Agua Chinon Creek or Agua Chinon Wash is an urban stream in the city of
Irvine,
Orange County
Orange County most commonly refers to:
*Orange County, California, part of the Los Angeles metropolitan area
Orange County may also refer to:
U.S. counties
*Orange County, Florida, containing Orlando
*Orange County, Indiana
*Orange County, New ...
,
California
California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
. The creek flows southwest from its headwaters in the foothills of the
Santa Ana Mountains
The Santa Ana Mountains are a short peninsular mountain range along the coast of Southern California in the United States. They extend for approximately southeast of the Los Angeles Basin largely along the border between Orange and Riverside co ...
for about to join
San Diego Creek
San Diego Creek is a urban waterway flowing into Upper Newport Bay in Orange County, California in the United States. Its watershed covers in parts of eight cities, including Irvine, Tustin, and Costa Mesa. From its headwaters in Laguna Woo ...
near the
Verizon Amphitheatre. The creek drains a total watershed area of .
The headwaters of the creek consist of approximately of undeveloped canyonlands in the Limestone Canyon Nature Preserve. The area includes the
badlands
Badlands are a type of dry terrain where softer sedimentary rocks and clay-rich soils have been extensively eroded."Badlands" in ''Chambers's Encyclopædia''. London: George Newnes, 1961, Vol. 2, p. 47. They are characterized by steep slopes, m ...
known as The Sinks, which are nicknamed "the Grand Canyon of Orange County" due to its sheer cliffs. At the bottom of the canyons Agua Chinon Creek flows under
State Route 241 and is impounded by the Agua Chinon Debris Dam, which provides flood control to the valley below. Completed in 1998, the dam has a capacity of of water.
The middle section of Agua Chinon Creek flows through a culvert underneath the former
El Toro Marine Corps Air Station
Marine Corps Air Station El Toro was a United States Marine Corps Air Station located next to the community of El Toro, near Irvine, California.
Before it was decommissioned in 1999, it was the home of Marine Corps Aviation on the West Coast. ...
. The redevelopment of the air base as
Orange County Great Park
The Great Park is a public park located in Irvine, California, with a focus on sports, agriculture, and the arts. It is a non-aviation reuse of the decommissioned Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) El Toro. The Orange County park comprises 28.8 ...
includes plans to
daylight
Daylight is the combination of all direct and indirect sunlight during the daytime. This includes direct sunlight, diffuse sky radiation, and (often) both of these reflected by Earth and terrestrial objects, like landforms and buildings. Sunligh ...
the creek and restore streambank habitat. This work is proposed to create a
wildlife corridor
A wildlife corridor, habitat corridor, or green corridor is an area of habitat connecting wildlife populations separated by human activities or structures (such as roads, development, or logging). This allows an exchange of individuals between ...
between the
Cleveland National Forest
Cleveland National Forest encompasses 460,000 acres (), mostly of chaparral, with a few riparian areas. A warm dry mediterranean climate prevails over the forest. It is the southernmost U.S. National Forest of California. It is administered by th ...
and the Laguna Coast wilderness area (
Crystal Cove State Park
Crystal Cove State Park is a state park of California, United States, encompassing of Pacific coastline, inland chaparral canyons, and the Crystal Cove Historic District of beach houses. The park is located in Newport Beach, and is part of the ...
).
Below the Air Base/Great Park the creek continues in a buried channel under the
BNSF Railway
BNSF Railway is one of the largest freight railroads in North America. One of seven North American Class I railroads, BNSF has 35,000 employees, of track in 28 states, and nearly 8,000 locomotives. It has three transcontinental routes that ...
tracks,
Interstate 5
Interstate 5 (I-5) is the main north–south Interstate Highway on the West Coast of the United States, running largely parallel to the Pacific coast of the contiguous U.S. from Mexico to Canada. It travels through the states of Califor ...
and the
Irvine Spectrum Center
The Irvine Spectrum Center is an outdoor shopping center developed by the Irvine Company, located in the Irvine Spectrum district on the southeast edge of Irvine, California. The mall features Nordstrom and Target department stores, a ferris whee ...
, and is joined from the left by its main tributary, Borrego Canyon Wash. It emerges as an open channel just a few hundred feet before its confluence with San Diego Creek. The confluence is situated just north of the
Interstate 405 near the 405/
133 133 may refer to:
*133 (number)
* AD 133
*133 BC
*133 (song)
*133 (New Jersey bus) 133 may refer to:
*133 (number)
* AD 133
*133 BC
*133 (song) 133 may refer to:
*133 (number)
*AD 133
*133 BC
*133 (song)
*133 (New Jersey bus) 133 may refer to:
* ...
interchange.
See also
*
List of rivers of California
This is a list of rivers in the U.S. state of California, grouped by region. Major lakes and reservoirs, if applicable, are indicated in italics.
North Coast (north of Humboldt Bay)
Rivers and streams between the Oregon border and Humboldt Bay th ...
*
List of rivers of Orange County, California
References
{{Orange County major watersheds
Rivers of Orange County, California