Elder Creek (Tehama County) facts for kids

Location: Gerber, California
Minimum rate: 0 cu ft/s (0 m 3 /s)
Average rate: 110 cu ft/s (3.1 m 3 /s)
Maximum rate: 14,100 cu ft/s (400 m 3 /s)

Quick facts for kidsElder Creek
Country	United States
State	California
Physical characteristics
Main source	California Coast Ranges; Mendocino National Forest; 801 ft (244 m)
River mouth	Sacramento River; Near Gerber; 207 ft (63 m)
Length	27 mi (43 km)
Discharge	Location:; Gerber, California; Minimum rate:; 0 cu ft/s (0 m3/s); Average rate:; 110 cu ft/s (3.1 m3/s); Maximum rate:; 14,100 cu ft/s (400 m3/s);
Basin features
Basin size	150.5 sq mi (390 km2)

Elder Creek is a major stream in Tehama County, California and a tributary of the Sacramento River. It originates at the confluence of its North, Middle and South Forks, which begin in the Mendocino National Forest, and flows 27 miles (43 km) east to its confluence with the Sacramento River about a mile (1.6 km) east of Gerber and 2 miles (3.2 km) north of Tehama. Measured to the head of its longest tributary, the South Fork, Elder Creek has a total length of 42 miles (68 km), draining a watershed of about 150 square miles (390 km²). Like the other streams draining this part of the western Sacramento Valley, Elder Creek is a highly seasonal stream that flows only during the winter and spring.

Elder Creek was so named for the elder trees lining its course. A variant name was Arroyo de los Saucos.