DEPAETMENT OF THE INTEEIOE UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY GEORGE OTIS SMITH, DiRECTOB WATER-SUPPLY PAPER 297 GAZETTEER OF SURFACE WATERS OF CALIFORNIA PART III. PACIFIC COAST AND GREAT BASIN STREAMS PREPARED UNDER THE DIRECTION OP JOHN C. HOYT BY B. D. WOOD In cooperation with the State Water Commission and the Conservation Commission of the State of California WASHINGTON GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 1913 NOTE. A complete list of the gaging stations maintained on streams in the Great Basin and the streams tributary to the Pacific Ocean from 1888 to July 1, 1912, is presented on pages 241-244. 2 GAZETTEER OF SURFACE WATERS IN THE PACIFIC COAST DRAINAGE BASINS AND THE GREAT BASIN, CALIFORNIA. ____ By B. D. WOOD. INTRODUCTION. This gazetteer is the third of a series of reports on the surface waters of California prepared by the United States Geological Survey under cooperative agreement with the State of California as repre­ sented by the State Conservation Commission, George C. Pardee, chairman; Francis Cuttle; and J. P. Baumgartner, and by the State Water Commission, Hiram W. Johnson, governor; Charles D. Marx, chairman; S. C. Graham; Harold T. Powers; and W. F. McClure. Louis R. Glavis is secretary of both commissions. The reports are published as Water-Supply Papers 295 to 300 and bear the following titles: 295. Gazetteer of surface waters of California, Part I, Sacramento River basin. 296. Gazetteer of surface waters of California, Part II, San Joaquin River basin. 297. Gazetteer of surface waters of California, Part III, Great Basin and Pacific coast streams. 298. Water resources of California, Part I, Stream measurements in the Sacra­ mento River basin. 299. AVater resources of California, Part II, Stream measurements in the San Joaquin River basin. 300. AVater resources of California, Part III, Stream measurements in the Great Basin and Pacific coast river basins. The gazetteers embrace descriptions of all the streams named on the maps shown by the following list: Maps covering areas drained ~by streams flowing to the Great Basin or to the Pacific Ocean. Topographic sheets of the United States Geological Survey.1 Alturaa Camulos. Cucamonga. Anaheim. Capistrano. Cuyamaca. Antioch. Carquinez. Deep Creek. Arroyo Grande. Cayucos. Downey. Ballarat. Concord. Elcajon. Calabasas. Corona. Elsinore. *An index map showing th^ area covered by each she^t may be obtained by applying to the Director, United States Geological Survey, Washington, D. C. 4 GAZETTEER OP SURFACE WATERS IN CALIFORNIA. Maps covering areas drained by streams flowing to the Great Basin or to the Pacific Ocean Continued. Topographic sheets of the United States Geological Survey Continued. Escondido. Mount Whitney. San Jose. Fernando. Napa. San Luis. Furnace Creek. Oceanside. San Luis Obispo. Goleta special. Olancha. San Luis Key. Guadalupe. Palo Alto. San Mateo. Hawthorne. Parker. San Pedro. Haywards. Pasadena. Santa Ana. Hesperia. Pleasanton. Santa Barbara special. Holtville. Pomona. Santa Cruz. Honey Lake. Port Harford. Santa Monica. Hueneme. Pyramid Peak. Santa Paula. Indio special. Ramona. Santa Susana. Ivanpah. Red Bluff. Santa Ynez. La Jolla. Redding. Shasta. Las Bolsas. Redondo. Sierraville. Las Vegas. Riverside. Tamalpais. Lida. Rock Creek. Tejon. Lompoc. Salinas Valley. Tesla. McKittrick. Salton Sink. Truckee. Markleeville. San Antonio. Tujunga. Modoc Lava Bed. San Bernardino. Vacaville. Mount Diablo. San Diego. Ventura. Mount Hamilton. San Francisco. Wellington. Mount Lyell. San Gorgonio. Yosemite National Park. Mount Pinos. San Jacinto. Yuma. County maps.1 Del Norte County. Nevada County. Eldorado and Amador counties. Placer County. Glenn County. Plumas County. Humboldt County. Siskiyou County. Mendocino County. Sonoma and Marin counties. Mendocino and Lake counties. Trinity County. Napa and Solano counties. For areas not covered by topographic sheets or by county maps the Land Office map of California, edition of 1907, has been used. Each stream is described as rising near the point at which its begin­ ning that is, the head of the upper tributary apparently draining the largest area is shown on the map, and the elevation of that point is given as the elevation of the source. It is of course recognized that this method does not give results of great precision, but it probably causes no greater errors in the determination of length and fall than would be caused by extending each stream to the head of the divide between its basin and that of the adjoining streams. It should be understood, however, that all statements of elevation, length, and fall are merely approximate. 1 Published by Punnett Brothers. PACIFIC COAST BASINS AND GREAT BASIN. 