Castaic Creek

Castaic Creek is a 25.0-mile-long (40.2 km)[2] stream in the Sierra Pelona Mountains, in northeastern Los Angeles County, California. It is a tributary of the Santa Clara River.

Castaic Creek
Castaic Lake, with Castaic Lagoon and lower Castaic Creek in center-right side.
Location
CountryUnited States
StateCalifornia
RegionLos Angeles County
Physical characteristics
Source 
 • locationLake Hughes
Mouth 
 • location
confluence with Santa Clara River at Castaic Junction
 • coordinates
[1]
Length25 mi (40 km)
Basin features
River systemSanta Clara River

Castaic Lake

Castaic Dam on the creek forms Castaic Lake, but most of the water comes from the West Branch of the West Branch California Aqueduct, part of the California State Water Project. The 323,700 acre foot (399,300,000 m3) lake is the terminus for west branch of the aqueduct. The aqueduct delivers water to the lake by a pipeline from Pyramid Lake.

Besides storing drinking water, Castaic Lake is the lower reservoir in a pumped-storage hydroelectric system. During times of peak electricity demand, water is released from Pyramid Lake and run through the turbines at Castaic Power Plant. At night, when demand and electricity prices are lower, water is pumped from Castaic Lake to Pyramid Lake. The income from the electricity sold offsets a portion of the cost for pumping the water in some parts of the aqueduct, such as over the Tehachapi Mountains.

Creek resumes

Some water is released into Castaic Lagoon, immediately downstream of the dam. The lagoon provides Groundwater recharge of the aquifer and recreation. Downstream of the lagoon, water continues in Castaic Creek through the eastern Sierra Pelona Mountains to its confluence with the Santa Clara River, a few miles west of Santa Clarita. The rest is distributed to the northern Greater Los Angeles Area by pipelines.

References
  • "The California Water Plan Update, October 1994". California Department of Water Resources. Archived from the original on 2009-06-05.
  • "California Public Utilities Commission" (PDF). (PDF)
  1. "Castaic Creek". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey.
  2. "U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data". The National Map. Archived from the original on 2012-04-05., accessed March 16, 2011

See also
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