| Snake River | |
| River | |
 Perrine Bridge spanning the Snake River Canyon at Twin Falls, Idaho
|
|
| Country |  United States |
|---|---|
| States |  Wyoming,  Idaho,  Oregon,  Washington |
| Tributaries | |
| - left | Salt River, Portneuf River, Owyhee River, Malheur River, Powder River, Grande Ronde River |
| - right | Henrys Fork, Boise River, Salmon River, Clearwater River, Palouse River |
| Cities | Idaho Falls, Twin Falls, Lewiston, Tri-Cities |
| Source | Rocky Mountains |
| - location | Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming |
| - elevation | 8,927 ft (2,721 m) [1] |
| - coordinates | [2] |
| Mouth | Columbia River |
| - location | Tri-Cities, Washington |
| - elevation | 358 ft (109 m) [3] |
| - coordinates | [2] |
| Length | 1,040 mi (1,674 km) [4] |
| Basin | 108,000 sq mi (280,000 km²) [4] |
| Discharge | mouth |
| - average | 56,900 cu ft/s (1,610 m³/s) [4] |
 Snake River watershed
|
|
The Snake River is a major tributary of the Columbia River in the U.S. states of Wyoming, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington. A tributary is a Stream or River which flows into a mainstem (or parent river The Columbia River (known as A US state is any one of the fifty subnational entities of the United States of America that share Sovereignty with the federal government The State of Wyoming ( is a sparsely populated state in the western region of the United States. The State of Idaho ( is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States of America. Oregon ( is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. Washington ( is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. The river's length is 1,040 miles (1,670 km), its watershed drains 108,000 square miles (280,000 km²), and the average discharge at its mouth is 56,900 cubic feet per second (1,610 m³/s). A drainage basin is an extent of Land where Water from Rain or Snow melt drains downhill into a body of water such as a River, The river flows from its source in Yellowstone National Park through a series of mountain ranges, canyons, and plains.
Contents |
Geography
Basin overview
Snake River's drainage basin includes a diversity of landscapes. Its upper reaches lie in the Rocky Mountains. Mountain peaks of the Rocky Mountains The Rocky Mountains, often called the Rockies, are a Mountain range in western North America. In southern Idaho the river flows through the broad Snake River Plain. The Snake River Plain is a geologic feature located primarily in the American state of Idaho. Along the Idaho-Oregon border the river flows through Hells Canyon, part of a larger physiographic region called the Columbia River Plateau, through which the Snake River flows through Washington to its confluence with the Columbia River. Hells Canyon is a ten mile wide Canyon located along the border of eastern Oregon and western Idaho in the United States. The Columbia River Plateau is a geologic and geographic region that lies across parts of the U Parts of the river's basin lie within the Basin and Range province, though it is itself a physiographic section of the Columbia Plateau province, which in turn is part of the larger Intermontane Plateaus physiographic division. The Basin and Range Province is a large geologic province which includes parts of the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico, typified by Basin and The Columbia River Plateau is a geologic and geographic region that lies across parts of the U Physiographic regions of the US InteriorSee legend For purposes of description
The Snake is the largest tributary of the Columbia River, with a mean discharge of 50,000 cubic feet per second (1,400 m³/s),[5] or 56,900 cubic feet per second (1,610 m³/s) according to the USGS, the 12th largest in the United States. The United States Geological Survey ( USGS) is a scientific agency of the United States government. [4]
Geology
For much of its course the Snake River flows through the Snake River Plain, a physiographic province extending from eastern Oregon through southern Idaho into northwest Wyoming. The Snake River Plain is a geologic feature located primarily in the American state of Idaho. There are eight distinct physiographic divisions within the Continental United States. Much of the Snake River Plain is high desert and semi-desert at elevations averaging around 5,000 feet (1,500 m). Many of the rivers in this region have cut deep and meandering canyons. West of Twin Falls, the plain is mainly covered with stream and lake sediments. During the Miocene, lava dams created Lake Idaho, which covered a large portion of the Snake River Plain between Twin Falls and Hells Canyon. The Miocene is a geological