Green River (North Fork Toutle River)

Green River
River
Country United States
State Washington
Counties Lewis, Skamania, Cowlitz
Source Near Spirit Lake
 - location Gifford Pinchot National Forest, Lewis County
 - elevation 4,765 ft (1,452 m)
 - coordinates 46°18′02″N 122°05′33″W / 46.30056°N 122.09250°W [1]
Mouth North Fork Toutle River
 - location Toutle, Cowlitz County
 - elevation 741 ft (226 m)
 - coordinates 46°22′22″N 122°34′57″W / 46.37278°N 122.58250°WCoordinates: 46°22′22″N 122°34′57″W / 46.37278°N 122.58250°W [1]
Length 37.4 mi (60 km)
Basin 131 sq mi (339 km2)
Discharge for near Kid Valley
 - average 479 cu ft/s (14 m3/s) [2]
 - max 14,500 cu ft/s (411 m3/s)
 - min 34.2 cu ft/s (1 m3/s)
Not to be confused with the Green River in King County, Washington.

The Green River is the largest tributary of the North Fork Toutle River in the U.S. state of Washington. Situated near Mount Saint Helens in the Cascade Range in the southern part of the state, it flows generally west through wild forested valleys for 37.4 miles (60.2 km). The river drains more than 130 square miles (340 km2) in parts of three Washington counties.

Along with the Toutle system and the Cowlitz River, the upper part of the Green was heavily affected by the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens.

Course

It rises from snowmelt on the opposite side of a ridge from Spirit Lake, in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest in Skamania County. The river initially flows north, but turns northwest after the confluence with Grizzly Creek. Turning west, it crosses into Lewis County, then back south into Skamania, and almost immediately afterwards flows into Cowlitz County. Shultz Creek enters from the left then Devils Creek from the right. The river empties into the North Fork Toutle River near the unincorporated community of Toutle.[3]

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 "Green River". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey. 1979-09-10. Retrieved 2011-02-11.
  2. "USGS Gage #14240800 on the Green River above Beaver Creek near Kid Valley, WA". National Water Information System. U.S. Geological Survey. 1980–1994. Retrieved 2011-02-11.
  3. USGS Topo Maps for United States (Map). Cartography by United States Geological Survey. ACME Mapper. Retrieved 2011-02-11.