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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)