The saying, “April showers, brings May flowers,” may get you to start thinking about rainwater and where it goes after it falls from the sky. It is true that the springtime brings new blooms and the recently bare vegetation begin to show signs of life, giving evidence that spring has arrived. While the rain brings … More What Happens to Rainwater in Southern California?
California’s drought remains at the forefront of events affecting residents, businesses and government throughout the State. Included in the topic of drought, Californians continue to hear about concerns with snowpack levels. Substantial snowpack is the determining factor to end the drought. With more than four years in a drought and the State’s major reservoirs are … More Snowpack, Snowmelt and Southern California Drinking Water
At 10am every Saturday and Sunday morning, kayakers and nature lovers from all over Southern California gather at the Newport Aquatic Center for a guided tour of Newport’s ecological reserve. A critical part of the Santa Ana Watershed, the reserve is on the Pacific Flyway, a kind of Route 66 for birds migrating with the … More Kayaking the Newport Bay Estuary
One of the best ways to see the Santa Ana River up close is on the back of a horse. The Santa Ana is the spine of a watershed that reaches from Big Bear to Huntington Beach, and you can show your kids one of the best up-close views of its natural beauty while riding … More Riding the River on Horseback
Huntington Beach is the place where the Santa Ana River makes waves – quite literally. Part of what makes Surf City such an excellent place to catch a wave is a sandbar created by sediment flowing from the Santa Ana. People have gathered here to surf and enjoy the SoCal lifestyle for decades, and Huntington … More Surf’s Up in Surf City!
The Santa Ana River Trail was called the “longest and best” off-road cycling path in the Los Angeles area by LABikePaths.com. It winds for 40 miles along the Santa Ana River from Green River Canyon, where the river emerges from the San Bernardino Mountains to the ocean, between Huntington Beach and Costa Mesa. The Santa Ana … More Riding Bikes in Riverside: Santa Ana River Trail
This excellent video from Curiosity Quest explores how local water companies right here in Southern California make sure we all have clean, fresh water every day. It covers where our water comes from, how it is stored, and how it gets to our homes. It was created in response to a young girl named Fern … More How We Get Our Water
SNOW MELT When you turn on your kitchen faucet to fill up a pot for spaghetti dinner, it’s hard to imagine that the water you are using fell as snow at the top of America’s two largest mountain ranges—the Sierra Nevadas and the Rocky Mountains. Perhaps some of it spent the winter clinging to a … More Where Does My Water Come From?