Snowmelt Fed Floodwaters Expected BetweenPalm Springs And Windy Point

WHITEWATER, CA — With heat quickly approaching, the Coachella Valley Water District Thursday reminded residents and visitors that entering the Whitewater River channel is both dangerous and illegal.

"To emphasize safety precautions, CVWD works with a security firm and the Riverside County Sheriff's Department to keep people away from the Whitewater River," CVWD officials said in a statement. "The area is posted with no trespassing signs. Trespassers can be cited, fined and serve jail time."

The channel is located on both sides of Interstate 10 north of Palm Springs near Windy Point.

CVWD officials said that the channel's flow rate is equal to 525 basketballs moving past every second and is expected to increase beginning next week, as the agency expects significant water deliveries throughout the year.

"The high and fast water flows in the channel can easily knock a person off their feet and sweep them down the channel leading to injury or death," CVWD officials said in a statement. "Children are even more susceptible to the force of the water."

Though snowmelt from Mt. San Gorgonio feeds the river, most of the water is from the Colorado River Aqueduct flowing into groundwater replenishment ponds near the channel, according to CVWD officials.

The CVWD serves about 113,000 customers, provides domestic water, irrigation water, agricultural drainage, wastewater treatment, reclamation services, regional stormwater protection, groundwater management and water conservation, officials said.