White River (Arkansas)

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White River
The White River at Des Arc, Arkansas
Country	United States
States	Arkansas, Missouri
Major cities	Newport, Batesville, Fayetteville
Length	722 mi (1,162 km)
Watershed	27,765 sq mi (71,911 km²) ^[1]
Discharge at	Devalls Bluff
- average	26,180 cu ft/s (741 m³/s) ^[2]
- maximum	154,000 cu ft/s (4,361 m³/s)
- minimum	3,230 cu ft/s (91 m³/s)
Source	Boston Mountains
- location	Ozark-St. Francis National Forest, Madison County, Arkansas
- coordinates	35°50′20″N 93°36′16″W / 35.83889, -93.60444 ^[3]
- elevation	2,260 ft (689 m) ^[4]
Mouth	Mississippi River
- location	Desha County, Arkansas
- coordinates	33°57′5″N 91°4′53″W / 33.95139, -91.08139 ^[3]
- elevation	188 ft (57 m) ^[5]
Major tributaries
- left	James River, Nork Fork River, Black River
- right	Buffalo River, Little Red River, Bayou des Arc
Map of the White River watershed

The White River is a 722 mile (1,162 km) long river that flows through the U.S. states of Arkansas and Missouri.

1 Course
2 River modifications
3 Tributaries
4 See also
5 References

[edit] Course

The source of the White River is in the Boston Mountains of northwest Arkansas, in the Ozark-St. Francis National Forest southeast of Fayetteville. The upper portions of the river are fast, cold, and clear and are internationally known for producing world-record trout. The river flows northwards from its source in northwest Arkansas, loops up through southwest Missouri near Branson and then travels back into Arkansas and on generally southeast to its mouth at the Mississippi River.

Once the river enters the Mississippi River Delta region near Batesville, Arkansas the river becomes navigable to shallow-draft vessels and its speed decreases considerably. The final 10 miles of the river serves as the final segment of the McClellan-Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System; this part of the channel is deeper than the rest of the river.

Despite being much shorter in length than the Arkansas River, it carries nearly as much water, over 8200 cubic feet per second normally, and as much as 40,000 ft³/s during flooding.

White River near Flippin, AR

[edit] River modifications

A controversial plan to deepen the navigation channel of the river (above the McClellan-Kerr segment) is under consideration though it is opposed by many Arkansans. The lower portion of the river contains a multitude of wildlife species including bear, turkey, songbirds, and over 160 species of fish. More mallard ducks winter on the lower White than any other place in the world.^{[citation needed]} Many residents of Arkansas believe that deepening the navigation channel will adversely affect the wildlife which is a major source of tourism in the area. However, many farmers along parts of the White support the proposal for economic reasons.

Lake Taneycomo was created in 1913 when the Empire District Electric Company built a dam just south of Forsyth, Missouri.^[6] Beaver Lake, Bull Shoals Lake, and Table Rock Lake are reservoirs created by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers under the authority of the Flood Control Act of 1938. A total of eight dams impound the upper White River, six in Arkansas and two in Missouri. The White River National Wildlife Refuge lies along the lower part of the river.