Kettle River (Columbia River)
Encyclopedia
The Kettle River is a 175 miles (281.6 km) tributary of the Columbia River
Columbia River
The Columbia River is the largest river in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. The river rises in the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia, Canada, flows northwest and then south into the U.S. state of Washington, then turns west to form most of the border between Washington and the state...

 in northeastern Washington in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 and southeastern British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...

 in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

. Its drainage basin
Drainage basin
A drainage basin is an extent or an area of land where surface water from rain and melting snow or ice converges to a single point, usually the exit of the basin, where the waters join another waterbody, such as a river, lake, reservoir, estuary, wetland, sea, or ocean...

 is 4200 square miles (10,878 km²) large, of which 3177 square miles (8,228.4 km²) are in Canada and 1023 square miles (2,649.6 km²) in the United States.

Course

From its source at the outlet of Holmes Lake in the Monashee Mountains
Monashee Mountains
The Monashee Mountains are a mountain range mostly in British Columbia, Canada, extending into the U.S. state of Washington. They stretch from north to south and from east to west. They are a subrange of the Columbia Mountains...

 of British Columbia, the Kettle River flows south to Midway, British Columbia
Midway, British Columbia
Midway is a village located in southern British Columbia in the West Kootenay region.It is located 13 km west of Greenwood and 51 km east of Osoyoos along Highway 3.-History:...

. Along the way it is joined by many tributaries, most notably the West Kettle River
West Kettle River
The West Kettle River is a tributary of the Kettle River in the Canadian province of British Columbia. It is part of the Columbia River basin, as the Kettle River is a tributary of the Columbia River.-Course:...

. 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
Grand Forks, British Columbia
-Schools:Schools in the region are operated by School District 51 Boundary which has its main office in Grand Forks but also serves Midway, Greenwood, Beaverdell, and Rock Creek....

 where the Granby River
Granby River
The Granby River is a tributary of the Kettle River in British Columbia, Canada, joining the Kettle just north of the US-Canada border at the town of Grand Forks...

 joins. After flowing east for about 10 miles (16 km), the river turns south again, just south of Christina Lake
Christina Lake (British Columbia)
Christina Lake is a lake located along the Crowsnest Highway in the south-central area of British Columbia known as Boundary Country, which separates the Okanagan region from the West Kootenays. It is located 23 kilometers east of Grand Forks, just 1 km north of the United States border...

, entering the United States again. It then flows south, joining the Columbia River near Kettle Falls, Washington
Kettle Falls, Washington
Kettle Falls is a city in Stevens County, Washington, United States, named for the nearby Kettle Falls on the Columbia River, an ancient and important fishing site for Native Americans...

. The Columbia River at this point is a large reservoir impounded behind Grand Coulee Dam
Grand Coulee Dam
Grand Coulee Dam is a gravity dam on the Columbia River in the U.S. state of Washington built to produce hydroelectric power and provide irrigation. It was constructed between 1933 and 1942, originally with two power plants. A third power station was completed in 1974 to increase its energy...

, called Lake Roosevelt
Franklin D. Roosevelt Lake
Franklin D. Roosevelt Lake is the reservoir created in 1941 by the impoundment of the Columbia River by the Grand Coulee Dam in Washington state. It is named for Franklin D. Roosevelt, who was President during the construction of the dam...

. The Kettle enters the lake at the Columbia's river mile
River mile
In the United States, a River mile is a measure of distance in miles along a river from its mouth. River mile numbers begin at zero and increase further upstream. The corresponding metric unit using kilometers is the River kilometer...

 706.. The Kettle River is undammed, making it one of the extremely few rivers with constant flow in the Pacific Northwest.

Natural history

The Kettle River once supported salmon
Salmon
Salmon is the common name for several species of fish in the family Salmonidae. Several other fish in the same family are called trout; the difference is often said to be that salmon migrate and trout are resident, but this distinction does not strictly hold true...

 and other anadromous fish. The construction of Grand Coulee Dam
Grand Coulee Dam
Grand Coulee Dam is a gravity dam on the Columbia River in the U.S. state of Washington built to produce hydroelectric power and provide irrigation. It was constructed between 1933 and 1942, originally with two power plants. A third power station was completed in 1974 to increase its energy...

, along with Chief Joseph Dam
Chief Joseph Dam
The Chief Joseph Dam is a concrete gravity dam on the Columbia River, upriver from Bridgeport, Washington, USA. The dam was authorized as Foster Creek Dam and Powerhouse for power generation and irrigation by the River and Harbor Act of 1946...

, blocked fish migration up the Columbia and its upper tributaries, including the Kettle River. In addition, Grand Coulee Dam's reservoir, Lake Roosevelt, flooded traditional fishery sites, including Kettle Falls near the mouth of the Kettle River.

See also

  • Tributaries of the Columbia River
    Tributaries of the Columbia River
    Tributaries and sub-tributaries are hierarchically listed in order from the mouth of the Columbia River upstream. Major dams and reservoir lakes are also noted.-Minor tributaries:* Skipanon River * Lewis and Clark River * Youngs River...

  • List of British Columbia rivers
  • List of rivers in Washington
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