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1978 FISHES OF SANT A CLARA RIVER 5
tional parks or is undeveloped. The Saugus area presently is undergoing rapid urban-
ization. The flood plain, beginning just upstream of Piru Creek, is occupied by citrus
orchards, which bound most of the river on both sides except for small gaps at the
cities of Fillmore, Santa Paula, Satacoy and Oxnard. The Oxnard-Satacoy region also
is an area of rapid urban growth.
The first tributary studied was Todd Ba1Tanca, a small stream that drains Wheeler
Canyon and flows across the flood plain of the Santa Clara River, entering it at Santa
Paula. Fishes were present in the lower portion.
Only the lower kilometer of Santa Paula Creek, which is enclosed in a rock and
earth levee was examined (stat. C). No fishes were seen.
Sespe Creek is a large tributary of the Santa Clara River. Numerous small wa-
terfalls a few centimeters to more than 3 m high occur from 12 to 17 km (and probably
farther) upstream of the confluence with the Santa Clara River (stats. 32-35). Much
of the stream flows through deep, narrow canyons over rocky SLtbstratum. Practically
the whole Sespe Creek drainage is contained in Los Padres National Forest (including
the Sespe Condor Sanctuary, where no sa.n1ples could be collected) and is protected
as recreational land or wildlife sanctuary .
Piru Creek is the largest tributary to the s·anta Clara River. Flow volume fluc-
tuates according to the amount of water released from Lake Piru tlu·ough Santa Felicia
Dam, and the creek receives imported water from Pyramid Reservoir. The canyon
through which Piru creek flows in that portion studied is broad and sandy-bottomed.
Piru Creek is primarily within the Los Padres National Forest.
Castaic Creek is located in a dry, broad, sandy-bottomed valley. Castaic Lake
is a reservoir that receives imported water from Pyramid Reservoir. The only flowing
water seen in this creek during the summer was water being released from a small
impoundment below Castaic Lake at station 45.
San Francisquito Canyon contains three areas of continuous flow: where it joins
the Santa Clara River, and at two points upstrea1n. One point upstream is where water
released from Drinkwater Reservoir tumbles out of Drinkwater Canyon and flows for
about 200 m along the bottom of San Francisquito Canyon before sinking into the
sand. On February 1, 1976 this stream segment had increased to 1400 m long. Such
extensions are characteristic of the Santa Clara River system in the winter. The second
point upstream where the strea.m flows is for a few kilometers below San Francisquito
Powerhouse No. 1. The canyon bottom varies in width and generally is dry and sandy.
Arrastre Canyon is one of several canyons that converge to form the headwaters
of the Santa Clara River. A small flow descends the steep sandy bottom of this shallow
canyon, sinking into the sand and forming s1nall pools. Like San Francisquito Canyon,
this is a remote and little disturbed canyon.
FISH DISTRIBUTIONS
Fifteen fish species were collected from 46 collecting stations. The characteristics
of these stations are indicated in Table 1. Fishes collected are listed below (numbers
in parentheses indicate the number of stations at which the species was collected):
Gasterosteus aculeatus Linnaeus Threespine stickleback ( 42)
Gila orcutti (Eigenmann and Eigenmann) Arroyo Chub (37)