Kings River (California)
Encyclopedia
The Kings River is a major river of south-central California
. About 125 miles (201.2 km) long, it drains an area of the high western Sierra Nevada and the Central Valley. A large alluvial fan
has formed where the river's gradient decreases in the Central Valley so the river divides into distributaries. Southern distributaries enter the endorheic basin surrounding Tulare Lake
while northern distributaries join the San Joaquin River
, eventually reaching San Francisco Bay
via the Sacramento – San Joaquin River Delta. Tulare Lake was formerly the largest freshwater lake in western North America, but heavy agricultural and urban diversions have left it dry. The Kings River was named by the commander of a Spanish military expedition into the Central Valley in 1805.
, while the North Fork starts in the John Muir Wilderness
. The South Fork flows in Kings Canyon: a spectacular 8000 feet (2,438.4 m) deep glacial valley. The forks join in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada in Fresno County, California
, where the river becomes an attraction for whitewater
rafting
(class 3 rapids). From that point, the Kings River flows about 125 miles (201.2 km) to the Tulare Lake
bed, with a surface elevation at 56 m (183.7 ft), near Stratford, California
.
In the foothills, the water from the river is impounded at Pine Flat Dam
. In the Central Valley, the river flows south of Fresno, California
, where its water is diverted for agriculture. The Kings River splits six miles (10 km) north of Lemoore
into a set of North and South Fork distributaries. These forks join again nearly five miles (8 km) west of Lemoore. Clark's Fork distributary splits off from the South Fork and flows 5.5 miles (9 km) to join the returning North Fork distributary. The North Fork distributary flows westward to the point where it joins the Fresno Slough
, a link to the San Joaquin River
when in flood, where its channel turns southwest and rejoins the main channel 6 miles (10 km) west-northwest of Lemoore. The river flows through an artificial channel into the normally dry Tulare Lake bed about ten miles (16 km) south of Stratford.
on one of the first expeditions by the Spanish to the Central Valley of California on January 6, 1805. The river was originally named Rio de los Santos Reyes (River of the Holy Kings) to honor the Biblical Magi
. On the valley floor the Kings River is responsible for certain groundwater recharge. There is evidence in the Hanford
area that depths to groundwater are increasing, indicating concern for safe yields of the Tulare Lake groundwater subbasin.
which included Jonathan J. Warner
in the fall of 1832 trapped the Kings River
"up to and some distance into the mountains and then passed on to the San Joaquin River
, trapped that river down to canoe navigation in the foothills, where a canoe was made...". Young and Warner certainly were well above the 1,000 foot level in the Sierras as the headwaters of the San Joaquin River at Martha Lake
is less than two miles from the headwaters of the Kings River, above 10,000 feet near Mount Goddard
in Kings Canyon National Park
and this was the natural route (Hell for Sure Pass) for Ewing and Warner to cross from the source of one river to the other. Williams similarly interpreted accounts of Colonel Warner's expedition, stating that "Warner, had been trapping fur-bearing animals at the headwaters of the Kings River about the same time that the Walker party was descending the Merced River
". These interpretations of Young and Warner trapping high up on the Kings River is buttressed by an eyewitness account taken by Tappe from a retired game warden in 1940, who stated that beaver were "apparently not uncommon on the upper part of the Kings River" until 1882-1883.
. The largest, the 1954 Pine Flat Dam
, impounds the Kings near Piedra
as it flows out of the foothills into the Central Valley. Built by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the dam is 440 feet (134.1 m) high and stores 1000000 acre.ft of water, and also serves to regulate the river's widely varying discharge between the summer and winter months. Other dams on tributaries form lakes such as Black Rock Reservoir, Wishon Reservoir and Courtright Reservoir
.
An additional dam on the Kings River, the Rogers Crossing Dam, was proposed for construction in the late 1980s, upstream from Pine Flat. At a planned 600 feet (182.9 m) high, it would have backed water up through the foothills for 12 miles (19.3 km). Environmental concerns have halted the project thus far.
Further downstream, the Friant-Kern Canal
crosses the Kings River approximately 10 miles west of Pine Flat Dam, where water can be turned out into the Kings River through the Kings River wasteway. The canal then continues southwards towards Bakersfield
. The purpose of the 152 miles (244.6 km) channel, which starts on the San Joaquin River and ends at the Kern River
, is to provide irrigation water to farms on the east side of the southern San Joaquin Valley. Construction work on the canal lasted from 1945 to 1951.
