White River

1 River, c.690 mi (1,110 km) long, rising in the Boston Mts., NW Ark., and flowing first N into SW Missouri, then generally SE through NE Arkansas to the Mississippi River. Its chief tributaries are the Black and Little Red rivers. Near its mouth, the White is joined to the Arkansas River by a cutoff channel. The White is navigable for shallow-draft vessels c.300 mi (480 km) upstream. Bull Shoals Dam (completed 1957), Table Rock Dam (1959), and Beaver Dam (1965) are major projects on the river. Bull Shoals Lake (111 sq mi/288 sq km), on the Ark.–Mo. line, is the largest reservoir.

2 River, 307 mi (494 km) long, rising near Muncie, E Ind., and flowing SW through Indianapolis to the Wabash River. With the White East Fork (282 mi/454 km long), its chief tributary, the White drains much of S Indiana.

3 River, 507 mi (816 km) long, rising in NW Nebraska and flowing N then E through S South Dakota to the Missouri River near Chamberlain. It drains much of the Badlands.

White River
The White River at Des Arc, Arkansas
Country	United States
States	Arkansas, Missouri
Major cities	Newport, Batesville, Fayetteville
Length	mi ( km)
Watershed	mi² ( km²) [1]
Discharge at	Devalls Bluff
- average	ft³/s ( m³/s) [2]
- maximum	ft³/s ( m³/s)
- minimum	ft³/s ( m³/s)
Source	Boston Mountains
- location	Ozark-St. Francis National Forest, Madison County, Arkansas
- coordinates	35°50′20″N 93°36′16″W / 35.83889, -93.60444 [3]
- elevation	ft ( m) [4]
Mouth	Mississippi River
- location	Desha County, Arkansas
- coordinates	33°57′5″N 91°4′53″W / 33.95139, -91.08139 [3]
- elevation	ft ( m) [5]
Major tributaries
- left	James River, Nork Fork River, Black River
- right	Buffalo River, Little Red River, Bayou des Arc
Map of the White River watershed

The White River is a 722 mile (1,162 km) long river that flows through the U.S. states of Arkansas and Missouri.

Course

The source of the White River is in the Boston Mountains of northwest Arkansas, in the Ozark-St. Francis National Forest southeast of Fayetteville. The upper portions of the river are fast, cold, and clear and are internationally known for producing world-record trout. The river flows northwards from its source in northwest Arkansas, loops up through southwest Missouri near Branson and then travels back into Arkansas and on generally southeast to its mouth at the Mississippi River.

Once the river enters the Mississippi River Delta region near Batesville, Arkansas the river becomes navigable to shallow-draft vessels and its speed decreases considerably. The final 10 miles of the river serves as the final segment of the McClellan-Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System; this part of the channel is deeper than the rest of the river.

Despite being much shorter in length than the Arkansas River, it carries nearly as much water, over 8200 cubic feet per second normally, and as much as 40,000 ft³/s during flooding.

White River near Flippin, AR

River modifications

A controversial plan to deepen the navigation channel of the river (above the McClellan-Kerr segment) is under consideration though it is opposed by many Arkansans. The lower portion of the river contains a multitude of wildlife species including bear, turkey, songbirds, and over 160 species of fish. More mallard ducks winter on the lower White than any other place in the world.^{[citation needed]} Many residents of Arkansas believe that deepening the navigation channel will adversely affect the wildlife which is a major source of tourism in the area. However, many farmers along parts of the White support the proposal for economic reasons.

Lake Taneycomo was created in 1913 when the Empire District Electric Company built a dam just south of Forsyth, Missouri.^[6] Beaver Lake, Bull Shoals Lake, and Table Rock Lake are reservoirs created by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers under the authority of the Flood Control Act of 1938. A total of eight dams impound the upper White River, six in Arkansas and two in Missouri. The White River National Wildlife Refuge lies along the lower part of the river.

Tributaries

The tributaries of the White River include Cache River, Bayou des Arc, Little Red River, Black River, North Fork River, Buffalo River, James River, and Roaring River. Some cities that lie on the White River are Batesville, Arkansas and Newport, Arkansas.

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

White River (Arkansas)

• Cotter Bridge
• List of Arkansas rivers
• List of Missouri rivers
• Whitewater Development Corporation

References

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