It's spring again in the Southern Los Padres and wouldn't you know it? Our back yard is dry. This is the third year in a row of below normal rainfall totals for this part of the state and as we proceed into the later part of spring and into summer we will once again find ourselves questioning the reliability of various watersheds. What I'd like to do with this post is give and receive accurate and up to date information regarding specific creeks, springs, and drainages. So now I am asking you all to send me a quick note which I will update to this post. To do this I need audience participation so please let me know how our backcountry watersheds are doing and I'll hopefully be able to cobble together a pretty clear picture of what areas have water and what areas to avoid.
What I'll do with this information is to rate each creek or spring as one of the following:
-Good: normal, reliable flow of clean water
-Fair: decent water with some flow, but well below normal
-Poor: intermittent or spotty water, unreliable flow
-None: Non-filterable or nonexistent flow, dry creek
So how about I start things off with areas I know from recent travel, and from drainages that I've received reports on from friends of this blog. So please take a little time to email or comment with updated info on our local water situation.
Ventura County
-Upper Sespe Creek (Potrero Seco to Tule Creek): Poor with areas of subterranean flow
-Middle Sespe (Tule Creek to Willet): Poor (pools)
- Lower Sespe (Willet to Goodenough): Poor (pools)
-Ladybug: Poor to None
-Tar Creek: No flow (very green)
-Agua Blanca Creek: Poor to None
-Piru Creek: Poor
-Alder Creek: (Upper Alder and E Fork): Poor to None (reported)
-Alder Creek: (Lower Alder to Sespe): Fair to Poor (reported/Bardley)
-Cow Spring: None (reported/Craig & Bardley)
-Squaw Flat: None (reported/Craig)
-Dripping Springs: None
-Santa Paula Creek: Fair
-Sisar Creek: Poor (pools)
-White Ledge Spring: Very Poor
-Cedar Creek: Poor
-Mutau Creek: Poor
-Fishbowls Creek: Poor
-Piedra Blanca Creek: Fair
-Potrero John Creek: Poor
-Chorro Grande Creek: None
-Chorro Springs: Fair to Poor
-Raspberry Sring: Fair (per Conant)
-McGuirre Spring: Poor (filter)
-Matilija Creek (Falls Trail): Poor (pools)
-Murietta Creek: Poor
-Murietta Spring: None
-Matilija North Fork: Poor to None
-Beartrap Creek: Poor (per Conant)
-Reyes Creek: Poor
Santa Barbara County
-Rancho Nuevo Creek: Poor (per Conant)
-Deal Junction: Poor (per Conant)
-Santa Barbara Canyon: Poor to None
-Madulce Station: Fair to Poor (per Conant)
-Chokecherry Spring: Fair (reported/Nico)
-Upper Sisquoc (Lower Bear): Fair to Poor (reported/Nico/Mateus)
-Lower Sisquoc: Fair to Poor from Bear to Sycamore (per Conant)
-Big Pine Spring: Poor (per Conant)
-Manzana Creek: Fair to Poor, worsening (per Conant)
-Twin Oaks: None (per Conant)
-Coche Creek: No Info
-Redrock Canyon: No Info
-Agua Caliente: No Info
-Lower Indian Creek: Fair to Poor
-Upper Indian Creek: Fair
-Mono Creek: Fair (reported/Nico)
-Jackson Spring/Montgomery Potrero: Poor to None (reported/DS)
-Other Sierra Madre Springs: Poor to None (reported/Nico)
-Oak Spring (Judell): Poor
-Camuesa Creek: Poor
-Escondido Creek: (at Camuesa Rd): Fair (reported/Nico)
-Middle Santa Ynez: Fair (at Juncal), otherwise Poor (reported/Nico)
-White Ledge Creek: Poor (per Conant/Mateus)
Thanks everyone for your help updating.
Take a moment to remember how it was in
2005
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| SP Creek Punchbowls. |
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| Me, Tar Creek. |
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| Matilija west falls |
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| Davi Rivas, White Ledge Falls. |
re: alder creek.
ReplyDeletewas out there march 14 from dough to shady.
water level was, using your grades, "fair" from the alder creek / east fork alder creek junction to shady. alder creek was the supply - north fork was dry.
squaw flat had water, cow springs was a muddy puddle, and drippings springs had pools.
