Whitewater Exit | Interstate 10 Freeway | 14 December 2009
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A few scenes off the I-10 Freeway Whitewater Exit in Riverside County, southern California, including some of the wind turbines in the Palm Springs/San Gorgonio Pass wind farm, the Whitewater River, Whitewater Canyon and Whitewater Preserve. The Preserve is several miles north up Whitewater Canyon. Some interesting information about the Whitewater River: Like many living in southern California, I’ve crossed the Whitewater River on the 10 Freeway near Palm Springs many times, and I’ve always admired its frothy flow passing beneath the freeway bridge. The day on which I shot this video, I had a discussion with the man whom you see operating the backhoe toward the end of this video. The gentleman works for the Nature Conservancy: the organization responsible for purchasing the land comprising the Whitewater Preserve. The man told me the water flowing in the bed of the Whitewater River — the same water passing beneath the 10 freeway — actually comes from the Colorado River Aqueduct. How is this the case? In this general area, the Colorado River Aqueduct parallels the 10 Freeway. The Aqueduct passes across the bed of the normally dry Whitewater River about a mile or so to the north of the freeway. There, some of the Colorado River Aqueduct water is released to flow down the Whitewater River bed, out of Whitewater Canyon to sinks in the gravel/sand river bed in San Gorgonio Pass beneath 11000 foot San Jacinto Peak. The percolating water helps replenish the local watertable …
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5 Comments
December 17th, 2010 at 8:26 pm
@bapyou Hence my video!
December 17th, 2010 at 8:59 pm
@borregoarchuleta Hello. I was told by a man working at the Nature Preserve located a few miles up the road in Whitewater Canyon that much of the flow you see in this section of Whitewater Canyon is the result of water discharged from the Colorado Aqueduct. The Aqueduct crosses the streambed in Whitewater Canyon just a mile or so north of the freeway. Toward Palm Springs, water flowing in the Whitewater River sinks into a recharge basin.
December 17th, 2010 at 9:07 pm
actually if u go at the right time of the year the water current is reealy quick n theres a lot more water
December 17th, 2010 at 9:14 pm
You can “smell the ocean”? Really? Wow.
You should get off at this exit one time. Drive up the road to the preserve. It is a very beautiful canyon in which you can hike.
December 17th, 2010 at 9:34 pm
Nice video. I like that area near Palm Springs cuz you can smell the ocean from that point on. Good to see what I miss when passing through at 85, very tranquil. Thank you.