Zanja is Contested

Zanja is Contested. and then Abandoned. Thousands of settlers flocked to Redlands and surrounding communities. Many bought land along the Zanja and did not hesitate to take water from it. In numerous lawsuits, citrus growers along Mission Road claimed that all the water was theirs, citing its history as a man-made irrigation canal. People upstream claimed that the Zanja (pronounced "Sankey" by many in Redlands), was a free-flowing, natural stream. The Zanja was determined to be man-made, and although it was a win for the citrus growers, other sources were already starting to supersede the Zanja. First, artesian wells tapped the huge Bunker Hill aquafer. Second, the arrival of electricity allowed growers to tap deeper wells. Third, Redlands developers dammed the Bear Valley, creating Big Bear Lake, supplying ample water for many decades. Regardless of how it was delivered, water in our valley depended on annual snowfall on Mt. San Gorgonio and the other high peaks surrounding San Bernardino Valley. The Zanja changed the course of local history, bringing water to feed its farms and orchards for nearly a hundred years.