The Wailuku River is a 26-mile (42 km) long water course on the Island of Hawaiʻi in the Hawaiian Islands. It is the longest river in the State of Hawai'i and its course lies mostly along the divide between the lava flows of Mauna Kea and those of Mauna Loa to the south, mostly. It arises at about the 10,800 feet (3,300 m) elevation along the eastern slope of Mauna Kea (19°48′26″N 155°25′13″W / 19.80722°N 155.42028°W). It flows generally eastward, descending steeply from the mountain and entering the Pacific Ocean at Hilo.
Wailuku River State Park is located along the lower reach of the river. One section of the park includes Rainbow Falls (19°43′9″N 155°6′34″W / 19.71917°N 155.10944°W), and another section Peʻepeʻe falls and an area called the Boiling Pots (a series of small falls and pools).[1] The upper and middle reaches of the river are known for hunting of introduced game animals. The lower river is a popular destination for swimming and tubing. However the Wailuku River (which includes Boiling Pots) accounts for 25% of the river drowning deaths in the state.[2]
The lower reach of the river is used for the generation of hydroelectricity. The flow at Hilo averages 275 cubic feet per second (8 m³/s) with peak flows 40 times as great. The stream carries an average of 10 tons of suspended sediment into Hilo Bay each day, at 19°43′40″N 155°5′15″W / 19.72778°N 155.0875°WCoordinates: 19°43′40″N 155°5′15″W / 19.72778°N 155.0875°W.
External links
- USGS flow data
- NPS: Rivers and Trails of Hawaii
- USGS: Wailuku River
- Wailuku River Hydroelectric Power Company
- "Wailuku River". Geographic Names Information System. U.S. Geological Survey. 30-Sep-2003. http://geonames.usgs.gov/pls/gnispublic/f?p=gnispq:3:::NO::P3_FID:364759. Retrieved 2009-06-15
Wailuku river is translated like this: Wai means: Fresh water. And, Luku means: destruction. It is the, River of Destruction. The river can rise into the trees and drop back down so fast that in 29 years, I have only seen the effects, and never the high point of it flooding over the top of the trees. If you go, look at the branches over your head full of debris. The high flood marks can be seen dated in concrete, on the stairs going down to the river behind the Hilo Public Library Parents tell their children, Do not go to the river when there is rain on the mountain! The pictures you see of a flooded river, and of a dry river can be taken on the same day!
References
- ^ Wailuku River official state park web site
- ^ Drownings in Hawaii
 |
This Hawaiʻi state location article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