On the lower river west of Highway 99, since 1959 Kings River Conservation District (KRCD) has worked to protect the flood carrying capacity of Kings River channels and levees. Maintenance efforts have focused on approximately 140 levee miles along the river from below Kingsburg near 8½ Avenue in Kings County to Highway 41 near Stratford on the South Fork of the river, and to McMullin Grade (Highway 145) on the North Fork. During flood releases, KRCD maintains 24-hour patrols monitoring the levee banks for sloughing, erosion and boils.
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. About 125 miles (201.2 km) long, it drains an area of the high western Sierra Nevada and the Central Valley. A large alluvial fan
Alluvial fan
An alluvial fan is a fan-shaped deposit formed where a fast flowing stream flattens, slows, and spreads typically at the exit of a canyon onto a flatter plain. A convergence of neighboring alluvial fans into a single apron of deposits against a slope is called a bajada, or compound alluvial...
has formed where the river's gradient decreases in the Central Valley so the river divides into distributaries. Southern distributaries enter the endorheic basin surrounding Tulare Lake
Tulare Lake
Tulare Lake, named Laguna de Tache by the Spanish, is a fresh-water dry lake with residual wetlands and marshes in southern San Joaquin Valley, California...
while northern distributaries join the San Joaquin River
San Joaquin River
The San Joaquin River is the largest river of Central California in the United States. At over long, the river starts in the high Sierra Nevada, and flows through a rich agricultural region known as the San Joaquin Valley before reaching Suisun Bay, San Francisco Bay, and the Pacific Ocean...
, eventually reaching San Francisco Bay
San Francisco Bay
San Francisco Bay is a shallow, productive estuary through which water draining from approximately forty percent of California, flowing in the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers from the Sierra Nevada mountains, enters the Pacific Ocean...
via the Sacramento – San Joaquin River Delta. Tulare Lake was formerly the largest freshwater lake in western North America, but heavy agricultural and urban diversions have left it dry. The Kings River was named by the commander of a Spanish military expedition into the Central Valley in 1805.
Course
It arises in the Sierra Nevada, consisting of three forks. The Middle and South Forks start in Kings Canyon National ParkKings Canyon National Park
Kings Canyon National Park is a National Park in the southern Sierra Nevada, east of Fresno, California. The park was established in 1940 and covers...
, while the North Fork starts in the John Muir Wilderness
John Muir Wilderness
The John Muir Wilderness is a wilderness area that extends along the crest of the Sierra Nevada of California, USA for , in the Inyo and Sierra National Forests. Established in 1964 by the Wilderness Act and named for naturalist John Muir, it contains...
. The South Fork flows in Kings Canyon: a spectacular 8000 feet (2,438.4 m) deep glacial valley. The forks join in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada in Fresno County, California
Fresno County, California
Fresno County is a county located in the Central Valley of the U.S. state of California, south of Stockton and north of Bakersfield. As of the 2010 census, it is the tenth most populous county in California with a population of 930,450, and the sixth largest in size with an area of . The county...
, where the river becomes an attraction for whitewater
Whitewater
Whitewater is formed in a rapid, when a river's gradient increases enough to disturb its laminar flow and create turbulence, i.e. form a bubbly, or aerated and unstable current; the frothy water appears white...
rafting
Rafting
Rafting or white water rafting is a challenging recreational outdoor activity using an inflatable raft to navigate a river or other bodies of water. This is usually done on white water or different degrees of rough water, in order to thrill and excite the raft passengers. The development of this...
(class 3 rapids). From that point, the Kings River flows about 125 miles (201.2 km) to the Tulare Lake
Tulare Lake
Tulare Lake, named Laguna de Tache by the Spanish, is a fresh-water dry lake with residual wetlands and marshes in southern San Joaquin Valley, California...
bed, with a surface elevation at 56 m (183.7 ft), near Stratford, California
Stratford, California
Stratford is a census-designated place in Kings County, California, United States. Stratford is located southwest of Hanford, at an elevation of 203 feet . It is part of the Hanford–Corcoran Metropolitan Statistical Area...
.
In the foothills, the water from the river is impounded at Pine Flat Dam
Pine Flat Dam
Pine Flat Dam is on the Kings River in the San Joaquin Valley, near Piedra in Fresno County, California, and forms Pine Flat Lake. It is a concrete gravity dam. The dam is owned and operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Construction of the dam began in 1949 and was completed in 1954...
. In the Central Valley, the river flows south of Fresno, California
Fresno, California
Fresno is a city in central California, United States, the county seat of Fresno County. As of the 2010 census, the city's population was 510,365, making it the fifth largest city in California, the largest inland city in California, and the 34th largest in the nation...
