Ballona Creek is a concrete lined flood control channel for most of its 10 miles before it discharges into Santa Monica Bay at Playa Del Rey. The Creek conveys urban runoff and stormwater from the cities of Los Angeles, Culver City, Beverly Hills, West Hollywood, Inglewood, and Santa Monica, unincorporated areas of the County of Los Angeles, and areas under the jurisdiction the California Department of Transportation.
Ballona Creek appears above ground at Cochran Ave and Venice Blvd as a rectangular channel and flowing south west. The flow rate in the Creek varies considerably from a trickle flow of about 14 cubic feet per second during dry-weather to up to 71,000 cubic feet per second during the largest storm events. Major tributaries include Benedict Canyon Channel, Centinela Creek, and Sepulveda Canyon Channel. Many other smaller storm drains also capture runoff before discharging into Ballona Creek. The Ballona estuary is connected to Ballona Wetlands and Del Rey Lagoon through tide gates and experiences tidal influence from Santa Monica Bay. Diverse ecosystem in the Ballona Wetlands and the Estuary attracts wildlife and visitors alike.
The Ballona Creek watershed area is about hundred and twenty eight square miles and is highly urbanized but with some open space on the northern Santa Monica Mountains and in Baldwin Hills. During the Pre-Columbian era, Tongva people existed as hunters and gatherers in small villages throughout the Ballona Creek watershed and other parts of the Los Angeles basin. Native American culture faded with the arrival of Spanish explorers. The area then experienced rapid growth, with open land being transformed into agricultural use. Nowadays the watershed is mostly covered by residential, commercial, and industrial land uses. The urbanization of the watershed, and associated with it the pollution of urban runoff and stormwater, has degraded the water quality in Ballona Creek and its Estuary. RYAN: we may need a “positive” sentence here about many people trying to work together in making Ballona Creek and Estuary healthier or something.
Many national, historical, archeological and cultural landmarks, tourist attractions, educational institutions, businesses and industries exist in Ballona Creek Watershed. With year-round Mediterranean climate, the area attracts immigrants and visitors from all over the world making Ballona Creek Watershed a vibrant melting pot of culture. Ballona Creek can be best explored on a bicycle along Ballona Creek Bike Path that runs from Marina Del Rey to Culver City.
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