Watonwan River

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Watonwan River
The Watonwan River in Garden City (2007).

The Watonwan River in Garden City (2007).

Data
location Minnesota , United States
River system Mississippi River
Drain over Blue Earth River  → Minnesota River  → Mississippi  → Gulf of Mexico
source Amboy Township , Cottonwood County
44 ° 1 ′ 30 ″  N , 95 ° 13 ′ 12 ″  W.
Source height 466  m
muzzle Blue Earth River , Rapidan Township , Blue Earth County Coordinates: 44 ° 4 ′ 13 "  N , 94 ° 7 ′ 35"  W 44 ° 4 ′ 13 "  N , 94 ° 7 ′ 35"  W
Mouth height 268  m
Height difference 198 m
Bottom slope 1.1 ‰
length 182 km
Catchment area 2274 km²
Drain MQ
 11 m³ / s
Left tributaries North Fork Watonwan River
Right tributaries South Fork Watonwan River
The Watonwan River in Garden City Township in Blue Earth County (1996)

The Watonwan River in Garden City Township in Blue Earth County (1996)

The Watonwan River is a 182 km long tributary of the Blue Earth River in southern Minnesota . About this and the Minnesota River it is part of the catchment area of the Mississippi River and drains an area of ​​2274 km². The Watonwan River makes up about a quarter of the catchment area of ​​the Blue Earth River.

geography

The Watonwan River rises in Amboy Township , approximately 3 miles southwest of Jeffers in the middle of Cottonwood County and flows generally eastward over flat moraine plains through north Watonwan County and west of Blue Earth County , past the city of Madelia . It flows into the Blue Earth River about 13 km southwest of Mankato and thus 26 km above its mouth in the Minnesota River .

The river's largest tributaries are the South and North Fork Watonwan Rivers. The 118 km long South Fork Watonwan River rises in the southeast of Cottonwood County and initially flows eastward into the south of Watonwan County and briefly touches Martin County and Odin . Then the South Fork runs northeast through the east of Watonwan County to the confluence with the Watonwan River above Madelia. The 63 km long North Fork Watonwan River rises in Cottonwood County and flows eastward into the north of Watonwan County and flows into the Watonwan River about two kilometers southeast of La Salle .

About 84% of the catchment area of ​​the Blue Earth River, which includes that of the Watonwan River, is used for agriculture , mainly for the cultivation of corn and soybeans . Smaller lakes and wetlands provide habitat for Minnesota's waterfowl , although large stretches of the river and its tributaries have been reshaped by ditches and canals .

Flow rate

The United States Geological Survey operates a gauge near the Garden City Township , about 12 km above the river mouth. The amount of water measured there between 1940 and 2005 was an annual average of 11 m³ / s. The highest recorded value was 394 m³ / s on June 20, 1993, the lowest value was a few dm³ / s on December 28, 1989, which was caused by an ice barrier.

See also

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Watonwan River ( English ) In: Geographic Names Information System . United States Geological Survey . Retrieved March 8, 2011.
  2. ^ Watonwan River Major Watershed. . Minnesota River Basin Data Center. en: Minnesota State University, Mankato . See General Description . May 31, 1999. Retrieved June 18, 2007.
  3. ↑ a b c Watersheds of the Minnesota River Basin. . Minnesota Pollution Control Agency. S. Minnesota River Basin: Blue Earth, Watonwan, and Le Sueur River Watersheds . December 1, 2005. Archived from the original on February 5, 2007. Retrieved June 18, 2007.
  4. ^ A b Minnesota Atlas & Gazetteer . DeLorme , Yarmouth, Me. 1994, ISBN 0-89933-222-6 , pp. 21-23.
  5. ↑ National Assessment Database: Assessment Data for the State of Minnesota in 2004. Year . United States Environmental Protection Agency . S. Blue Earth Watershed . Archived from the original on July 7, 2007. Retrieved June 18, 2007.
  6. ^ South Fork Watonwan River ( English ) In: Geographic Names Information System . United States Geological Survey . Retrieved March 8, 2011.
  7. ↑ North Fork Watonwan River ( English ) In: Geographic Names Information System . United States Geological Survey . Retrieved March 8, 2011.
  8. ^ Watonwan River Major Watershed. . Minnesota River Basin Data Center. Minnesota State University, Mankato . S. Streams within the Watonwan River Major Watershed . May 31, 1999. Retrieved June 18, 2007.
  9. ↑ Thomas F. Waters: The Blue Earth: Fool's Copper . In: The Streams and Rivers of Minnesota . University of Minnesota Press , Minneapolis 2006, ISBN 0-8166-0960-8 , pp. 278-287.
  10. ^ GB Mitton, KG Guttormson, GW Stratton, ES Wakeman: Water Resources Data in Minnesota, Water Year 2005 Annual Report. . United States Geological Survey . S. Watonwan River near Garden City, MN . Retrieved June 18, 2007 (PDF; 148 kB)