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62-556: The William S. Hart Union High School District (commonly referred to simply as the Hart District ) is a school district in the Santa Clarita Valley of Los Angeles County, California . It serves all of the valley's high school students (grades 9–12) and most of its junior high school students (grades 7–8). As of 2022–23, the total number of enrolled students (in 16 schools) was 22,469. The district's superintendent

124-656: A combination of aquifer recharge and providing alternative surface water supplies. The District owns Lake Piru and key facilities along the Santa Clara River that are used to manage groundwater supplies. The district provides wholesale water delivery through three pipelines to various portions of the Oxnard Plain. The Vern Freeman Diversion Dam, built by United Water in 1991 on the Santa Clara river, channels water to shallow basins designed to replenish

186-499: A large areas of artificial fill stretching from Newhall Ranch Road up to Copper Hill Drive. The valley is bisected by the San Gabriel Fault , which runs through the center of the valley along a NW-SE axis. The much smaller Holser Fault runs east-to-west between the south-eastern Topatopa Mountains and the present day community of Valencia . Neither fault line has been active since the early Holocene era. The valley

248-473: A number of new housing developments being constructed throughout the Santa Clarita Valley , overall student enrolment is still expected to continue declining for the foreseeable future. Eight of the district's ten high schools are located within the city of Santa Clarita , with Castaic High School and West Ranch High School being located in the unincorporated communities of Castaic and Stevenson Ranch , respectively. Jereann Bowman High School serves as

310-473: A revised environmental analysis and re-approved land-use permits for the Mission Village and Landmark Village communities. There has been significant interest in protecting and restoring the river habit. The riparian natural areas that remain along the river are of interest to several conservancy organizations. Easements are obtained that allow historical farming to continue and permanently protect

372-421: A variety of modifications have been made to the river and its major tributaries. The South Fork of the Santa Clara River features a system of 14 weirs that regulate the flow of the river through Newhall , Valencia , and Saugus . Bouquet Creek is channelized at the confluence of every minor creek that flows into it, most notably along a 0.4 mi (0.64 km) stretch of its riverbed near its confluence with

434-454: Is Soledad Canyon which contains the communities of Vincent, Acton , Ravenna, and Agua Dulce . The Santa Clarita Valley is underlain by Quaternary alluvial deposits and coarse-grained Pleistocene age conglomerates dominated by sandstone of marine and non-marine origin. The far eastern end of the valley features predominantly coarse-grained Tertiary age formations of sedimentary origin. The southern end of Bouquet Canyon features

496-657: Is Mike Kuhlman. The district is named after William S. Hart , one of the first western film stars, who lived in Newhall and was a local benefactor. The region served by the Hart District is also served by the Sulphur Springs, Saugus, Castaic, and Newhall elementary school districts. Prior to the establishment of William S. Hart High School in 1945, students in the Santa Clarita Valley continuing after elementary school would attend San Fernando High School in

558-463: Is about 7 mi (11 km) long and forms the primary headstream. These branches combine into the broad wash of the main stem near the town of Acton which flows west through Soledad Canyon , crossing under California State Route 14 near the town of Canyon Country . The Sierra Pelona Mountains on the north provide additional watershed and seasonal tributaries. The river receives Bouquet Creek, Placerita Creek, and San Francisquito Creek within

620-564: Is consistent with a beaver skull collected in 1906 in the Sespe Creek tributary by Dr. John Hornung, a zoologist at the Los Angeles Museum of Natural History . Pronghorn antelope ( Antilocapra americana ) used to roam along the Santa Clara River, as Father Pedro Font, describe in his diary on the de Anza Expedition February 1776, "We saw in the plain a very large drove of antelopes which, as soon as they saw us, fled like

682-693: Is home to the 262-acre (106 ha) theme park Six Flags Magic Mountain which includes the gated waterpark Six Flags Hurricane Harbor . It offers a variety of family-oriented activity centers such as the Santa Clarita Aquatics Center, Copper Horse Riding Ranch, and the Cube (formerly Ice Station Valencia), restaurants and shopping centers, golf courses, cinemas and theaters, luxurious day spas, outdoor recreation areas like Castaic Lake , Placerita Canyon , and Santa Clarita Woodlands Park , as well as acres of parkland, animal sanctuaries like