5 Except where otherwise stated, the descriptions are based only on the maps, and they vary in accuracy as the maps vary. Hundreds of the watercourses shown and named on the maps, particularly those in the southern and eastern parts of the State, are for by far the greater part of each year streams by courtesy only. During the rainy season or after an occasional " cloudburst" the channels may be filled to overflowing; at all other times they are dry. On the topographic sheets published by the United States Geological Survey such water­ courses are as a rule indicated by a dotted blue line, and in the gazeteer they are characterized as " intermittent." The other maps used make no distinction between perennial and intermittent streams, and the "intermittent" has doubtless been omitted from many of the descriptions to which it properly belongs. Free use has been made of the descriptive matter in Wm. Ham. Hall's report on " Irri­ gation in southern California," published as part 2 of the report of the State engineer, Sacramento, 1888. No systematic attempt has been made to correlate the names used on the county maps with those applied to the same streams on the Land Office map, but variations incidentally noted have been re­ corded. The names on the topographic sheets have been accepted as authoritative. GAZETTEER. Abel Canyon Creek; Santa Barbara County; an intermittent stream, 5 miles long, rising on the west slope of McPherson Peak in Santa Barbara National Forest and. flowing southwestward into Sisquoc River (tributary to Santa Maria River, which discharges to the Pacific Ocean). Santa Ynez sheet. Ackermans Creek; Mendocino County; rises in the western part of T. 16 N., R. 13 W., Mount Diablo base and meridian; flows southward 3 miles, then east­ ward 8 miles to its junction with Russian River (which discharges to the Pacific Ocean) 2 miles north of Ukiah. Punnett's map of Menodcino County. Adams Canyon Creek; Ventura County; rises in the northeastern part of Ex Mission San Buenavent.ura; flows southward toward Santa Clara River (tributary to the Pacific Ocean) ; length, about 4£ miles; fall above edge of the valley, about 700 feet; tributary, Salt Marsh Canyon Creek. Santa Paula sheet. Agnew Lake; Mono County, Mono National Forest; southwestern part of T. 2 S., R. 26 B., Mount Diablo base and meridian; inlet, Rush Creek; outlet, Rush Creek, which discharges to Mono Lake; altitude, 8,650 feet; fall of Rush Creek in the one-fourth mile between Gem Lake and Agnew Lake, 380 feet. Mount Lyell sheet. Agua Alta Creek; Riverside County; an intermittent stream. 3 miles long, rising on the south slope of Martinez Mountain and flowing southeastward toward Martinez Canyon, which opens to the Colorado Desert. Indio special sheet. Agua Blanca Creek; Ventura County; formed in the central part of T. 6 N., R. 19 W., San Bernardino base and meridian, by two forks, one of which drains the eastern slope of McDonald Peak, and the other, the western slope of White Mountain; flows southeastward to its junction with Piru Creek (tributary to Santa Clara River, which discharges to the Pacific Ocean); length to head of longest fork, 12 miles, in which distance the fall is 4,300 feet. Tejon sheet 6 - GAZETTEER OF SURFACE WATERS IN CALIFORNIA. Agua Caliente Canyon Creek; Santa Ynez River basin; Santa Barbara County; rises in the Santa Barbara National Forest, on the west slope of Hildreth Peak, at altitude 4,500 feet above sea level; flows somewhat west of south 7 miles into Santa Ynez River, which discharges to the Pacific Ocean; fall, 2,900 feet. Santa Ynez sheet. Agua Caliente Canyon Creek; Sonoma Creek basin; Sonoma County; rises In the western part of T. 6 N., R. 5 W., Mount Diablo base and meridian, at altitude 1.700 feet above sea level; flows southwestward about 4 miles; carries water to Sonoma Creek (tributary to San Pablo Bay) only at flood stages. Napa sheet. Agua Caliente Creek; Coyote River basin; Alameda County; rises in the central part of T. 5 S., R. 1 E., Mount Diablo base and meridian, south of Mission Peak, at altitude 2,500 feet above sea level; flows northwestward 1 mile, then southwesterly to Mud Slough in the tidal marsh through which Coyote River enters San Francisco Bay; length, about 6 miles. Pleasanton and San Jose sheets. Agua Caliente Creek; San Luis Eey Eiver basin; San Diego County; rises in the southwestern part of T. 9 S., R. 4 E., San Bernardino base and meridian, at altitude 4,800 feet above sea level; flows southwestward and westward to San Luis Rey River, which discharges to the Pacific Ocean; intermittent; length, about 10 miles; fall, about 2,000 feet; connected with the channel of San Luis Rey River in San Jose Del Valle Rancho by a broad sandy wash. Rarnona sheet. Agua Dulce Creek; Los Angeles County; rises in the southeastern part of T. 5 N., R. 14 W., San Bernardino base and meridian, at altitude 2,450 feet, above sea level; flows west of south to Santa Clara River (tributary to the Pacific Ocean), which it enters in Soledad Canyon; length, 3| miles; fall, about 500 feet; principal tributary, Escondido Canyon Creek; intermittent.