6]^[7]

After receiving the water of Brea Creek, Coyote Creek continues southwest, passing beneath Interstate 5, while bending south for a brief stretch before turning back north. Shortly downstream from the confluence, it is joined by its North Fork, or La Canada Verde Creek.^[9] The 9.1-mile-long (14.6 km) North Fork begins in three forks, which merge and flow due south. The creek is joined by a small tributary on the left bank and then receives a larger tributary, La Mirada Creek, on the left bank. The creek then continues directly south through a flood control channel before meeting Coyote Creek. Soon after the confluence, the third major tributary, Fullerton Creek, joins Coyote on the left bank.^[6]^[7]

Fullerton Creek begins several miles south of Tonner Canyon, and initially flows west-northwest. The creek then bends sharply south and flows into Fullerton Reservoir, which, like Brea Reservoir, also serves a flood-control function. The creek then flows southwest and south, before flowing nearly at a right angle into another unnamed tributary. The creek sharply turns due west, and continues winding through predominantly residential suburbs, before flowing into Coyote on the left bank. The combined waters then continue southwest and soon flow beneath California State Route 91.^[6]^[7]

Several miles after State Route 91, a smaller tributary, Moody Creek, joins Coyote Creek on the left bank. Moody Creek begins parallel to SR 91, and flows only about 3.7 miles (6.0 km) before it joins Coyote Creek.

The fourth major tributary, the 13.6-mile (21.9 km) Carbon Creek, then joins on the left bank. Carbon Creek is a mostly-channelized course, beginning almost 10 miles (16 km) south of Brea and Tonner Canyons. The creek flows west and south into several small flood-control basins, before resuming its west-southwest course and receiving several small tributaries on either bank. The creek flows into Coyote Creek very near its mouth at the San Gabriel River, on the left bank.^[6]^[7]

Streamflow

During dry weather Coyote Creek has just a trickle of water. However, on 22 January 2017, a heavy rainstorm passed through southern California. This video shows how water from the storm filled up Coyote Creek.

The United States Geological Survey (USGS) operated two stream gauges on Coyote Creek. From 1965 to 1978, the USGS recorded flows at Los Alamitos, California, which is at its confluence with the San Gabriel River. The highest flow recorded there was 14,300 cubic feet per second (400 m³/s), and with three other high flows exceeding ten thousand cfs.^[2]

For Brea Creek streamflow data see Brea Creek#Streamflow.

For Fullerton Creek, the USGS operated two stream gauges from 1936 to 1964. The highest flow during that period (mouth, at Fullerton) was 1,600 cubic feet per second (45 m³/s) on 14 March 1941. In that time period, no other flow passed 1,000 cfs, although it did come close to on 2 March 1938 (the peak of the Los Angeles Flood of 1938).^[10]

From 1962 to 2008, the USGS only ran one streamflow gauge for Carbon Creek, which was below Carbon Canyon Dam. The highest recorded flow during that period was 741 cubic feet (21.0 m³) per second, on 19 February 2005.^[11]

Watershed

Geography and geology

Coyote Creek drains a roughly diamond-shaped watershed between the drainage basins of the San Gabriel and Santa Ana rivers, bounded on the north by the small mountain ranges Chino Hills, Puente Hills and West Coyote Hills. The watershed, with the exception of these hills, a small partial divide inside the watershed, and several recreational areas, such as Chino Hills State Park, is almost entirely developed, and is in sharp contrast to the San Gabriel River watershed viewed as a whole, which in total has only twenty-six percent of its area developed.^[12]

Biology

Although channelized in many areas along its course, Coyote Creek and its tributaries provide some rich habitat for riparian and other species, including salt marsh instream, as well as coastal sage scrub, live oak, grassland and sand dunes. Native wildlife is common in the areas described, especially in the far upper reaches of the watershed, which include Brea and Tonner canyons. Aside from the native wildlife, a number of invasive species, both plant and animal, also inhabit the watershed.^[7]

History

The Army Corps of Engineers expanded the channel and lined the creek with concrete beginning in the early 1960s. A young boy drowned in 1963, while playing on a makeshift raft, on the water behind a temporary dam built for the project.^{[citation needed]}

Crossings

From mouth to source:^[13]

East Willow Street/Katella Avenue
I-605 - San Gabriel River Freeway
East Spring Street/West Cerritos Avenue
Norwalk Boulevard/Los Alamitos Boulevard
Wardlow Road
Lincoln Avenue
Centralia Street
Railroad (West Santa Ana Branch, disused)
Del Amo Boulevard/La Palma Avenue
Carmenita Road/Moody Street
South Street/Orangethorpe Avenue
SR 91 - Artesia Freeway
Walker Street
Valley View Street
Artesia Boulevard
Railroad
Firestone Boulevard (frontage road on southwest side of I-5)
I-5 - Santa Ana Freeway
Firestone Boulevard (frontage road on northeast side of I-5)
Knott Avenue
Railroad (Union Pacific)
Stage Road
CR N8 - La Mirada Boulevard
Rosecrans Avenue
Hillsborough Drive
Imperial Highway
SR 39 - Beach Boulevard
Fashion Square Lane
South Idaho Street
West Lambert Road
South Monte Vista Street
South Walnut Street
Euclid Street
South Cypress Street
Railroad
South Harbor Boulevard
Two railroads

References

^ ^a ^b "Coyote Creek". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved 29 May 2009.
^ ^a ^b ^c "USGS 11090700 Coyote Creek at Los Alamitos CA: Monthly Statistics". United States Geological Survey. nwis.waterdata.usgs.gov. Retrieved 29 May 2009.
^ "The San Gabriel River Watershed". Know Your Watershed. The River Project. Archived from the original on 9 February 2009. Retrieved 30 May 2009.
^ "Introduction to Coyote Creek Watershed". Watershed and Coastal Resources Division of Orange County. ocwatersheds.com. Archived from the original on 9 October 2007. Retrieved 29 May 2009.
^ "Coyote Creek Watershed – Land Use". Watershed and Coastal Resources Division of Orange County. ocwatersheds.com. Archived from the original on 16 May 2008. Retrieved 29 May 2009. Note: The Orange County California Watershed Site notes that "Orange County, California is a rapid developing area. Land Use is constantly changing and this information may not reflect the current conditions of the land."
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h "Coyote Creek Watershed and Elevation Ranges". Watershed and Coastal Resources Division of Orange County. ocwatersheds.com. Archived from the original on 16 May 2008. Retrieved 29 May 2009.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h "Summary of Existing Conditions Data: Coyote Creek Watershed Management Plan" (PDF). CH2M HILL. ocwatersheds.com. Archived from the original (PDF) on 30 October 2007. Retrieved 29 May 2009.
^ ^a ^b U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data. The National Map Archived 29 March 2012 at the Wayback Machine, accessed 16 March 2011
^ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: La Canada Verde Creek
^ "USGS 11090000: Fullerton Creek at Fullerton, CA". United States Geological Survey. nwis.waterdata.usgs.gov. Retrieved 29 May 2009.
^ "USGS 11075720: Carbon Creek Below Carbon Canyon Dam CA". United States Geological Survey. nwis.waterdata.usgs.gov. Retrieved 30 May 2009.
^ "San Gabriel River Watershed". Los Angeles Department of Public Works. lacounty.gov. Archived from the original on 5 August 2009. Retrieved 30 May 2009.
^ "USGS Feature Details (Coyote Creek)". Retrieved 9 September 2022.