, where its water is diverted for agriculture. The Kings River splits six miles (10 km) north of Lemoore
Lemoore, California
Lemoore is a city in Kings County, California, United States. Lemoore is located west-southwest of Hanford, at an elevation of 230 feet . It is part of the Hanford–Corcoran Metropolitan Statistical Area...
into a set of North and South Fork distributaries. These forks join again nearly five miles (8 km) west of Lemoore. Clark's Fork distributary splits off from the South Fork and flows 5.5 miles (9 km) to join the returning North Fork distributary. The North Fork distributary flows westward to the point where it joins the Fresno Slough
Fresno Slough
Fresno Slough is a distibutary of the Kings River that connects the North Fork Kings River to the San Joaquin River. Until 1879, when irrigation diversions prevented it, Fresno Slough was also an outlet of the overflow waters of Tulare Lake into the San Joaquin River in flood years, when its...
, a link to the San Joaquin River
San Joaquin River
The San Joaquin River is the largest river of Central California in the United States. At over long, the river starts in the high Sierra Nevada, and flows through a rich agricultural region known as the San Joaquin Valley before reaching Suisun Bay, San Francisco Bay, and the Pacific Ocean...
when in flood, where its channel turns southwest and rejoins the main channel 6 miles (10 km) west-northwest of Lemoore. The river flows through an artificial channel into the normally dry Tulare Lake bed about ten miles (16 km) south of Stratford.
History
The Kings River was named by Lieutenant Gabriel MoragaGabriel Moraga
Gabriel Moraga a Spanish army officer, son of José Joaquín Moraga a member of Juan Bautista de Anza's expeditions to California, was one of the first Europeans to explore California's Great Central Valley . He led expeditions of Spanish soldiers into the valley, becoming its first explorer...
on one of the first expeditions by the Spanish to the Central Valley of California on January 6, 1805. The river was originally named Rio de los Santos Reyes (River of the Holy Kings) to honor the Biblical Magi
Biblical Magi
The Magi Greek: μάγοι, magoi), also referred to as the Wise Men, Kings, Astrologers, or Kings from the East, were a group of distinguished foreigners who were said to have visited Jesus after his birth, bearing gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh...
. On the valley floor the Kings River is responsible for certain groundwater recharge. There is evidence in the Hanford
Hanford, California
Hanford is an important commercial and cultural center in the south central San Joaquin Valley and is the county seat of Kings County, California. It is the principal city of the Hanford-Corcoran, California Metropolitan Statistical Area , which encompasses all of Kings County, including the cities...
area that depths to groundwater are increasing, indicating concern for safe yields of the Tulare Lake groundwater subbasin.
Ecology
North American beaver (Castor canadensis) have recolonized the Kings River including Kings Canyon National Park. Although there is some controversy as to whether beaver were native, fur trapper accounts place beaver in the river before they were trapped out in the late nineteenth century. A 14-man party led by Ewing YoungEwing Young
Ewing Young was an American fur trapper and trader from Tennessee who traveled Mexican southwestern North America and California before settling in the Oregon Country. As a prominent and wealthy citizen there, his death was the impetus for the early formation of government in what became the state...
which included Jonathan J. Warner
Juan Jose Warner
Juan Jose Warner , a naturalized American-Mexican citizen, developed Warner's Ranch in Warner Springs, California. From 1849-1861, the ranch was important as a stop for emigrant travelers on the Southern Trail, including the Gila River Emigrant Trail and the Butterfield Overland Mail stagecoach line...
in the fall of 1832 trapped the Kings River
Kings River (California)
The Kings River is a major river of south-central California. About long, it drains an area of the high western Sierra Nevada and the Central Valley. A large alluvial fan has formed where the river's gradient decreases in the Central Valley so the river divides into distributaries...
"up to and some distance into the mountains and then passed on to the San Joaquin River
San Joaquin River
The San Joaquin River is the largest river of Central California in the United States. At over long, the river starts in the high Sierra Nevada, and flows through a rich agricultural region known as the San Joaquin Valley before reaching Suisun Bay, San Francisco Bay, and the Pacific Ocean...