epoch of the Neogene period and extends from about 23 This large lake expanded and contracted several times before finally receding in the early Pleistocene. The Pleistocene ('plaɪstəsin is the epoch from 18 million to 10000 years BP covering the world's recent period In more recent geologic time, about 14,500 years ago, glacial Lake Bonneville spilled catastrophically into the Snake River Plain. Lake Bonneville was a prehistoric Pluvial lake that covered much of North America 's Great Basin region The flood carved deep into the land along the Snake River, leaving deposits of gravel, sand, and boulders, as well as a scabland topography in places. Results of this flood include the falls and rapids from Twin Falls and Shoshone Falls to Crane Falls and Swan Falls, as well as the many "potholes" areas. [6]
The Snake River Aquifer, one of the most productive aquifers in the world, underlies an area of about 10,000 square miles (26,000 km²) in the Snake River Plain. An aquifer is an underground layer of Water -bearing Permeable rock or unconsolidated materials ( Gravel, Sand, Silt, or Clay Differences in elevation and rock permeability result in many dramatic springs, some of which are artesian. A spring is a point where Groundwater flows out of the ground and is thus where the Aquifer surface meets the ground surface See Great Artesian Basin for the water source in Australia An artesian aquifer is a confined aquifer containing Groundwater The groundwater comes from the Snake River itself as well as other streams in the region. Groundwater is Water located beneath the Ground surface in Soil pore spaces and in the Fractures of lithologic formations Some streams on the northern side of the Snake River Plain, such as the Lost River are completely absorbed into the ground, recharging the aquifer and emerging as springs that flow into the Snake River in the western part of the plain. There are two rivers in Idaho named "Lost" the Big Lost River and the Little Lost River. The hydraulic conductivity of the basalt rocks that make up the aquifer is very high. Hydraulic conductivity, symbolically represented as K is a property of vascular plants soil or rock that describes the ease with which water can move through pore spaces In places water exits the Snake and Lost rivers into ground conduits at rates of nearly Template:Convert/ft3/m. [7] Due to stream modifications and large-scale irrigation, most of the water that used to recharge the aquifer directly now does so in the form of irrigation water drainage. [8]
Upper course
The Snake originates near the Continental Divide in Yellowstone National Park in northwest Wyoming and flows south into Jackson Lake in Grand Teton National Park, then south through Jackson Hole and past the town of Jackson. A continental divide is a line of elevated Terrain which forms a border between two watersheds such that Water falling on one side of the line eventually The State of Wyoming ( is a sparsely populated state in the western region of the United States. Jackson Lake is a Lake located in north western Wyoming in Grand Teton National Park. Grand Teton National Park is a United States National Park located in northwestern Wyoming, south of Yellowstone National Park. Jackson Hole is a Valley located in the west-central US state of Wyoming. Jackson is a Town located in the Jackson Hole Valley of Teton County, Wyoming, United States. The river then flows west through Wyoming's Snake River Canyon and exits Wyoming at Alpine Junction, where it enters Idaho at the Palisades Reservoir. The Snake River Canyon is formed by the Snake River on the western border of Wyoming south of Jackson Hole. Alpine is a town in Lincoln County, Wyoming, United States. The population was 550 at the 2000 census. The State of Idaho ( is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States of America. Palisades Dam is a Earth-fill dam on the Snake River in Bonneville County in the U
Below the Palisades Reservoir, the Snake River flows northwest through Swan Valley to its confluence with Henrys Fork near Rigby. Swan Valley is a city in Bonneville County, Idaho, United States. Henrys Fork may refer to Henrys Fork (Snake River in Idaho Henrys Fork (Green River in Utah and Wyoming forming one arm of the Flaming Gorge Rigby is a small city in and the County seat of Jefferson County, Idaho, United States. The region around the confluence is a large inland delta. A delta is a Landform where the mouth of a River flows into an Ocean, Sea, Estuary, Lake or another river Above the juncture, the Snake River is locally called the South Fork of the Snake River, since Henrys Fork is sometimes called the North Fork of the Snake River.
