Straight River (central Minnesota)

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Straight River
none The Straight River in Straight River Township in 2007
The Straight River in Straight River Township in 2007
Country United States
State Minnesota
Length 22.7 mi (37 km) [1]
Watershed 60 sq mi (155 km²) approx.[2]
Discharge at near Park Rapids
 - average 60.8 cu ft/s (2 m³/s) [2]
 - maximum 149 cu ft/s (4 m³/s)
 - minimum 21 cu ft/s (1 m³/s)
Source
 - location Pine Point Township, Becker County
 - coordinates 47°00′08″N 95°18′34″W / 47.00222, -95.30944 [3]
 - elevation 1,506 ft (459 m) [4]
Mouth Fish Hook River
 - location Hubbard Township, Hubbard County
 - coordinates 46°52′08″N 95°01′55″W / 46.86889, -95.03194 [3]
 - elevation 1,384 ft (422 m) [4]
This article is about the tributary of the Fish Hook River in central Minnesota. For the river in southern Minnesota, see Straight River (southern Minnesota). For other uses, see Straight River.

The Straight River is a tributary of the Fish Hook River, 23 miles (37 km) long, in north-central Minnesota in the United States. Via the Fish Hook, Shell, and Crow Wing Rivers, it is part of the watershed of the Mississippi River, draining an area of approximately sixty square miles (155 km²) in a rural region. The river is known as one of Minnesota's best trout fishing streams.[5]

The river's name is a translation of the Ojibwe name for Straight Lake,[6] through which the river flows near its source.[7]

Contents

[edit] Geography

The Straight River rises in the White Earth Indian Reservation and Two Inlets State Forest, approximately six miles (10 km) northeast of Pine Point in Pine Point Township in northeastern Becker County. It flows initially southeastwardly, passing through Straight Lake, then east-southeastwardly into southwestern Hubbard County. It flows into the Fish Hook River in Hubbard Township, approximately four miles (6 km) south of Park Rapids.[7] The river flows in the Northern Lakes and Forests ecoregion, which is characterized by conifer and hardwood forests on flat and rolling till plains and outwash plains.[8]

The Straight River is fed by springs which provide water cold enough to support an abundant trout population, and is known in sport fishing for catches of brown trout exceeding twenty inches (50 cm) in length. The river formerly supported a population of brook trout which declined due to rising water temperatures. In the early 1990s a group of organizations including Trout Unlimited sued the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, seeking heightened protection of the Straight River; the department has since begun scrutinizing the irrigation activities of agricultural operations in the river's watershed, which may threaten the springs feeding cold water to the river.[5][9]

[edit] Flow rate

At the United States Geological Survey's stream gauge in Straight River Township near Park Rapids, the annual mean flow of the river between 1987 and 2005 was 60.8 cubic feet per second (1.72 m³/s). The highest recorded flow during the period was 149 ft³/s (4.22 m³/s) on April 6, 1997. The lowest recorded flow was 21 ft³/s (0.59 m³/s) on November 23, 2003.[2]

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ National Assessment Database: Assessment Data for the State of Minnesota Year 2004. Crow Wing Watershed. United States Environmental Protection Agency. Retrieved on 2007-06-24.
  2. ^ a b c Mitton, G. B.; K. G. Guttormson, G. W. Stratton, E. S. Wakeman. Water Resources Data in Minnesota, Water Year 2005 Annual Report. Straight River near Park Rapids, MN. United States Geological Survey. Retrieved on 2007-06-24.
  3. ^ a b Geographic Names Information System entry for Straight River (Feature ID #652709). Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey. Retrieved on 2007-06-24.
  4. ^ a b Google Earth elevation for GNIS coordinates. Retrieved on 2007-06-24.
  5. ^ a b Waters, Thomas F. (2006). "The Crow Wing: Oxcart to Canoe", The Streams and Rivers of Minnesota. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, pp. 184-194. ISBN 0-8166-0960-8. 
  6. ^ Upham, Warren. Minnesota Place Names: A Geographical Encyclopedia. Hubbard County: Straight River Township. Minnesota Historical Society. Retrieved on 2007-06-24.
  7. ^ a b (1994) Minnesota Atlas & Gazetteer. Yarmouth, Me.: DeLorme, p. 61. ISBN 0-89933-222-6. 
  8. ^ Upper Mississippi River Basin. Upper Mississippi River Basin Water Quality Plan, Headwaters to the Rum River - Anoka, Section III: Upper Mississippi River Basin. Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (2000). Retrieved on 2007-06-24.
  9. ^ Gunderson, Dan. "The Straight River: In the shadow of a corporate farm", Minnesota Public Radio, 2002-05-06. Retrieved on 2007-06-24. 
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