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744-710: Is located in the northeastern extreme of the Ventura Basin Province, a petroleum-rich sedimentary basin with a long history of oil and gas production. The valley features a Mediterranean climate ( Köppen Csa ), approaching a semi-arid climate , with hot, dry summers and mild, moderately rainy winters with rare snowfall. Temperatures often exceed 100 °F (38 °C), even 110 °F (43 °C), on hot summer afternoons but rarely dip below 32 °F (0 °C) on cold winter nights. The valley lies within plant hardiness zones 9b and 10a. Late spring and early summer mornings are often overcast due to

806-698: Is part of the upper watershed of the Santa Clara River in Southern California . The valley was part of the 48,612-acre (19,673 ha) Rancho San Francisco Mexican land grant . Located in Los Angeles County , its main population center is the city of Santa Clarita which includes the neighborhoods of Canyon Country , Newhall , Saugus , and Valencia . Adjacent unincorporated communities include Castaic , Stevenson Ranch , Val Verde , and Valencia . The Santa Clara River

868-676: Is susceptible to wildfires. Although wildfires are most common in summer and fall, they can occur throughout the year during drought conditions, such as in December 2017 . Wildfire risk is highest when Santa Ana winds blow through the area from the Mojave Desert. Notable wildfires in the Santa Clarita Valley include the Buckweed Fire , Sand Fire , Rye Fire , Tick Fire , and Maria Fire . Santa Clarita lies on

930-571: Is used for agriculture which has limited the use of structural levees to separate the natural floodplain from the river. Although it is one of the least altered rivers in Southern California, some levees exist where the river flows through areas of significant urban development. The Santa Clara River was originally named the Río de Santa Clara on August 9, 1769, by the Portolá expedition on

992-620: The California condor , the California gnatcatcher , the southwestern willow flycatcher , the least Bell's vireo , the arroyo toad , the San Fernando Valley spineflower , and the threespine stickleback . The area is included in Los Angeles County's Strategic Ecological Areas program, which designates areas of "irreplaceable biological resources". The water reclamation plant serving the development will be near

1054-782: The Castaic , Newhall , Saugus , and Sulphur Springs school districts. Junior high and high schools are part of the William S. Hart Union High School District , except for Castaic Middle School which is in the Castaic Union School District. The unincorporated mountain communities of Acton and Agua Dulce are served by the Acton-Agua Dulce Unified School District , which serves students from kindergarten through 12th grade. There are three institutions of higher education in

1116-544: The City of Santa Clarita . The riverbed surface remains dry most of the year here, except on extreme occasions of heavier than average rainfall. The river then crosses west under Interstate 5 and receives Castaic Creek from the right. After the Castaic Creek confluence, the river starts to flow primarily southwest through the Santa Clarita Valley . Near the county line between Los Angeles County and Ventura County ,

1178-792: The Oxnard Plain and into the Santa Barbara Channel of the Pacific Ocean. The watershed has provided habitat for a wide array of native plants and animals and has historically supplied humans with water, fish, and fertile farmland. The northern portion of the watershed was home to the Tataviam people while the southern portion was occupied by the Chumash people . Much of the Santa Clara River Valley

1240-478: The Pacoima neighborhood of Los Angeles . Between the 2015 and 2019, student enrolment within the Hart District declined 11.7% from an all-time high of 27,155 students during the 2015–16 academic year to 23,968 students during the 2019–2020 academic year. The COVID-19 pandemic continued this downward trend, with student enrolment declining a further 6.5% to 22,469 students during the 2022–23 academic year. Despite

1302-537: The San Fernando Valley and Los Angeles Basin via Newhall Pass to the south; Antelope Valley via CA 14 through Soledad Pass to the northeast; the San Joaquin Valley via I-5 through Tejon Pass to the northwest, and Leona Valley via San Francisquito and Bouquet canyons. Downstream lies the Santa Clara River Valley , which was given the moniker Heritage Valley by the tourism bureau representing Piru , Fillmore , and Santa Paula . Upstream