The Snake River then swings south and west in an arc across southern Idaho, following the Snake River Plain. It passes through the city of Idaho Falls and by Blackfoot in a region of irrigated agriculture. Idaho Falls is the County seat and largest city of Bonneville County, Idaho, United States. Blackfoot is a city in Bingham County, Idaho, United States. The population was 10419 at the 2000 census. North of the Fort Hall Indian Reservation the river is impounded by the American Falls Dam. The Fort Hall Indian Reservation is an Indian reservation of the Shoshoni and Bannock people in the U The American Falls Dam is a concrete gravity-type Dam located near the town of American Falls, Idaho, on the Snake River. The dam and reservoir are part of the Minidoka Irrigation Project managed by the United States Bureau of Reclamation. The Bureau of Reclamation (formerly the United States Reclamation Service) is an agency under the U The Portneuf River joins the Snake at the reservoir. The Portneuf River is a Tributary of the Snake River, approximately long in southeastern Idaho in the United States. Downriver from the dam is Massacre Rocks State Park, a site on the path of the old Oregon Trail. Massacre Rocks State Park is a State park in the US state of Idaho. Pioneers traveled across the Oregon Trail, one of the main overland migration routes on the North American Continent, in wagons in order to settle new parts of the
After receiving the waters of Raft River, the Snake River enters another reservoir, Lake Walcott, impounded by Minidoka Dam, run by the Bureau of Reclamation mainly for irrigation purposes. The Raft River is a Tributary of the Snake River located in northern Utah and southern Idaho in the United States. Lake Walcott is a Reservoir in south central Idaho in the northwestern United States. The Minidoka Dam is an Earthfill dam on the Snake River in south central Idaho. Another dam, Milner Dam and its reservoir, Milner Reservoir, lie just downriver from Minidoka Dam. Milner Dam is a rockfill Dam near Burley in south central Idaho. Below that is the city of Twin Falls, after which the river flows into Idaho's Snake River Canyon (the site of Evel Knievel's stunt) over Shoshone Falls and under the Perrine Bridge. For the motion picture see Twin Falls Idaho (film Twin Falls is the County seat and largest Snake River Canyon is a large Canyon formed by the Snake River in the Magic Valley region of southern Idaho. This article is about the stunt performer For the wooden roller coaster by the same name see Evel Knievel (roller coaster Robert Craig "Evel" Knievel Shoshone ( or) Falls is a Waterfall on the Snake River located approximately five miles east of Twin Falls, Idaho. The I B Perrine Bridge at Twin Falls Idaho is a four-lane span carrying U
Lower course
After exiting the Snake River Canyon, the Snake receives the waters of more tributaries, the Bruneau River and the Malad River. The Bruneau River is a Tributary of the Snake River, in the U The Malad River is a Tributary of the Snake River, in Idaho in the United States. After passing the Snake River Birds of Prey National Conservation Area, the Snake flows toward Boise and the Idaho-Oregon border. The Snake River Birds of Prey National Conservation Area is home to the largest concentration of nesting raptors in North America. Boise (ˈbɔɪsi is the capital and most populous city of the U After receiving numerous tributaries such as the Boise River, Owyhee River, Malheur River, Payette River, Weiser River, and Powder River, the Snake enters Hells Canyon. The Boise River is a Tributary of the Snake River, approximately long in southwestern Idaho in the United States. The Owyhee River is a tributary of the Snake River located in northern Nevada, southwestern Idaho and southeastern Oregon in the United The Malheur River (pronounced "muh-LOOR" by non-Oregonians locals pronounce the name "MAL-hyure" is a tributary of the Snake River, approximately long The Payette River is a River in southwestern Idaho, and is a major Tributary of the Snake River. The Weiser River is a tributary of the Snake River, approximately 90 mi (145 km long in western Idaho in the United States. The Powder River is a tributary of the Snake River, approximately 110 mi (177 km long in northeast Oregon in the United States. Hells Canyon is a ten mile wide Canyon located along the border of eastern Oregon and western Idaho in the United States.
