The Whitewater River is a 62 miles (99.8 km) tributary

Tributary

A tributary or affluent is a stream or river that flows into a main stem river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean...

 of the Walnut River

Walnut River

The Walnut River is a tributary of the Arkansas River, long, in the Flint Hills region of Kansas in the United States. Via the Arkansas, it is part of the Mississippi River watershed....

 in southern Kansas

Kansas

Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...

 in the United States

United States

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

. Via the Walnut and Arkansas

Arkansas River

The Arkansas River is a major tributary of the Mississippi River. The Arkansas generally flows to the east and southeast as it traverses the U.S. states of Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas. The river's initial basin starts in the Western United States in Colorado, specifically the Arkansas...

 Rivers, it is part of the watershed

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...

 of the Mississippi River

Mississippi River

The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...

.

According to the Geographic Names Information System

Geographic Names Information System

The Geographic Names Information System is a database that contains name and locative information about more than two million physical and cultural features located throughout the United States of America and its territories. It is a type of gazetteer...

, the stream has also been known as Whitewater Creek.

Course

The Whitewater River rises in southern Marion County

Marion County, Kansas

Marion County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kansas. As of the 2010 census, the county population was 12,660. The county seat is Marion...

 and flows generally southwardly into Butler County

Butler County, Kansas

Butler County is a county located in South Central Kansas, in the Central United States. As of the 2010 census, the county population was 65,880. Its county seat and most populous city is El Dorado. The county is a part of the Wichita Metropolitan Statistical Area.-19th century:It was named in...

, past the town of Towanda

Towanda, Kansas

Towanda is a city in Butler County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 1,450.-21st century:In 2010, the Keystone-Cushing Pipeline was constructed a few blocks west of Towanda , running north to south through Butler County, with much controversy over tax...

. It joins the Walnut River at Augusta

Augusta, Kansas

Augusta is a city in Butler County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 9,274.-19th century:The confluence of the Whitewater River and the Walnut River was originally inhabited by Native Americans , who found the land ideal for hunting and fishing. In 1868 C. N...

.

In Butler County, the river collects the West Branch Whitewater River, which rises in Harvey County

Harvey County, Kansas

Harvey County is a county located in South Central Kansas, in the Central United States. As of the 2010 census, the county population was 34,684. Its county seat and most populous city is Newton. The county is a part of the Wichita Metropolitan Statistical Area which also includes Butler,...

 and flows southeastwardly past Whitewater

Whitewater, Kansas

Whitewater is a city in Butler County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 718.-19th century:In 1887, the Chicago, Kansas and Nebraska Railway built a branch line north-south from Herington through Whitewater to Caldwell...

; and the East Branch Whitewater River, which rises near Burns

Burns, Kansas

Burns is a city in Marion County, Kansas, United States. The city name came from a nearby train station, which was named prior to the city being incorporated. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 228.-History:-19th century:...

in Marion County and flows southwestwardly.