Whitewater River (California)
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The Whitewater River is a small permanent stream in western Riverside County, California, except for a small upstream portion in southwestern San Bernardino County. It has three significant tributaries: North, Middle and South Forks. The North Fork begins in the subalpine zone at about 10,000' (3,000 m.) on San Gorgonio Mountain and descends steeply southeast to the Middle Fork, which flows east through a wide arroyo. The South Fork flows northeast through a narrower wooded canyon, joining the Middle Fork lower down. The upper watershed is in the San Gorgonio Wilderness and San Bernardino National Forest, then it reaches land managed by the Bureau of Land Management. Below the confluences the arroyo is at least 1/2 mile (1 km.) wide, paved with accumulations of boulders, gravel and sand brought down by floods and brushy except in stream channels cleared by floodwaters. Due to floods and shifting channels there is almost no riparian forest development, except very locally along unnamed minor tributaries with relatively stable channels.
The Pacific Crest Trail enters the arroyo from the north and follows it downstream to a trailhead at a pay-to-fish trout farm. A few fish have escaped upstream, establishing a small population of wild but non-native Rainbow Trout. These fish are confined to places where there is shade or tributaries with cooler water. Apparently they are not sufficiently adapted to elevated summer temperatures to colonize the rest of the stream.
Below the PCT trailhead the enclosing hills fall away so the arroyo exits from the mountains near Palm Springs and joins the San Gorgonio River which rises further west on the south side of the San Gorgonio Mountains. Chino Creek, Tahquitz Creek, Palm Canyon Creek and Deep Creek also join, but the water mainly sinks into the porous desert floor, recharging the groundwater of the Coachella Valley. However during floods, surface water may reach the Salton Sea.
