Peters Canyon Wash is a tributary

Tributary

A tributary or affluent is a stream or river that flows into a main stem river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean...

 of San Diego Creek

San Diego Creek

San Diego Creek is a waterway flowing into Upper Newport Bay in central Orange County in the U.S. state of California. Its basin covers in parts of eight cities, including Irvine, Tustin, and Costa Mesa. The major tributary of the northeast-flowing stream is Peters Canyon Wash, which joins a few...

 in central Orange County

Orange County, California

Orange County is a county in the U.S. state of California. Its county seat is Santa Ana. As of the 2010 census, its population was 3,010,232, up from 2,846,293 at the 2000 census, making it the third most populous county in California, behind Los Angeles County and San Diego County...

 in the U.S. state

U.S. state

A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...

 of California

California

California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

. About 11.8 miles (19 km) long north-south, the wash, now mostly channelized, flows in a relatively straight course southwest from the 55 acre (0.2225773 km²) Peters Canyon Reservoir, in the Santa Ana Mountains

Santa Ana Mountains

The Santa Ana Mountains are a short peninsular mountain range along the coast of Southern California in the United States. They extend for approximately 36 mi southeast of the Los Angeles Basin largely along the border between Orange and Riverside counties.- Geography :The range starts in the...

, through the cities of Tustin

Tustin, California

-Top employers:According to the City's 2010 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the top employers in the city are:-2010:The 2010 United States Census reported that Tustin had a population of 75,540. The population density was 6,816.7 people per square mile...

 and Irvine

Irvine, California

Irvine is a suburban incorporated city in Orange County, California, United States. It is a planned city, mainly developed by the Irvine Company since the 1960s. Formally incorporated on December 28, 1971, the city has a population of 212,375 as of the 2010 census. However, the California...

 to its confluence with San Diego Creek in the city of Newport Beach, California

Newport Beach, California

Newport Beach, incorporated in 1906, is a city in Orange County, California, south of downtown Santa Ana. The population was 85,186 at the 2010 census.The city's median family income and property values consistently place high in national rankings...

. Less than 5 miles (8 km) below this confluence, San Diego Creek empties into Upper Newport Bay

Upper Newport Bay

The Upper Newport Bay is a large coastal wetland in Southern California and a major stopover for birds. Dozens of species, including endangered ones, can be observed here. Upper Newport Bay Nature Preserve and Ecological Reserve represent approximately 1,000 acres of open space...

. The largest tributary of Peters Canyon is the Santa Ana Channel (not to be confused with the Santa Ana-Delhi Channel, which flows directly into Upper Newport Bay.)