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1364-458: The sanitary sewer systems ; and enhanced public education. The river is habitat for threatened species such as the unarmored three-spined stickleback , steelhead , southwestern pond turtle , and least Bell's vireo . The endemic , endangered Santa Ana sucker ( Catostomus santaanae ) lives in parts of the Santa Clara River system. Historic documentation of an important recreational steelhead trout ( Oncorhynchus mykiss ) fishery occurs for

1426-496: The 2015–16 school year, an all-time high of 27,155 students were enrolled in Hart District schools. 39.8% were non-Hispanic white , 39.6% of students were Hispanic or Latino , 6.0% were Asian American , 5.0% were African American , 4.7% were multiracial , 4.3% were Filipino , 0.2% were Indigenous American , and 0.1% were Pacific Islander . The Castaic, Newhall, and Saugus Union school districts have offices in Valencia, while

1488-671: The California Condor. the state Supreme Court directed lower courts to toss out the EIRs mentioned above for two phases of construction. After the EIRs had been toss out by the state Supreme Court in May 2016, changes were made to address the concerns. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife certified the environmental impact report in 2017. In July 2017, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors certified

1550-813: The Counties of Ventura and Los Angeles together with cities along the river to limit the total maximum daily load of bacteria potentially harmful to human health that discharges from stormwater outfalls into the Santa Clara River, primarily during the dry season. Sources of bacteria of concern in urban runoff from the county, City of Fillmore, City of Oxnard, City of Santa Clarita, City of Santa Paula, and City of Ventura include pet and animal wastes, sanitary sewer overflows, and organic debris such as leaves and grass. Examples of ways they will improve water quality include increased frequencies of street sweeping and stormwater catch basin cleaning; field surveys to locate and eliminate both dry season street runoff and leaks from

1612-631: The Gentle Barn and Gibbon Conservation Center , over 70 miles of paseos and trails for hiking and biking, and more. The valley is also home to a number of historical sites, such as the oil drilling town Mentryville , Walk of Western Stars, and William S. Hart Ranch and Museum . The Santa Clarita Valley has a rich Western heritage, and since 1994, it has hosted an annual Cowboy Festival , which attracts more than 10,000 visitors each year. Elementary school students in Santa Clarita are served by

1674-513: The Santa Clara River into the mid 1900s. The steelhead trout run on the Santa Clara river prior to 1940 is estimated to have had thousands of fish and to have been one of the largest steelhead runs in southern California. Construction of the Vern Freeman Diversion Dam and other migration barriers on the mainstem, Santa Paula Creek, Sespe Creek, Piru Creek, and other tributaries during the mid 1900s appear to be correlated with

1736-468: The Santa Clara River. The unincorporated community of Valencia is an under-construction, large scale master-planned community in Los Angeles County along the river in the easterly portion of the Santa Clarita Valley adjacent to Ventura County. The required permits for the project describe how the work will fill in and alter more than 82 acres (33 ha) of flood plain and tributaries. These include threatened and endangered fauna and flora, including

1798-648: The Sulphur Springs School District's office is in Canyon Country. Castaic Union School District serves grades K–8; the other districts serve grades K–6. Hart District governing board members are composed of five members, elected to a four-year term, by geographical district. The elections are held on a Tuesday after the first Monday in November of even numbered years. Santa Clarita Valley The Santa Clarita Valley ( SCV )

1860-576: The agency's determination that storm-drain runoff from the project's 2,587 acres (1,047 ha) into the Santa Clara River would not harm juvenile steelhead trout downstream in Ventura County. Subsequently, the California Supreme Court agreed to review a petition that stated the appellate court opinion exempting developers from protections for the unarmored threespine stickleback would apply to other protected species such as

