Sacramento River
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Sacramento River | |
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| Origin | near Mount Shasta in the Cascade Range |
| Mouth | San Francisco Bay |
| Basin countries | USA |
| Length | 382 miles (615 km) |
| Source elevation | ~5,000 feet (1,500 m) |
| Avg. discharge | 30,000 cubic feet/s (850 m³/s) |
| Basin area | 27,000 square miles (70,000 km²) |
The Sacramento River is the longest river in the U.S. state of California. Starting near Mount Shasta in the Cascade Range, the Sacramento flows 382 miles (615 kilometres) southwest through the northern Central Valley of California, between the Pacific Coast Range and the Sierra Nevada. Not far downstream of the confluence with the American River, the Sacramento (along with the San Joaquin River) forms the Sacramento River Delta and then flows into the northern arm of San Francisco Bay. Its chief tributaries are the Pit, Feather, McCloud and American rivers. The Pit River is the longest of these, but the Feather and American rivers carry larger volumes of water. The Pit River's watershed formerly included Goose Lake, and still does during rare periods of high water.[1]
Man-made channels make the river navigable for 180 miles upstream of San Francisco Bay; ocean-going ships travel as far inland as the City of Sacramento. Marine animals such as gray whales and sea lions are occasionally found far inland after navigating the river for food or refuge and then losing track of how to get back to the Pacific Ocean. In October 1985 a humpback whale affectionately named "Humphrey the humpbacked whale" by television media traveled 69 miles up the Sacramento River before being rescued. Rescuers broadcast humpback whale sounds to draw the whale back to the ocean.[2]
The Sacramento River helps form the track of a trade and travel route known as the Siskiyou Trail, which stretches from California's Central Valley to the Pacific Northwest. The Siskiyou Trail closely parallels the Sacramento River and takes advantage of the valleys and canyons carved by the Sacramento River through the rugged terrain of Northern California. Based on the original footpaths of Native Americans, the Siskiyou Trail was expanded by Hudson's Bay Company trappers in the 1830s, and expanded further by California Gold Rush "Forty-Niners" in the 1850s. Today, Interstate 5 and the Union Pacific Railroad occupy the path of the ancient Siskiyou Trail.
The designated headwaters of the Sacramento River are at about 3600 feet (1100 m) elevation in Mount Shasta City Park ()[3]. Big Springs feeds Big Springs Creek which flows south into Lake Siskiyou. However, feeding Lake Siskiyou from the west are the North, Middle, and South Forks of the Sacramento River which bring water from much higher elevations. The South Fork originates at 5715 feet (1751 m) at Cedar Lake (), the Middle Fork originates with several streams flowing from near 6300 feet (1920 m) near Chipmunk Lake (), and the North Fork originates from springs at about 7900 feet (2408 m) near .
The Sacramento Area Flood Control Agency [1] is a Joint Powers agency tasked with keeping the Sacramento River within its banks and levees. California Governor Schwarzenegger declared a State of Emergency in February 2006 in an attempt to repair the levees, whose failure could impact the drinking water quality of two-thirds of California residents.
Rio Vista, California hosts the annual Bass Festival each October to celebrate the return of bass to the river.
[edit] See also
- List of California rivers
- Museum of the Siskiyou Trail
- Shasta Dam and Shasta Lake
- Sacramento River Flooding - Online Video from KVIE Public Television
[edit] References
- ^ Pit River Watershed Alliance.
- ^ Tokuda, Wendy; Richard Hall (June 1992). Humphrey the Lost Whale: a true story. ISBN 0893463469.
- ^ Mt. Shasta Recreation & Parks District.
