This is a list of rivers of Orange County, California, which is a small coastal region in the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. There are thirteen distinct drainage areas in the watershed and eight large streams, most of which were formerly free-flowing but intermittent. In the inland portions of the county, streams typically flow into the San Gabriel River or Santa Ana River, both of which begin further inland and flow into Orange County as they near their mouths. Closer to the coast, many streams begin in the San Joaquin Hills or Santa Ana Mountains and flow directly into the sea. Most of the waterways in the area received their name from Spanish conquistadors in the 18th century. The county is heavily developed and many streams are now channelized and polluted.
The San Gabriel River delineates the northwestern boundary of the county, and is fed by tributaries such as Coyote Creek, which drains northwestern Orange County. All along the San Joaquin Hills, which extend from the mouth of Newport Bay south to San Diego County, small canyons drain into the Pacific, and San Diego Creek is the primary watercourse feeding Newport Bay, draining a portion of central Orange County, Further south Aliso Creek drains southwest into the sea, and San Juan Creek and its major tributary, Trabuco Creek drain much of the remaining southern part. The slice of land that lies south of San Juan Creek's outflow is drained by two streams, Prima and Segunda Deshecha Cañada.
If a creek passes through a reservoir or lake, that is included. Lakes at the source of a stream are not listed, unless noted. If a creek has a name of Spanish origin, then the translation of that name is given in the Translation section.
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Some rivers begin in Orange County and drain into the San Gabriel River, which forms most of the boundary of Orange and Los Angeles counties.
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These two drainage channels abut the mouth of the Santa Ana River:
Some rivers of Orange County flow into the Santa Ana River, which flows from Riverside County.
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San Diego Creek is a large watershed that is directly south of the Santa Ana River, draining into Upper Newport Bay. Reservoirs are listed because outflow from them provide much of the flow in the creek's tributaries.
Several small streams, the largest of which is in Laguna Canyon, drain the San Joaquin Hills between the mouths of San Juan and Aliso creeks.
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South of Laguna Canyon, the largest streams flowing into the Pacific are Aliso Creek, Salt Creek and San Juan Creek.
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South of San Juan Creek the primary streams are Prima Deshecha Cañada and Segunda Deshecha Cañada. Several streams also drain east and south into San Diego County.
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Translations of creeks with names of Spanish origin are give, in alphabetical order.
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