48 Adventures in Scenery 



the upper canyon the water is used in a hydroelectric plant to 

 generate power, then passes through two more hydroelectric 

 plants farther downstream before it reaches the great San Ber- 

 nardino Valley. Here it is diverted into high-level canals and 

 is used for irrigation and municipal purposes about Redlands 

 and Highland. Water which seeps through the porous soil of 

 the plain is recovered by pumping, by flowing wells, and from 

 springs, and is used for irrigation about San Bernardino and 

 Riverside. The river itself furnishes the power from farther 

 upstream for pumping purposes. The hard bedrock beneath 

 the porous soil forces some of the water which has soaked into 

 the gravel of the river bed above Riverside Narrows to come 

 to the surface and form a stream again. This is again diverted 

 for irrigation through canals about Santa Ana and Anaheim. 

 The seepage water from irrigation is once more recovered by 

 pumping and from flowing wells on the lower coastal plain west 

 of Santa Ana. Thus it is seen that water may be used seven 

 times in its journey to the ocean from the mountain heights 

 from which it comes. 



The river has its own "behavior" in respect of the rocks and 

 the character of the land over which it flows. Man's behavior 

 toward it makes it serve a manifold useful purpose. The source 

 of the river is high in the San Bernardino Mountains. There 

 snows gather, and on the mountain slopes torrential rains pour. 

 Some water is stored in reservoirs high in the mountains to be 

 released as needed. The annual precipitation on the higher 

 tributaries may be as much as 50 inches. Since most of the 

 precipitation is during the rainy season of winter, and often in 

 violent storms, the upper main stream and tributaries become 

 raging torrents. Such streams scour their bottoms (corrade) 

 because of the rapid current caused by the steep grade and the 

 vast amount of sand and gravel carried. Thus canyons having 

 steep side walls are developed. The young tributary valleys 

 would tend to be V-shaped if it were not for the hard rocks 

 into which the streams cut. The hard rock walls of the can- 



