Bull Creek is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data The National Map , accessed March 16, 2011
tributary
A tributary, or affluent, is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream or main stem (or parent) river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries and the main stem river drain the surrounding drainage ...
of the
Los Angeles River
, name_etymology =
, image = File:Los Angeles River from Fletcher Drive Bridge 2019.jpg
, image_caption = L.A. River from Fletcher Drive Bridge
, image_size = 300
, map = LARmap.jpg
, map_size ...
in the
San Fernando Valley
The San Fernando Valley, known locally as the Valley, is an urbanized valley in Los Angeles County, California. Located to the north of the Los Angeles Basin, it contains a large portion of the City of Los Angeles, as well as unincorporated ar ...
of
Los Angeles County
Los Angeles County, officially the County of Los Angeles, and sometimes abbreviated as L.A. County, is the most populous county in the United States and in the U.S. state of California, with 9,861,224 residents estimated as of 2022. It is the ...
,
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 rises in Bull Canyon on
Oat Mountain
Oat Mountain is a mountain, peak of the Santa Susana Mountains overlooking the San Fernando Valley (near Los Angeles, California) to the south and southeast. Oat Mountain is the highest peak in the Santa Susana Mountains of California. The Los A ...
. After leaving its canyon, it is encased in a
concrete
Concrete is a composite material composed of fine and coarse aggregate bonded together with a fluid cement (cement paste) that hardens (cures) over time. Concrete is the second-most-used substance in the world after water, and is the most wi ...
flood control channel
Flood control channels are large and empty basins which let water flow in and out (except during flooding) or dry channels that run below the street levels of some larger cities, so that if and when a flood occurs, the water will run into these ch ...
Van Nuys
Van Nuys () is a neighborhood in the central San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles, California. Home to Van Nuys Airport and the Valley Municipal Building, it is the most populous neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley.
History
In 1909, t ...
(including its airport), and
Lake Balboa
Lake Balboa is a neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles, California. The area was previously part of Van Nuys. Victory Boulevard, the river reverts to a free-flowing stream and joins the
Los Angeles River
, name_etymology =
, image = File:Los Angeles River from Fletcher Drive Bridge 2019.jpg
, image_caption = L.A. River from Fletcher Drive Bridge
, image_size = 300
, map = LARmap.jpg
, map_size ...
inside the
Sepulveda Dam
The Sepulveda Dam is a project of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers designed to withhold winter flood waters along the Los Angeles River. Completed in 1941, at a cost of $6,650,561 (), it is located south of center in the San Fernando Valley, appr ...
Recreation Area. Since 2009 this section has been restored under a federally funded ecosystem restoration project, in part to protect the important riparian habitat.
In 1971, on the morning of the
Sylmar earthquake
The 1971 San Fernando earthquake (also known as the 1971 Sylmar earthquake) occurred in the early morning of February 9 in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains in southern California. The unanticipated thrust earthquake had a magnitude of ...
, residents of Granada Hills, Northridge, North Hills, and Van Nuys who were living between Balboa Boulevard and the San Diego Freeway were evacuated after the Lower Van Norman Dam nearly broke. However, a great flood down the banks of Bull Creek was averted.
In 1991, the truck chase scenes from '' Terminator 2: Judgment Day'' were filmed in Bull Creek, starting at the Hayvenhurst Avenue/Plummer Street crossing.
Crossings and tributaries
From mouth to source (year built in parentheses):
*Road in Lake Balboa Park
* Metro G Line
*Bicycle path
* Victory Boulevard (1955)
*Haynes Street edestrian Bridge*Vanowen Street (1954)
*Sherman Way (1954)
*Saticoy Street (1954)
*Stagg Street (1955)
*Road in
Van Nuys Airport
: ''For the United States Air Force use of the airport (1942–1990), see Van Nuys Air National Guard Base''
Van Nuys Airport is a public airport in the Van Nuys neighborhood of the City of Los Angeles. The airport is operated by Los Angeles Wo ...
*Taxiway in Van Nuys Airport
*Roscoe Boulevard (1955)
*Railroad:
Union Pacific
The Union Pacific Railroad , legally Union Pacific Railroad Company and often called simply Union Pacific, is a freight-hauling railroad that operates 8,300 locomotives over routes in 23 U.S. states west of Chicago and New Orleans. Union Paci ...
Coast Line
*Parthenia Street (1955)
*Nordhoff Street (1955)
*Hayvenhurst Avenue & Plummer Street (1974)
*Granada Channel enters
*Lassen Street (1973)
*Mayall Street edestrian Bridge*Devonshire Street (1956)
*Chatsworth Street (1956)
*Celtic Street (1976)
*Bull Creek Canyon Channel Bridge carrying
State Route 118
Route 118 or Highway 118 can refer to multiple roads:
Argentina
* National Route 118 (Argentina), National Route 118
Canada
* British Columbia Highway 118
* New Brunswick Route 118
* Nova Scotia Highway 118
* Ontario Highway 118
* Prince ...
(Ronald Reagan Freeway) - twin bridges (original 1978, rebuilt 1994 after the
Northridge earthquake
The 1994 Northridge earthquake was a moment 6.7 (), blind thrust earthquake that occurred on January 17, 1994, at 4:30:55 a.m. PST in the San Fernando Valley region of the City of Los Angeles.
The quake had a duration of approximately ...
)
*San Fernando Mission Road (1962)
* John F. Kennedy High School
*Simonds Street (1978)
*Rinaldi Street & Woodley Avenue (1962)
*Stranwood Avenue