Cañada Gobernadora
Encyclopedia
Cañada Gobernadora is a tributary
to San Juan Creek
, about 8.5 miles (13.7 km) long, in southern Orange County
in the U.S. state
of California
. The creek begins in the foothills of the Santa Ana Mountains
(33.6402995°N 117.5794921°W), at an elevation of 1040 feet (317 m), and flows south through residential, agricultural and finally undeveloped land, to its confluence with San Juan Creek a few miles upstream of the city of San Juan Capistrano (33.5233587°N 117.5981038°W), where its bed is a wash
-like channel that can be up to 700 feet (213.4 m) wide. The creek is a mostly unchannelized and free-flowing course, although it may receive wet-season urban runoff
from the residential communities higher in its watershed. The creek flows through several geologic formations, including the Tertiary
Sespe Formation
and Santiago Formation, and Holocene
sedimentary and alluvial deposits embedded in its narrow floodplain
. Cañada Gobernadora forms an unofficial dividing line for the lower portion of the San Juan watershed; most urban development is confined to west of the creek, while agricultural and undeveloped lands lie to the east of the creek.
Historically, the Cañada Gobernadora valley was inhabited by the Acjachemen Indians who had two villages on the creek, one of which was at the confluence with San Juan Creek. This latter village became a proposed site for Mission San Juan Capistrano
, although that was later built in the city of the same name. The name of the creek means "Canyon of the Governor's Wife" in Spanish, and a less used name is used to refer to greasewood
, which was once abundant in the Cañada Gobernadora watershed, which is shaped somewhat north-south like a cucumber
. The upper watershed of the creek is now mostly occupied by a housing development, and the middle and lower reaches are given primarily to agriculture
.
Tributary
A tributary or affluent is a stream or river that flows into a main stem river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean...
to San Juan Creek
San Juan Creek
San Juan Creek, also called the San Juan River, is a stream in Orange County, California that consists of a catchment basin encompassing . Its mainstem rises in the Santa Ana Mountains, in the Trabuco Ranger District of the Cleveland National Forest...
, about 8.5 miles (13.7 km) long, in southern Orange County
Orange County, California
Orange County is a county in the U.S. state of California. Its county seat is Santa Ana. As of the 2010 census, its population was 3,010,232, up from 2,846,293 at the 2000 census, making it the third most populous county in California, behind Los Angeles County and San Diego County...
in the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. The creek begins in the foothills of the Santa Ana Mountains
Santa Ana Mountains
The Santa Ana Mountains are a short peninsular mountain range along the coast of Southern California in the United States. They extend for approximately 36 mi southeast of the Los Angeles Basin largely along the border between Orange and Riverside counties.- Geography :The range starts in the...
(33.6402995°N 117.5794921°W), at an elevation of 1040 feet (317 m), and flows south through residential, agricultural and finally undeveloped land, to its confluence with San Juan Creek a few miles upstream of the city of San Juan Capistrano (33.5233587°N 117.5981038°W), where its bed is a wash
Arroyo (creek)
An arroyo , a Spanish word translated as brook, and also called a wash is usually a dry creek or stream bed—gulch that temporarily or seasonally fills and flows after sufficient rain. Wadi is a similar term in Africa. In Spain, a rambla has a similar meaning to arroyo.-Types and processes:Arroyos...
-like channel that can be up to 700 feet (213.4 m) wide. The creek is a mostly unchannelized and free-flowing course, although it may receive wet-season urban runoff
Urban runoff
Urban runoff is surface runoff of rainwater created by urbanization. This runoff is a major source of water pollution in many parts of the United States and other urban communities worldwide.-Overview:...
from the residential communities higher in its watershed. The creek flows through several geologic formations, including the Tertiary
Tertiary
The Tertiary is a deprecated term for a geologic period 65 million to 2.6 million years ago. The Tertiary covered the time span between the superseded Secondary period and the Quaternary...
Sespe Formation
Sespe Formation
The Sespe Formation is a widespread fossiliferous sedimentary geologic unit in southern and south central California in the United States. It is of nonmarine origin, consisting predominantly of sandstones and conglomerates laid down in a riverine, shoreline, and floodplain environment between the...
and Santiago Formation, and Holocene
Holocene
The Holocene is a geological epoch which began at the end of the Pleistocene and continues to the present. The Holocene is part of the Quaternary period. Its name comes from the Greek words and , meaning "entirely recent"...
sedimentary and alluvial deposits embedded in its narrow floodplain
Floodplain
A floodplain, or flood plain, is a flat or nearly flat land adjacent a stream or river that stretches from the banks of its channel to the base of the enclosing valley walls and experiences flooding during periods of high discharge...
. Cañada Gobernadora forms an unofficial dividing line for the lower portion of the San Juan watershed; most urban development is confined to west of the creek, while agricultural and undeveloped lands lie to the east of the creek.
Historically, the Cañada Gobernadora valley was inhabited by the Acjachemen Indians who had two villages on the creek, one of which was at the confluence with San Juan Creek. This latter village became a proposed site for Mission San Juan Capistrano
Mission San Juan Capistrano
Mission San Juan Capistrano was a Spanish mission in Southern California, located in present-day San Juan Capistrano. It was founded on All Saints Day November 1, 1776, by Spanish Catholics of the Franciscan Order...
, although that was later built in the city of the same name. The name of the creek means "Canyon of the Governor's Wife" in Spanish, and a less used name is used to refer to greasewood
Greasewood
Greasewood, Sarcobatus, is a genus of one or two species of flowering plants. Traditionally it has been treated in the family Chenopodiaceae, but the APG II system, of 2003, places it in the family Sarcobataceae....
, which was once abundant in the Cañada Gobernadora watershed, which is shaped somewhat north-south like a cucumber
Cucumber
The cucumber is a widely cultivated plant in the gourd family Cucurbitaceae, which includes squash, and in the same genus as the muskmelon. The plant is a creeping vine which bears cylindrical edible fruit when ripe. There are three main varieties of cucumber: "slicing", "pickling", and...
. The upper watershed of the creek is now mostly occupied by a housing development, and the middle and lower reaches are given primarily to agriculture
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
.