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San Benito River on Southside Road, below Tres Pinos, in February. |
The San Benito River starts at San Benito Mountain, the highest peak in the Diablo range in our county. The river runs northwesterly, for about 109 miles, to its end at Chittenden Pass (southeast of San Juan Bautista). It used to be that kids would swim in the river during the hot summer days. Today, no visible water runs through it, except for during the rainy months.
Here are some interesting pages about San Benito River to check out.
The Pajaro River Watershed—San Benito Part IFor more 100 Things I Like About Living in Hollister, click on that link.
The Mighty San Benito
Pleistocene Lake San Benito
Why is there no water now Su-sieee!?
ReplyDeleteoceangirl, I wish I knew the precise answer. I think it's a combination of natural and manmade factors. The weather and climate have changed over my lifetime. It doesn't rain as much as it did when I was a kid in this area. But, I think rainfall has been decreasing for centuries. In the last 50-69 years, two small reservoirs were built at different points on the river to store water for, I assume, agriculture. I also think that many people just did not/do not think about practicing water conservation. That, oceangirl, is my off-the-head take on it. It's definitely something I'd like to learn more about. Thanks for asking the question.
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