In Hells Canyon the Snake River is impounded by three dams, Brownlee Dam, Oxbow Dam, and Hells Canyon Dam (which completely blocks the migration of anadromous fish[9]), after which the river is designated a National Wild and Scenic River as is flows through Hells Canyon Wilderness. Brownlee Dam is a hydroelectric run-of-the-river earth fill Dam on the Snake River on the Idaho - Oregon border in Oxbow Dam is a hydroelectric run-of-the-river rockfill Dam on the Snake River on the Idaho - Oregon border in Hells Canyon Dam is a concrete gravity Dam on the Snake River ( River mile 247 in Hells Canyon on the Idaho - Oregon border Many types of fish undertake migrations on a regular basis on time scales ranging from daily to annual and with distances ranging from a few meters to thousands of kilometers National Wild and Scenic River is a designation for certain Protected areas in the United States. The Hells Canyon Wilderness is a Wilderness area located in the U In this section of the river, the Salmon River, one of the largest tributaries of the Snake, joins. The Salmon River is located in Idaho in the northwestern United States. Just across the Washington state line, another large tributary, the Grande Ronde River joins the Snake. For other places with the same name see Grande Ronde. The Grande Ronde River is a tributary of the Snake River, long in northeastern
As the Snake flows north out of Hells Canyon, it passed the cities of Lewiston, Idaho and Clarkston, Washington, where it receives the Clearwater River. Lewiston is the County seat of and largest city in Nez Perce County, Idaho, United States. Clarkston is a city in Asotin County in the southeastern part of the U The Clearwater River is a river in North Central Idaho, which flows from the Bitterroot Mountains along the Idaho- Montana border westward joining the From there the Snake River swings north, then south, through southeast Washington's Palouse region, before joining the Columbia River near the Tri-Cities. The Palouse is a region of the Northwestern United States, encompassing parts of Eastern Washington, North Central Idaho and in some definitions extending The Columbia River (known as In this final river reach there are four large dams, Lower Granite Lock and Dam, Little Goose Lock and Dam, Lower Monumental Lock and Dam, and Ice Harbor Lock and Dam. Lower Granite Lock and Dam is a Hydroelectric concrete Gravity dam on the Snake River, and bridges Whitman County and Garfield County Little Goose Lock and Dam is a Hydroelectric, concrete Gravity dam in Columbia and Whitman Counties in the state of Washington Lower Monumental Lock and Dam is a Hydroelectric, concrete Gravity dam on the Snake River, and bridges Franklin County and Walla Walla Ice Harbor Lock and Dam is a Hydroelectric, concrete Gravity dam on the Snake River in Walla Walla and Franklin counties in These dams, built by the United States Army Corps of Engineers serve as hydroelectric power sources as well as ensuring barge traffic navigation to Lewiston, Idaho. The United States Army Corps of Engineers ( USACE) is a federal agency and a major Army command made up of some 34600 Civilian and 650 Military personnel
History
Name
The name "Snake" possibly derived from an S-shaped (snake) sign which the Shoshone Indians made with their hands to mimic swimming salmon.
Variant names of the river have included: Great Snake River, Lewis Fork, Lewis River, Mad River, Saptin River, Shoshone River, and Yam-pah-pa.
