Mill Creek (San Bernardino County) Explained

Mill Creek
Map Size:250
Pushpin Map:USA California
Pushpin Map Size:250
Pushpin Map Caption:Location of Mill Creek in California
Subdivision Type1:Country
Subdivision Name1:United States
Subdivision Type2:State
Subdivision Name2:California
Subdivision Type5:City
Subdivision Name5:Forest Falls
Length:17.8miles
Discharge1 Location:Near Yucaipa[1]
Discharge1 Min:8.04cuft/s
Discharge1 Avg:38.3cuft/s
Discharge1 Max:20000cuft/s
Source1:San Bernardino Mountains
Source1 Location:San Bernardino National Forest
Source1 Coordinates:34.0767°N -116.8439°W[2]
Source1 Elevation:8207feet
Mouth:Santa Ana River
Mouth Location:Near Mentone
Mouth Coordinates:34.0908°N -117.1197°W[3]
Mouth Elevation:1686feet

Mill Creek is a 17.8adj=midNaNadj=mid[4] stream, originating in the San Bernardino Mountains, in San Bernardino County, California. It is a major tributary of the Santa Ana River. Their confluence occurs just downstream of the upper Santa Ana Canyon mouth. Part of the upper creek flows through San Bernardino National Forest, with the headwaters (High Creek and Mill Creek Jumpoff), being in the San Gorgonio Wilderness.

Mill Creek is in much better condition than the lower portions of the Santa Ana watershed, as its drainage area is less urbanized. However, the creek has three hydroelectric plants owned by Southern California Edison. The first commercial power plant in the United States using three-phase alternating current was the 250 kilowatt Mill Creek No. 1 Hydroelectric Plant, near Redlands, California, in 1893 designed by Almarian Decker.[5] [6]

The streambed is completely dewatered in some places. Also, a levee system was built by the United States Army Corps of Engineers after a severe flood, which degraded the riparian habitat. In addition, the poor conditions downstream interfere with fish migration to the creek.

See also

References

Notes and References

  1. Web site: USGS Gage #11054001 Mill Creek + Canals near Yucaipa, CA. U.S. Geological Survey. National Water Information System. 1919–1986. 2016-12-07.
  2. 245911. Mill Creek Canyon. 1981-01-19. 2016-12-07.
  3. 245907. Mill Creek. 1981-01-19. 2016-12-07.
  4. U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data. The National Map, accessed March 16, 2011
  5. http://www.ieeeghn.org/wiki/index.php/Milestones:Mill_Creek_No._1_Hydroelectric_Plant,_1893 IEEE Milestones, Mill Creek No. 1 Hydroelectric Plant, retrieved 2012 Jan 4
  6. News: Forbes . Shari . 2022-03-24 . Redlands electrifies the world . Redlands Community News . 2022-03-28.