, trapped that river down to canoe navigation in the foothills, where a canoe was made...". Young and Warner certainly were well above the 1,000 foot level in the Sierras as the headwaters of the San Joaquin River at Martha Lake
Martha Lake (California)
Lake Martha is a lake in Kings Canyon National Park, on the Le Conte Divide, north of Mount Reinstein and southwest of Mount Goddard. Lake Martha is notable for being the source of the San Joaquin River. It is also on the easiest route to Hell for Sure Pass. Due to its elevation, it can be...
is less than two miles from the headwaters of the Kings River, above 10,000 feet near Mount Goddard
Mount Goddard
Mount Goddard is a mountain of California's Sierra Nevada, in the north section of Kings Canyon National Park. Goddard forms the southwest boundary of the Evolution Basin....
in Kings Canyon National Park
Kings Canyon National Park
Kings Canyon National Park is a National Park in the southern Sierra Nevada, east of Fresno, California. The park was established in 1940 and covers...
and this was the natural route (Hell for Sure Pass) for Ewing and Warner to cross from the source of one river to the other. Williams similarly interpreted accounts of Colonel Warner's expedition, stating that "Warner, had been trapping fur-bearing animals at the headwaters of the Kings River about the same time that the Walker party was descending the Merced River
Merced River
The Merced River , in the central part of the U.S. state of California, is a -long tributary of the San Joaquin River flowing from the Sierra Nevada into the Central Valley. It is most well known for its swift and steep course through the southern part of Yosemite National Park, and the...
". These interpretations of Young and Warner trapping high up on the Kings River is buttressed by an eyewitness account taken by Tappe from a retired game warden in 1940, who stated that beaver were "apparently not uncommon on the upper part of the Kings River" until 1882-1883.
River modifications
Streams and rivers in the Kings River drainage are extensively dammed for the generation of hydroelectric power as well as flood controlFlood control
In communications, flood control is a feature of many communication protocols designed to prevent overwhelming of a destination receiver. Such controls can be implemented either in software or in hardware, and will often request that the message be resent after the receiver has finished...
. The largest, the 1954 Pine Flat Dam
Pine Flat Dam
Pine Flat Dam is on the Kings River in the San Joaquin Valley, near Piedra in Fresno County, California, and forms Pine Flat Lake. It is a concrete gravity dam. The dam is owned and operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Construction of the dam began in 1949 and was completed in 1954...
, impounds the Kings near Piedra
Piedra, California
Piedra is an unincorporated community in Fresno County, California. It is located on the south bank of the Kings River east of Fresno, at an elevation of 538 feet ....
as it flows out of the foothills into the Central Valley. Built by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the dam is 440 feet (134.1 m) high and stores 1000000 acre.ft of water, and also serves to regulate the river's widely varying discharge between the summer and winter months. Other dams on tributaries form lakes such as Black Rock Reservoir, Wishon Reservoir and Courtright Reservoir
Courtright Reservoir
Courtright Reservoir is a reservoir in Fresno County, California. The reservoir is at an elevation of 8,170 feet in the Sierra National Forest, in the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range. The reservoir is formed by Courtright Dam on Helms Creek and has a capacity of . The dam is composed of rock-fill and...
.
An additional dam on the Kings River, the Rogers Crossing Dam, was proposed for construction in the late 1980s, upstream from Pine Flat. At a planned 600 feet (182.9 m) high, it would have backed water up through the foothills for 12 miles (19.3 km). Environmental concerns have halted the project thus far.
Further downstream, the Friant-Kern Canal
Friant-Kern Canal
The Friant-Kern Canal is a Central Valley Project aqueduct managed by the United States Bureau of Reclamation in Central California to convey water to augment irrigation capacity in Fresno, Tulare, and Kern counties....
crosses the Kings River approximately 10 miles west of Pine Flat Dam, where water can be turned out into the Kings River through the Kings River wasteway. The canal then continues southwards towards Bakersfield
Bakersfield, California
Bakersfield is a city near the southern end of the San Joaquin Valley in Kern County, California. It is roughly equidistant between Fresno and Los Angeles, to the north and south respectively....
. The purpose of the 152 miles (244.6 km) channel, which starts on the San Joaquin River and ends at the Kern River
Kern River
The Kern River is a river in the U.S. state of California, approximately long. It drains an area of the southern Sierra Nevada mountains northeast of Bakersfield. Fed by snowmelt near Mount Whitney, the river passes through scenic canyons in the mountains and is a popular destination for...
, is to provide irrigation water to farms on the east side of the southern San Joaquin Valley. Construction work on the canal lasted from 1945 to 1951.
On the lower river west of Highway 99, since 1959 Kings River Conservation District (KRCD) has worked to protect the flood carrying capacity of Kings River channels and levees. Maintenance efforts have focused on approximately 140 levee miles along the river from below Kingsburg near 8½ Avenue in Kings County to Highway 41 near Stratford on the South Fork of the river, and to McMullin Grade (Highway 145) on the North Fork. During flood releases, KRCD maintains 24-hour patrols monitoring the levee banks for sloughing, erosion and boils.