Early inhabitants
People have been living along the Snake River for at least 11,000 years. Daniel S. Meatte divides the prehistory of the western Snake River Basin into three main phases or "adaptive systems". The first he calls "Broad Spectrum Foraging", dating from 11,500 to 4,200 years before present. During this period people drew upon a wide variety of food resources. The second period, "Semisedentary Foraging", dates from 4,200 250 years before present and is distinctive for an increased reliance upon fish, especially salmon, as well as food preservation and storage. The third phase, from 250 to 100 years before present, he calls "Equestrian Foragers". It is characterized by large horse-mounted tribes that spent long amounts of time away from their local foraging range hunting bison. [10] In the eastern Snake River Plain there is some evidence of Clovis, Folsom, and Plano cultures dating back over 10,000 years ago. The Clovis culture (sometimes referred to as the Llano culture) is a Prehistoric Paleoindian culture that first appears in the archaeological The Folsom Complex is a name given by Archaeologists to a specific Paleo-Indian Archaeological culture that occupied much of central North America The Plano cultures is a name given by Archaeologists to a group of disparate Hunter-gatherer communities that occupied the Great Plains area of North By the protohistoric and historic era, the eastern Snake River Plain was dominated by Shoshone and other "Plateau" culture tribes. The Shoshone ( or) are a Native American tribe with three large divisions the Northern the Western and the Eastern [11]
Early fur traders and explorers noted regional trading centers, and archaeological evidence has shown some to be of considerable antiquity. One such trading center in the Weiser area existed as early as 4,500 years ago. Weiser is a city in the rural western part of the US state of Idaho and the seat of Washington County. The Fremont culture may have contributed to the historic Shoshones, but it is not well understood. The Fremont culture or Fremont people is a Pre-Columbian Archaeological culture which received its name The Shoshone ( or) are a Native American tribe with three large divisions the Northern the Western and the Eastern Another poorly understood early cultural hearth is called the Midvale Complex. The introduction of the horse to the Snake River Plain around 1700 helped in establishing the Shoshone and Northern Paiute cultures. [12]
On the Snake River in southeastern Washington there are several ancient sites. One of the oldest and most well-known is called the Marmes Rockshelter, which was used from over 11,000 years ago to relatively recent times. The Marmes Rockshelter was flooded in 1968 by Lake Herbert G. West, the Lower Monumental Dam's reservoir. The Marmes Rockshelter (also known as (45-FR-50) is an Archaeological site first excavated in 1962 near the confluence of the Snake and Palouse Rivers Lake Herbert G West (or Lake West) is a Reservoir formed by the Lower Monumental Dam. [13]
Other cultures of the Snake River's basin's protohistoric and historic periods include the Nez Perce, Cayuse, Walla Walla, Palus, Bannock, and many others. The Nez Perce (ˌnɛzˈpɝs are a Tribe of Native Americans who live in the Pacific Northwest region ( Columbia River Plateau) of the United The Cayuse are a Native American tribe in the state of Oregon in the United States. History The people are a Sahaptin -speaking group which traditionally inhabited the Columbia Plateau region of the northwestern United States For the district in India see Palus. The Palus (pəˈluːs are recognized in the Treaty of 1855 with the Yakamas (negotiated at the Walla The Bannock or Banate are a Native American people who traditionally lived in the northern Great Basin in what is now southeastern Oregon and
Exploration
The Lewis and Clark Expedition of 1804-1806 was the first major U. S. exploration of the lower portion of the Snake River, and the Snake was once known as the Lewis River. Later exploratory expeditions, which explored much of the length of the Snake River, included the Astor Expedition of 1810-1812, John C. Frémont in 1832, and Benjamin Bonneville in 1833-1834. The Astor Expedition of 1810-1812 was the next overland expedition from St John Charles Frémont ( January 21, 1813 July 13, 1890) was an American military officer, explorer, the Benjamin Louis Eulalie de Bonneville (April 14 1796 &ndash June 12 1878 was a French -born officer in the United States Army, fur trapper, and explorer By the middle 19th century, the Oregon Trail had been established, generally following much of the Snake River. Pioneers traveled across the Oregon Trail, one of the main overland migration routes on the North American Continent, in wagons in order to settle new parts of the
