Bonnie Bell | |
|---|---|
 Bonnie Bell andWhitewater River | |
  Bonnie Bell Location in California Show map of California Bonnie Bell Bonnie Bell (the United States) Show map of the United States | |
| Coordinates:33°56′56″N116°38′35″W / 33.9488°N 116.6431°W /33.9488; -116.6431 | |
| Country | United States |
| State | California |
| County | Riverside County |
| Elevation | 1,683 ft (513 m) |
Bonnie Bell is anunincorporated community inRiverside County,California, United States.[1] It lies at an elevation of 1683 feet (513 m).[1]
Bonnie Bell is located 3 miles (4.8 km) north ofInterstate 10 on Whitewater Canyon Road beside theWhitewater River. The community sits where the most eastern end of theSan Gorgonio Pass meets the most northwestern end of theCoachella Valley, 9.5 miles (15.3 km) northwest ofPalm Springs.[2]
The transition point from the San Gorgonio Pass to the Coachella Valley is one of the windiest locations in the United States. This makes the area ideal for wind energy projects. Beginning in the 1980s theSan Gorgonio Pass wind farm started being developed. Many wind turbines were proposed and constructed around the community of Bonnie Bell. Though a tiny community, the people of Bonnie Bell strongly resisted any wind development that encroached on the town, or the ridges around the town. In 1992 the residents successfully lobbied theBureau of Land Management, and Mesa Wind Developers, to move 24 wind turbines from the eastern edge of the company's right-of-way, further back into theSan Bernardino Mountains.[3]
In 1999, and again in 2019, new proposals to install wind turbines on the ridges of Whitewater Canyon, above Bonnie Bell, were submitted for consideration. The residents claimed the settlement in 1992 prevented any additional development on the ridge, but the Bureau of Land Management has said future development had not been agreed to in the 1992 settlement.
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