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List of rivers of the United States by discharge

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This is a list of rivers in the continental United States by average discharge (streamflow) in cubic feet per second. All rivers with average discharge more than 15,000 cubic feet per second are listed. Estimates are approximate, because data are variable with time period measured and also because many rivers lack a gauging station near their point of outflow.

No River Length (km) Length (miles) Average discharge (cf/s) Outflow
1 Mississippi River 3,730 2,320 593,000[1] Gulf of Mexico
2 Ohio River 1,575[2] 979[2] 281,500[3] Mississippi River
3 St. Lawrence River 965[2] 600 348,000[1] (275,000 at U.S.-Canada boundary) Gulf of Saint Lawrence
4 Columbia River 2,000[2] 1,243[2] 273,000[2] Pacific Ocean
5 Yukon River 3,185[2] 1,980[2] 227,000[1] Bering Sea
6 Atchafalaya River 220 137 225,000[1] Gulf of Mexico
7 Niagara River 58 36 204,700[1] Lake Ontario
8 Detroit River 51 32 188,000[1] Lake Erie
9 St. Clair River 63 39 183,000[1] Lake St. Clair
10 Missouri River 3,767[2] 2,341[2] 86,300 Mississippi River
11 St. Marys River 120 75 75,000[1] Lake Huron-Lake Michigan
12 Tennessee River 1,049 652 68,000[1] Ohio River
13 Mobile River 72 45 67,000[1] Gulf of Mexico
14 Kuskokwim River 1,130[2] 702[2] 67,000[1] Bering Sea
15 Red River 2,190 1,360 58,000[1] Atchafalaya River
16 Copper River 470 290 57,400[1] Gulf of Alaska
17 Snake River 1,674[2] 1,040[2] 55,000[4] Columbia River
18 Stikine River 610 379 56,000[1] Pacific Ocean
19 Susitna River 504 313 51,000[1] Gulf of Alaska
20 Arkansas River 2,322[2] 1,443[2] 44,500[5] Mississippi River
21 Tanana River 940[2] 584[2] 41,800[2] Yukon River
22 Saint John River 673 [6] 418 [6] 38,800 [6] Bay of Fundy
23 Susquehanna River 747 464 38,200[1] Chesapeake Bay
24 Willamette River 301 187 37,400[1] Columbia River
25 Wabash River 810[2] 503[2] 34,500[7] Ohio River
26 Alabama River 512 318 32,500[8] Mobile River
27 Nushagak River 450 280 32,000?[9] Bering Sea
28 Alsek River 386 240 31,000[10] Gulf of Alaska
29 Cumberland River 1,120[2] 696[2] 30,000? Ohio River
30 Black River-Ouachita River 974[2] 605[2] 29,800[2] Red River
31 White River 1,159[2] 720[2] 29,500[11] Mississippi River
32 Pend Oreille River 210 130 27,000[12] Columbia River
33 Tombigbee River 320 200 26,300[8] Mobile River
34 Koyukuk River 684 425 25,000?[13] Yukon River
35 Illinois River 439 273 24,000[14] Mississippi River
36 Sacramento River 719 447 23,500[15] Pacific Ocean
37 Porcupine River 916 569 23,000[1] Yukon River
38 Colorado River 2,330[2] 1,450[2] 22,000[1] Gulf of California
39 Clark Fork River 500 310 21,900[16] Pend Oreille River
40 Hudson River 507 315 21,900[17] Atlantic Ocean
41 Yentna River 121 75 21,000?[10] Susitna River
42 Chitina River 180 112 20,000? Copper River
43 Allegheny River 523 320 19,900[18] Ohio River
44 Apalachicola River 80 50 19,602[19] Gulf of Mexico
45 Connecticut River 655 407 18,400 Atlantic Ocean
46 Kvichak River 80 50 17,900[10] Bering Sea
47 Klamath River 423 263 17,300[20] Pacific Ocean
48 Santee River 230 143 17,000(approx.)[9] Atlantic Ocean
49 Skagit River 240 150 16,500 Pacific Ocean
50 Kootenai (Kootenay) River 781 485 27,600 (approx. 16,000? at U.S.-Canada boundary) Columbia River
51 Coosa River 450 280 16,000[21] Alabama River
52 Kanawha River 156 97 16,000[22] Ohio River
53 Clearwater River 120 75 15,300[23] Snake River
54 Kobuk River 451 280 15,300[10] Bering Sea
55 St. Johns River 500 310 15,000? Atlantic Ocean
56 Pee Dee River 373 232 15,000?[9] Atlantic Ocean

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s U.S. Geological Survey (1992). "Largest Rivers in the United States" (PDF).
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad Benke, Arthur C., ed., and Cushing, Colbert E., ed. Rivers of North America. Burlington, Mass.: Elsevier Academic Press. {{cite book}}: |author= has generic name (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  3. ^ Leeden, Frits van der (1990). The Water Encyclopedia (2nd ed.). Chelsea, Mich.: Lewis Publishers. p. 126. ISBN 0-87371-120-3.
  4. ^ "Snake River below Ice Harbor Dam, WA" (PDF). National Water Information System. United States Geological Survey. 1963–2000. Retrieved 20 April 2011.
  5. ^ U.S. Geological Survey (1949). "Large Rivers of the United States, Circular 44" (PDF).
  6. ^ a b c "Saint John River". The Canadian Encyclopedia. Archived from the original on 27 December 2018. Retrieved 27 December 2018.
  7. ^ "USGS Water Data for Indiana".
  8. ^ a b "USGS Water Data for Alabama".
  9. ^ a b c ""U.S. Geological Survey National Water Summary 1985: State Summaries of Surface-Water Resources". 1987.
  10. ^ a b c d "USGS Water Data for Alaska".
  11. ^ "USGS Water Data for Arkansas".
  12. ^ "USGS Gage #12396500 on the Pend Oreille River below Box Canyon, near Ione, WA" (PDF). National Water Information System. U.S. Geological Survey. 1952–2013. Retrieved 2014-10-13.
  13. ^ "U.S. Geological Survey National Water Summary 1985: State Summaries of Surface-Water Resources". 1987.
  14. ^ "USGS Gage #05586100 on the Illinois River at Valley City, IL" (PDF). National Water Information System. U.S. Geological Survey. 1939–2012. Retrieved 2013-11-09.
  15. ^ "USGS Gage #11447650 on the Sacramento River at Freeport, CA (Water-Data Report 2009)" (PDF). Water Resources of the United States. U.S. Geological Survey.
  16. ^ "Montana Water Resources Data 2004"., file "Mill Creek above Bassoo Creek, near Niarada to Clark Fork at Whitehorse Rapids, near Cabinet, ID" (PDF)..
  17. ^ "Estimates of monthly and annual net discharge, in cubic feet per second, of Hudson River at New York, N.Y." United States Geological Survey. October 15, 2010. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved December 30, 2014.
  18. ^ http://wdr.water.usgs.gov/wy2009/pdfs/03049500.2009.pdf [bare URL PDF]
  19. ^ "The Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint (ACF) River National Water Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Program study".
  20. ^ "Water-Data Report 2013: 11530500 Klamath River near Klamath, CA" (PDF). U.S. Geological Survey.
  21. ^ "Water resources data for the United States, Water Year 2009; gage 02411000, Coosa River at Jordan Dam near Wetumpka, AL" (PDF). USGS.
  22. ^ United States Geological Survey; USGS 03193000 KANAWHA RIVER AT KANAWHA FALLS, WV.
  23. ^ "USGS Gage #13343000 on the Clearwater River near Lewiston". United States Geological Survey National Water Information System.