River modifications
Dams
Many dams have been built on the Snake River and its tributaries, mainly for purposes of providing irrigation water and hydroelectric power and ranging in size from small diversion dams to major high dams. A dam is a barrier that divides waters. Dams generally serve the primary purpose of retaining water while other structures such as Floodgates, Levees Irrigation is an artificial application of water to the soil usually for assisting in growing crops Hydroelectricity is electricity generated by Hydropower, ie the production of power through use of the gravitational force of falling water A diversion dam is the term for a Dam that diverts all or a portion of the flow of a River from its natural course
Large dams include four on the lower Snake, in Washington, built and operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers: Ice Harbor, Lower Monumental, Little Goose, and Lower Granite. The United States Army Corps of Engineers ( USACE) is a federal agency and a major Army command made up of some 34600 Civilian and 650 Military personnel Ice Harbor Lock and Dam is a Hydroelectric, concrete Gravity dam on the Snake River in Walla Walla and Franklin counties in Lower Monumental Lock and Dam is a Hydroelectric, concrete Gravity dam on the Snake River, and bridges Franklin County and Walla Walla Little Goose Lock and Dam is a Hydroelectric, concrete Gravity dam in Columbia and Whitman Counties in the state of Washington Lower Granite Lock and Dam is a Hydroelectric concrete Gravity dam on the Snake River, and bridges Whitman County and Garfield County These dams were built from 1962 to 1975 for hydroelectric power and navigation. They are equipped with locks, making the river as far as Lewiston an extension of the Columbia River's barge navigation system. [14] The four dams were modified in the 1980s to better accommodate fish passage. [15]
Upriver, in the Hells Canyon region, there are three large hydroelectric dams, operated by Idaho Power, a private utility company. Collectively named the Hells Canyon Project, the three dams are, in upriver order: Hells Canyon Dam, Oxbow Dam, and Brownlee Dam. Hells Canyon Dam is a concrete gravity Dam on the Snake River ( River mile 247 in Hells Canyon on the Idaho - Oregon border Oxbow Dam is a hydroelectric run-of-the-river rockfill Dam on the Snake River on the Idaho - Oregon border in Brownlee Dam is a hydroelectric run-of-the-river earth fill Dam on the Snake River on the Idaho - Oregon border in Not having fish ladders, they are the first total barrier to upriver fish migration.
In southwestern Idaho there are several large dams. Swan Falls Dam, built in 1901, was the first hydroelectric dam on the Snake as well as the first total barrier to upriver fish migration. Swan Falls Dam is a concrete gravity type hydroelectric Dam on the Snake River, in the U It was rebuilt in the 1990s by Idaho Power. Upriver from Swan Falls is another hydroelectric dam operated by Idaho Power, the C. J. Strike Dam, built in 1952. C J Strike Dam is an earth-fill type hydroelectric Dam on the Snake River, just below the Bruneau River confluence in the U This dam also serves irrigation purposes. Continuing upriver, Idaho Power operates a set of three hydroelectric dam projects collectively called the Mid-Snake Projects, all built in the 1940s and 1950s. They are: Bliss Dam, Lower Salmon Falls Dam, and the two dams of the Upper Salmon Falls Project, Upper Salmon Falls Dam A and Upper Salmon Falls Dam B. Bliss Dam is a concrete gravity-type hydroelectric Dam on the Snake River, in the U
Near the city of Twin Falls two waterfalls have been modified for hydropower, Shoshone Falls and Twin Falls. Collectively called the Shoshone Falls Project, they are old and relatively small dams, currently operated by Idaho Power. Above Twin Falls is Milner Dam, built in 1905 for irrigation and rebuilt in 1992 with hydroelectric production added. Milner Dam is a rockfill Dam near Burley in south central Idaho. The dam and irrigation works are owned by Milner Dam, Inc, while the powerplant is owned by Idaho Power.