1922-459: The aquifer. For decades before the structure was built, earthen dams were constructed in the river to divert water to farmers and replenished the aquifer. The berms would have to be rebuilt whenever winter rains created a flow that breached the berms. Southern California Steelhead were declared endangered in 1997 and the fish ladder on the structure was deemed insufficient. The National Marine Fisheries Service determined in 2015 that fixing this

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1984-585: The boundary between the WWF -designated California coastal sage and chaparral ecoregion to the southwest, and California montane chaparral and woodlands ecoregion to the northeast. Resident species of note include bobcat , coyote , red-tailed hawk , and desert cottontail . The Santa Clarita Valley is about 20 miles (32 km) from the Burbank Bob Hope Airport , and about 35 miles (56 km) from Los Angeles International Airport . It

2046-554: The boundary with Ventura County. The plant will treat an estimated 6,800,000 US gal (26,000,000 L; 5,700,000 imp gal) of water every day before releasing it into the river as it flows towards the ocean and into Ventura County. During the decades the project on the Newhall Ranch has been in planning, it has faced legal actions and environmental concerns. The downstream impact and other effects also drew Ventura County officials and citizens into opposition to

2108-691: The broad Oxnard Plain . The river ends at the Pacific Ocean after flowing across the north side of this plain made fertile with the silt deposited by the river. A sand bar usually stands across the mouth at the Santa Clara Estuary Natural Preserve that lies within McGrath State Beach in Oxnard and bounded on the north by the city of Ventura wastewater treatment plant. Although located just north of

2170-523: The dam or predation in the coastal estuary. Lampreys, a parasite , also impact the steelhead. Invasive species such as Arundo donax also create changes that are not favorable to spawning trout. Genetic analysis of the steelhead in the Santa Clara River watershed has shown them to be of native and not hatchery stocks. There were beaver ( Castor canadensis ) historically in the Santa Clara River until Europeans arrived, according to oral Ventureño history taken by ethnolinguist John Peabody Harrington in

2232-673: The demise of the steelhead run as habitat availability decreased and surface flows decreased. Adult steelhead still try to migrate up the river with an adult trapped at the Vern Freeman Dam in 2001. A wild rainbow trout population still exists in the headwaters of the Santa Paula, Sespe, Hopper, and Piru Creek tributaries and is producing out-migrating steelhead smolts bound for the Pacific. However, challenges to outgoing smolt migration include low to no stream flows downstream of

2294-804: The district's continuation high school . The Academy of the Canyons and Learning Post Academy offer students alternative education pathways. Five of the district's six junior high schools are located within the city of Santa Clarita, with Rancho Pico Junior High being located in the Unincorporated community of Stevenson Ranch . As of the 2022–23 school year, 22,469 students were enrolled in Hart District schools. 44.2% of students were Hispanic or Latino , 33.4% were non-Hispanic white , 7.8% were Asian American , 5.1% were Filipino , 4.6% were multiracial , 4.4% were African American , 0.2% were Pacific Islander , and 0.1% were Indigenous American . During

2356-413: The early twentieth century. The full reference is: "The beaver comes and gnaws the tree on the side towards which it leans, and at last falls over. The tree is leaning towards our house. I am beginning to fear that it will fall on us. The beaver builds its house in the river or the cienegas in the time of our ancestors. There were beavers at Ventura and also at Saticoy ." This historical observer record

2418-549: The formation of a marine layer off the coast that moves inland overnight. These clouds typically retreat out of the valley by midday. The valley is part of a "wind-tunnel -like-corridor" that connects the high desert with the Oxnard Plain on the coast. This funnels the Santa Ana winds which spreads wildfires and has been called one of the "most dangerous wind and fire corridors in Southern California." Characterized by dry hills covered in brush and chaparral , Santa Clarita

2480-813: The heavily populated Los Angeles Basin , the 1,600 sq mi (4,100 km ) Santa Clara River watershed remains one of the most natural on the South Coast. It is separated from the Los Angeles Basin by the low Santa Susana Mountains , along the north side of which the Santa Clara River runs. On the east are the San Gabriel Mountains , and on the north are the Santa Ynez Mountains , Sespe Mountains, San Cayetano Mountains, and Tehachapi Mountains . Piru, Castaic and Sespe Creeks, each over 50 mi (80 km) long, are

