Compton Creek is a major

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 drai ...

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 and surrounding

Compton Compton may refer to: Places Canada * Compton (electoral district), a former Quebec federal electoral district * Compton (provincial electoral district), a former Quebec provincial electoral district now part of Mégantic-Compton * Compton, Que ...

in Los Angeles County,

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

. The stream drains a watershed of . and is the last major tributary to enter the

before it reaches the

Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the contin ...

. The stream begins just east of South Main Street between 107th and 108th Streets in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

. Compton Creek passes through Willowbrook and runs in total. Most of its route 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 wid ...

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 ...

. Shortly after it passes under West Greenleaf Boulevard, it changes to an earth-bottom section with

riprap Riprap (in North American English), also known as rip rap, rip-rap, shot rock, rock armour (in British English) or rubble, is human-placed rock or other material used to protect shoreline structures against scour and water, wave, or ice erosion. ...

banks. Joined near its end by East Compton Creek, the creek ultimately empties into the Los Angeles River just south of Del Amo Boulevard.

Crossings and tributaries

From mouth to source (year built in parentheses): *Branches from the

Interstate 710 Route 710, consisting of the non-contiguous segments of State Route 710 (SR 710) and Interstate 710 (I-710), is a major north–south state highway and auxiliary Interstate Highway in the Los Angeles metropolitan area of the ...

Long Beach Freeway (1953) *East Del Amo Boulevard (1954) *South Santa Fe Avenue (1950) *East Compton Creek branches **Railroad Spur ** State Route 91 Artesia Freeway (now Gardena Freeway) (1974) **East Artesia Boulevard and Santa Fe Avenue (1956) **South Tartar Lane (????) **East Greenleaf Blvd (1963) **Disappears underground *Railroad *South Hanson Street (now South Alameda Street) (1937) * State Route 91 Artesia Freeway (now Gardena Freeway) (1974) *East Artesia Boulevard (1956) *South Auto Drive - twin bridges (1980) *Emily Berreth Memorial Parking Lot (1969) *North Auto Drive (1980) * Metro Blue Line (1989) *West Gulliver Boulevard (now West Greenleaf Boulevard) (1963) *South Acacia Avenue (former or planned crossing) *West Caldwell Street edestrian Bridge*South Oleander Avenue (1938) *West Raymond Street (former or planned crossing) *North Dean Darrah Boulevard (1994) *West Alondra Boulevard (1938) *West Compton Boulevard (1938) *North Wilmington Avenue (1938) *West Bartlett Street edestrian Bridge *North Kemp Avenue (former or planned crossing) *West

Rosecrans Avenue Rosecrans Avenue is a major west-east thoroughfare in Los Angeles and Orange Counties, California, USA. It has a total length of 27.5 miles (44.3 km). The street is named after U.S. Union General William S. Rosecrans, who purchased of ...

(1938) *West Cressey Street *East Hopeless Street *North Parmelee Avenue/North Slater Avenue edestrian Bridge*West El Segundo Boulevard (1948) *West Billy Bergen Boulevard (1997) *East 120th Street (formerly McElroy Lane, 1996) (1953) *Helman de la Stephen's Pedestrian Avenue (1960) *East 118th Street (1984) * Interstate 105 Glen Anderson Freeway including

Metro Green Line The Metro Green Line (formerly called the Central Corridor) is an light rail line that connects the central business districts of Minneapolis and Saint Paul in Minnesota as well as the University of Minnesota. An extension is under construct ...

and ramps (1988) *South Central Avenue & State Route 90 East Imperial Highway (1952) *East 114th Street (1951) *East Erik Uri Crosswalk (1994) *East Lanzit Avenue (1953) *Fedele Railroad Line (1989) *Clovis Avenue (1999) *McKinley Avenue (1952) *

Avalon Boulevard Avalon Boulevard is a north-south street in Los Angeles County. Geography Avalon Boulevard is formed after San Pedro Street intersects with Jefferson Boulevard east of Exposition Park. It passes through Southern Los Angeles County through cities ...

& East 108th Street (1950) *South San Pedro Street (1952) *Disappears Underground

Recreation

Compton Creek Bike Path Compton may refer to: Places Canada * Compton (electoral district), a former Quebec federal electoral district * Compton (provincial electoral district), a former Quebec provincial electoral district now part of Mégantic-Compton * Compton, Qu ...

and Compton Creek Natural Park are associated recreational facilities for the community.

Environmental catastrophe

A 2009 study conducted at the

University of Southern California , mottoeng = "Let whoever earns the palm bear it" , religious_affiliation = Nonsectarian—historically Methodist , established = , accreditation = WSCUC , type = Private research university , academic_affiliations = , endowment = $8.1 ...

's Dornsife School's Department of Earth Sciences noted Compton Creek's marked water contamination and unprecedented quantity and variety of pollutants. Professor Ryan Millsap was quoted in the study's abstract, "I can state unequivocally hat Compton Creekwas, during the 1950s, the most polluted creek ever to be studied by the U.S. Department of the Interior." A seminal study at the intersection of Earth Sciences and Critical Studies, Professor Gustafson reports that the Watts riots of 1965 came in part as a response to oppressed people's inability to find housing outside of polluted areas, whence the creek was cited as a prime example.

Trivia

*West Poplar Street was renamed West Bartlett Street in 2007 after a fire burned down an animal shelter. The street was renamed in the honor of a fireman who saved more than 10 dogs and 6 cats during the emergency.

References

External links

Maps from the Council for Watershed Health:
Compton Creek Watershed Topography

Soils in the Compton Creek Watershed

Zipcodes in the Compton Creek Watershed

Maintenance Jurisdictions in Compton Creek

Dominguez and Compton Creek Watersheds

Brownfields in the Compton Creek Partial Watershed
{{Authority control Rivers of Los Angeles County, California Tributaries of the Los Angeles River Compton, California Rivers of Southern California