Above Milner Dam, most of the large dams are projects of the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, built mainly for irrigation, some are hydroelectric as well. The Bureau of Reclamation (formerly the United States Reclamation Service) is an agency under the U All part of the Bureau's Minidoka Project, the dams are: Minidoka Dam (built 1909), American Falls Dam (1927), Palisades Dam (1957), and Jackson Lake Dam on Jackson Lake (1911). The Minidoka Dam is an Earthfill dam on the Snake River in south central Idaho. The American Falls Dam is a concrete gravity-type Dam located near the town of American Falls, Idaho, on the Snake River. Palisades Dam is a Earth-fill dam on the Snake River in Bonneville County in the U Jackson Lake Dam is a Concrete and earth-fill Dam at the outlet of Jackson Lake in northwestern Wyoming, USA Jackson Lake is a Lake located in north western Wyoming in Grand Teton National Park. These dams, along with two others and numerous irrigation canals, supply water to about 1. 1 million acres (4,500 km²) in southern Idaho. [16]
The city of Idaho Falls operates the remaining large dam on the Snake River, Gem State Dam, along with several smaller associated dams, for hydroelectric and irrigation purposes. Idaho Falls is the County seat and largest city of Bonneville County, Idaho, United States. Gem State Dam is a concrete and rock-fill gravity Dam on the Snake River, in the U
There are many other dams on the tributaries of the Snake River, built mainly for irrigation. They are mainly operated by the Bureau of Reclamation or local government and private owners.
While the many dams in the Snake River basin have transformed the region's economy, they have also had an adverse environmental effect on wildlife, most notably on wild salmon migrations. See also Natural environment The '''biophysical''' environment is the symbiosis between the physical environment and the Biological Salmon is the common name for several species of Fish of the family Salmonidae. Since the 1990s, some conservation organizations and fishermen are seeking to restore the lower Snake River and Snake River salmon and steelhead by removing four federally-owned dams on the lower Snake River. [17][18]
.jpg/1028px-Snake_River_(5mb).jpg)
Navigation
In the 1960s and 1970s the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers built four dams and locks on the lower Snake River to facilitate shipping. The lower Columbia River has likewise been dammed for navigation. Thus a deep shipping channel through locks and slackwater reservoirs for heavy barges exists from the Pacific Ocean to Lewiston, Idaho. Physical geography, a channel is the physical confine of a River, slough or ocean Strait consisting of a bed and banks BARGE, the Big August RecGambling Excursion is a yearly convention held in Las Vegas during the first weekend of August Most barge traffic originating on the Snake River goes to deep-water ports on the lower Columbia River, such as Portland. Portland is a city located in the Northwestern United States, near the Confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers Grain, mostly wheat, is the main product shipped from the Snake, and nearly all of it is exported internationally from the lower Columbia River ports. Wheat ( Triticum spp is a worldwide cultivated grass from the Levant area of the Middle East.
The shipping channel is authorized to be at least 14 feet (4. 3 m) deep and 250 feet (76 m) wide. Where river depths were less than 14 feet (4 m), the shipping channel has been dredged in most places. Dredging is an Excavation activity or operation usually carried out at least partly underwater in shallow seas or Fresh water areas with the purpose of Dredging and redredging work is ongoing and actual depths vary over time. [19]
With a channel about 5 feet (1. 5 m) deeper than the Mississippi River System, the Columbia and Snake rivers can float barges twice as heavy. The Mississippi River System is a mostly Riverine network which includes the Mississippi River and connecting waterways [20]
Agricultural products from Idaho and eastern Washington are among the main goods transported by barge on the Snake and Columbia rivers. Grain, mainly wheat, accounts for more than 85% of the cargo barged on the lower Snake River. In 1998, over 123,000,000 US bushels (4,300,000,000 l/980,000,000 US dry gal/950,000,000 imp gal) of grain were barged on the Snake. Before the completion of the lower Snake dams, grain from the region was transported by truck or rail to Columbia River ports around the Tri-Cities. Other products barged on the lower Snake River include peas, lentils, forest products, and petroleum. [19]
Among the negative consequences of the lower Snake River's navigational slackwater reservoirs are the flooding of historic and archaeological sites, the stilling of once famous rapids, the slowing of currents and an associated rising of water temperature, and a general decline in the ability of wild fish to migrate up and down the river.