2542-431: The land from development. The river's natural processes in the floodplain can continue with natural flooding of open space and agricultural fields. This avoids building levees that increase the risk of flooding downstream. The giant reed, or arundo , is a thirsty, invasive plant that lacks food value for native animals and impairs the growth of native plants. The city of Santa Clarita protects significant portions of

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2604-656: The larger one is the Santa Ana River . The estuary has been modified by human activities at least since 1855. By the late 1920s roads and agricultural fields had become established. In the late 1950s the former delta area was occupied by the Ventura Water Reclamation Facility and agricultural fields with levees constraining the river from these areas and directing the flow to the Harbor Boulevard bridge. McGrath State Beach

2666-576: The march north from San Diego to found a mission at Monterey , to honor Saint Clare of Assisi who died on August 11, 1253. The Santa Clara River Valley was then known as the Cañada de Santa Clara . The Santa Clara-Mojave River Ranger District of the Angeles National Forest is named after the Santa Clara River. The failure and near complete collapse of the St. Francis Dam took place in

2728-513: The middle of the night on March 12, 1928. The dam was holding a full reservoir of 12.4 × 10  US gal (4.7 × 10  L) of water that surged down San Francisquito Canyon and emptied into the river. The Santa Clara River's headwaters take drainage from the northern slopes of the San Gabriel Mountains near the Angeles Forest Highway , inside the western part of the Angeles National Forest . Its largest fork, Aliso Canyon,

2790-587: The mouth came under the control of the Ventura Regional Sanitation District by 1988. The district used the landfill gases to produce electricity until 2001. As the landfill aged and its contents decomposed, the release of gas became intermittent and the gases from the recovery system are burned off in a flare . The defunct power plant was built just upstream of the Victoria Avenue bridge, the second crossing upstream from

2852-637: The natural ecology of the river within the Santa Clara River Open Space preserve, which includes portions of San Francisquito Creek and the South Fork of the Santa Clara River north of Lyons Avenue in Newhall . Two wildlife corridor protection ordinances adopted by the county of Ventura restrict activities that impede the movement of mountains lions and other wildlife between the Santa Monica Mountains and

2914-473: The northwest, Sierra Pelona Mountains and Angeles National Forest to the north and northeast, San Gabriel Mountains to the east and southeast, and Santa Susana Mountains to the south and southwest, and Ventura County and the Santa Clara River Valley to the west. To the west-northwest lies the Topatopa Mountains . Santa Clarita Valley is connected to a wide array of other nearby valleys:

2976-418: The ocean. The riverbed was mined extensively for sand and gravel throughout the post–World War II building boom for the construction of homes and highways. Mining the riverbed for sand and gravel impacts the riparian zones by destroying habitat and changes sediment flow regimes. The mining decreased significantly in the 1990s due to increased costs needed to satisfy environmental concerns and concerns that

3038-501: The primary tributaries of the Santa Clara River. While Piru and Castaic Creeks form reservoirs for the California State Water Project ( Pyramid Lake and Lake Piru on Piru Creek, and Elderberry Forebay and Castaic Lake on Castaic Creek), Sespe Creek is designated a National Wild and Scenic River , unique among Southern California streams. There are 57 archaeological sites and 12 historical landmarks in

3100-489: The project. The landmark California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) used to challenge the development, may have led to a better-designed project while saving crucial habitat. In 2014, the California 2nd District Court of Appeal overturned a Los Angeles County Superior Court ruling and found that the environmental impact report adequately analyzed the project's potential impact on endangered fauna and flora and Native American cultural artifacts. The ruling also supported

3162-506: The removal of material increased scouring and undermining of bridge foundations and pipelines that crossed the river. As of 2010 there were still 3 active gravel operations in the upstream area. There are also water diversions, most notably the Freeman Diversion Dam, located approximately 10.7 mi (17.2 km) from the ocean The United Water Conservation District, formed in 1950, battles groundwater overdraft through

