Kettle River (Columbia River)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Kettle River | |
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.jpg/256px-Kettle_River_(Columbia_River).jpg) The River between Monashee Mountains and Okanagan Plateau
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| Countries | United States, Canada |
| State | Washington |
| Province | British Columbia |
| Major city | Grand Forks, BC |
| Length | 175 mi (282 km) [1] |
| Watershed | 4,200 sq mi (10,878 km²) [2] |
| Discharge at | mouth |
| - average | 12,000 cu ft/s (340 m³/s) [2] |
| Source | Monashee Mountains |
| Mouth | Columbia River |
| - location | Franklin D. Roosevelt Lake, Washington, United States |
| - coordinates | [3] |
| - elevation | 1,500 ft (457 m) [4] |
| Major tributaries | |
| - left | Granby River |
| - right | West Kettle River |
 Map of the Kettle River and its two main tributaries
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Kettle River is a 175 mile long (282 km) tributary of the Columbia River in northeastern Washington in the United States and southeastern British Columbia in Canada.
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[edit] Course
From its source in the Monashee Mountains of British Columbia, the Kettle River flows south to Midway, British Columbia. Along the way it is joined by many tributaries, most notably the West Kettle River. Below Midway, the river loops south into the United States, through Ferry County, Washington, before flowing north back into Canada, passing by Grand Forks, British Columbia where the Granby River joins. After flowing east for about 10 miles (16 km), the river turns south, entering the United States again. It then flows south, joining the Columbia River near Kettle Falls, Washington. The Columbia River at this point is a large reservoir impounded behind Grand Coulee Dam, called Franklin D. Roosevelt Lake.
[edit] Natural history
The Kettle River once supported salmon and other anadromous fish. The construction of Grand Coulee Dam, along with Chief Joseph Dam, blocked fish migration up the Columbia and its upper tributaries, including the Kettle River. In addition, Grand Coulee Dam's reservoir, FDR Lake, flooded traditional fishery sites, including Kettle Falls near the mouth of the Kettle River.[2]
[edit] History
According to the USGS, the aboriginal name for the river is Ne-hoi-al-pit-kwu.[3]
[edit] References
- ^ Kettle River, The Columbia Gazetteer of North America
- ^ a b c Upper Columbia Subbasin Overview, Northwest Power and Conservation Council
- ^ a b USGS; USGS GNIS: Kettle River; retrieved May 4, 2007.
- ^ Google Earth elevation for GNIS mouth coordinates; retrieved May 4, 2007.