See also
- Angling in Yellowstone National Park
- List of crossings of the Snake River
- Snake River Plain
- List of Idaho rivers
- List of Oregon rivers
- List of Washington rivers
- List of Wyoming rivers
- List of National Wild and Scenic Rivers
References
- ^ Google Earth elevation for GNIS source coordinates. Shoshone ( or) Falls is a Waterfall on the Snake River located approximately five miles east of Twin Falls, Idaho. For the motion picture see Twin Falls Idaho (film Twin Falls is the County seat and largest Angling in Yellowstone National Park is a major reason many visitors come to the park each year and since it was created in 1872 the park has drawn anglers from This is a list of Bridges and other crossings of the Snake River from the Columbia River upstream to the its source The Snake River Plain is a geologic feature located primarily in the American state of Idaho. This is a list of rivers in the US state of Idaho. By Drainage Basin This list is arranged by drainage basin with respective tributaries This is a partial listing of rivers in the state of Oregon, United States of America. This is a list of rivers in the US state of Washington. By Drainage Basin This list is arranged by drainage basin with respective tributaries The following is a list of Rivers in Wyoming, United States. East of the continental divide Missouri River watershed This is a list of the designated National Wild and Scenic Rivers in the United States Google Earth is a Virtual globe program that was originally called Earth Viewer and was created by Keyhole Inc, a company acquired by Google in 2004 The Geographic Names Information System ( GNIS) is a database that contains name and locative information about more than two million physical and cultural features located throughout Retrieved on April 29, 2007
- ^ a b USGS GNIS: Snake River, USGS GNIS
- ^ Google Earth elevation for GNIS mouth coordinates. Google Earth is a Virtual globe program that was originally called Earth Viewer and was created by Keyhole Inc, a company acquired by Google in 2004 The Geographic Names Information System ( GNIS) is a database that contains name and locative information about more than two million physical and cultural features located throughout Retrieved on April 29, 2007
- ^ a b c d Kammerer, J. C. (May 1990). Largest Rivers in the United States. U. S. Geological Survey. Retrieved on 2008-01-26. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Events 1340 - King Edward III of England is declared King of France.
- ^ http://www.idahohistory.net/Reference%20Series/0294.pdf
- ^ Snake River Plain geology from Orr, Elizabeth L. ; William N. Orr (1996). "Snake River Plain and Owyhee Uplands", Geology of the Pacific Northwest. McGraw-Hill. The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc, ( is a Publicly traded corporation headquartered in Rockefeller Center in New York City. ISBN 0-07-048018-4.
- ^ Snake River Plain aquifer information from Orr, Elizabeth L. ; William N. Orr (1996). Geology of the Pacific Northwest. McGraw-Hill, 248-249. The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc, ( is a Publicly traded corporation headquartered in Rockefeller Center in New York City. ISBN 0-07-048018-4.
- ^ Upper Snake River Basin NAWQA Fact Sheet, USGS Water Resources of Idaho
- ^ Snake River
- ^ Summary of Western Snake River Prehistory, Digital Atlas of Idaho
- ^ Southeastern Snake River Basin Prehistory, Digital Atlas of Idaho
- ^ Western Snake River Prehistory, Digital Atlas of Idaho
- ^ Marmes Rockshelter, HistoryLink
- ^ Erik Robinson. "Pressure builds on Snake River dams", The Columbian, April 15, 2007.
- ^ 20 Years of Progress: Hydropower
- ^ Minidoka Project, USBR
- ^ Robinson, Erik. "Breach Snake River dams, says ex-Secretary Babbitt", The Columbian, October 7, 2006.
- ^ Lynda V. Mapes. "Changing currents - In the endless fray over fish, dreams and decisions drift", The Seattle Times, March 5, 2006.
- ^ a b Lower Snake River Transportation Study Final Report, American Rivers
- ^ Harden, Blaine (1996) A River Lost: The Life and Death of the Columbia, W. W. Norton & Company. ISBN 0-393-31690-4
External links
- USGS GNIS: Snake River
- Idaho Power
- Wild and Scenic Snake River - National Wild and Scenic Rivers System
Dapyx Software network: MP3 Explorer | Ebook Manager | Zenithic