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3224-524: The river breached the north bank, flowed through an area that had historical been part of the estuary, flooded a new golf course and Harbor Boulevard, and deposited silt and debris into recently completed Ventura Harbor just upcoast from the reclamation facility. Over the years, many communities have used the river banks as dumps to create levees that would keep the river from flooding adjacent lands during occasional years with heavy winter rains. Three dump sites about 2 mi (3.2 km) upstream from

3286-563: The river enters the Santa Clara River Valley flowing past Buckhorn and Fillmore , incorporating additional flow from Piru Creek and Sespe Creek , both from the right, and Santa Paula Creek at the town of Santa Paula , where it passes the large South Mountain Oil Field on the south bank. The Santa Clara River then bends southwest, passing the Saticoy Oil Field on the north bank where South Mountain marks its entrance onto

3348-402: The river from the ocean most of the year. In years with adequate rainfall, the river breaks the berm which is then slowly rebuilt by ocean action through the rest of the year. When the river watershed has an exceptionally dry year, the berm acts as a dam, allowing the water level to rise with the discharge . In August 2014, with the frequent flooding of the access road and many of the campsites in

3410-545: The river in recent times was at the Fillmore Fish Hatchery in 2000. Quagga mussels were discovered in Lake Piru in 2013. They are an invasive species found in rivers and lakes in the U.S. The Harbor Boulevard bridge, the most westerly crossing, marks the upstream boundary of McGrath State Beach and the Ventura Water Reclamation Facility while the estuary continues a little farther upstream. In 1969

3472-541: The state park, a report found that the park had only been open five of the past eighteen months because of repeated flooding. When the berm is broken when it is not raining, fish can become stranded in the sudden draining of the estuary waters. The estuary was identified on the 1998, 2002 and 2006 Clean Water Act 303(d) lists of impaired water bodies. In 2012, the Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board required

3534-621: The valley: College of the Canyons , California Institute of the Arts , and The Master's University . Santa Clara River (California) The Santa Clara River ( Spanish : Río Santa Clara ) is an 83 mi (134 km) long river in Ventura and Los Angeles counties in Southern California . It drains parts of four ranges in the Transverse Ranges System north and northwest of Los Angeles , then flows west onto

3596-735: The watershed. The Santa Clara River watershed borders on the Ventura River / Matilija Creek watershed on the west. On the northwest lies the Santa Ynez River watershed. On the north is the interior drainage basin of Tulare Lake in the Central Valley . To the east is the Mojave River and to the south is the Los Angeles River . The Santa Clara River is the second largest river in Southern California;

3658-402: The wind, looking like a cloud skimming along the earth." There is a Ventureño word for antelope, q'aq , which is different from their separate words for deer and elk. In 2002, eight Southwest willow flycatchers hatched in the Hedrick Ranch Nature Area (HRNA), a 220 acres (89 ha) preserve just east of Santa Paula managed by the Friends of Santa Clara River. The first SWFs to hatch on

3720-442: Was a high priority since it is the first structure the steelhead encounter when attempting to migrate from the ocean. A judge determined in 2018 that the federal Endangered Species Act had been violated by United Water by failing to ensure that the structure provided an adequate water supply and migratory passageway for steelhead. The main channel of the Santa Clara River through the city of Santa Clarita remains largely natural,

3782-446: Was established in 1948. The estuary has been designated a Natural Preserve within McGrath State Beach on the south bank of the river mouth. From the north bank of the river, the city of Ventura releases some 9,000,000 US gal (34,000,000 L; 7,500,000 imp gal) of treated effluent daily that flows into the Santa Clara Estuary Natural Preserve from their water reclamation facility (VWRF). A sand berm separates

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3844-407: Was named by Spanish explorers for Clare of Assisi . The valley later became known as "little Santa Clara" in deference to the Northern California mission and city of Santa Clara, California . In time, "little Santa Clara" became "Santa Clarita". The Santa Clarita Valley is bordered by the Lake Piru area, including the community of Val Verde , Los Padres National Forest , and Castaic Lake to

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