I visited Upper Reyes, Beartrap, and Haddock on the weekend of 4/13. Reyes Creek and Beartrap Creek were fair, but the river around Haddock was stagnant/poor.
ReplyDeleteI passed through Mutau Flat (Poor) and Cedar Creek (Fair) on April 1. I would not expect much water between Sespe Hot Springs and Piru Creek on the Johnson Ridge Tail, though the Sespe-Johnson Ridge-Cedar Creek-Piedra Blanca loop is epic.
ReplyDeleteTwo weekends ago (4/27) I hiked the White Ledge-Lower Sisquoc-Manzana loop. White Ledge was Fair to Poor and South Fork was Fair. The Lower Sisquoc is Fair from South Fork to Water Canyon. Abel Creek was Fair. Water Canyon to the last Sisquoc crossing is Fair to Poor. Water at the last crossing is Fair (fill up. The Lower Sisquoc and Lower Manzana are both None at the Schoolhouse. Nearest water is up the Manzana about 1/3 mile.
Did an overnighter May 11th at Fishbowls-water lower than last year but flowing...felt good to soak after a hot day.
ReplyDeleteI bet it was pretty nice back there. Thanks for the info ginnie.-DS
ReplyDeleteDS, water at Murietta Spring (main feed, across from the cottonwood and old trough) was low but pullable as of Sun 5/26. Murietta Creek proper is just plain low. Thanks for this post.
ReplyDeleteAs of May 11, no water at Squaw, Cow, and only nasty pools at Dripping. No water along East Fork; water at Alder and Shady okay ("fair").
ReplyDeleteThanks Red, Mateus, Nico, Conant, and others. Am currently exploring the idea of training a goat to carry extra water for me. -DS
ReplyDeleteI just went lions trail to Ladybug to Willett, and out to Piedra Blanca.
ReplyDeleteI don't remember the water situation along Lions trail that well, but at Ladybug there is almost no water(poor) just a small pond upstream from the camp(8" deep, 10'x5') of stagnant water. There were also quite a few bear, mountain lion, and deer tracks along the trail
Going down to Willett, there was no water in the creeks along the lower Red Reef Trail, and much of the poison oak is dieing.
At Willett the spring is running, but is very low(fair), and it could dry up later this summer. The hot springs are still flowing well(good). There was intermittent water along the Sespe, but the usual swimming holes have water, but are at least a foot low.
Chumash Wilderness
ReplyDeleteSHEEP CAMP SPRING(6-24-13) = 1 gallon every 3.5 minutes. Yes, I timed it with a stop watch.
Michael
Thanks for this update, very helpful.
ReplyDeleteKeep your fingers crossed for an El Nino winter!... or at least a normal winter.
Sierra Madre Ridge:
ReplyDeleteOak Spring - down to an drip/intermittent dribble
Pine Corral Spring - bone dry
Montgomery #1 Spring - patch of wet dirt
Black Willow Spring - adequate supply
(9-8-13)
ReplyDeleteGridley Springs (Gridley Canyon Trail) - completely dried up
sisar: poor but flowing above second crossing
ReplyDeletewhite ledge springs: Spotty, with patchy pools
10/6/13 -- Sheep Camp still slow, but reliable. 90 seconds for a liter.
ReplyDelete10/8/13 -- Rancho Nuevo Camp very very low. Nasty puddles are all that's left. Not recommended.
10/8/13 -- Tinta Camp bone dry.
-- West Coast Red
Want to trade? I need recent info for Upper Bear/Oak/Chokecherry/Upper Bear/Big Pine.
ReplyDeleteI offer:
10/20 19 Oaks. Dry
10/20 Santa Cruz Camp - stagnant water only
10/20 Little Pine Spring - good to fair.
10/20 Trough below Alexander saddle - trough full. Pipe fair.
10/20 Cottam / Blue Canyon / Upper Blue canyon - dry
11/2 Aqua Caliente- running by Rock Camp. Dry/Stagnant north of Big Caliente springs
Hi: I was at Big Caliente Springs Oct 30, and
Deletethere was clear, tasty, running water just
beyond the two big culverts that cross the trail to
Upper Caliente campground. Are we talking about the same area?
johnericdavis@comcast.net