Laurel River

Not to be confused with Laurel Fork (Cheat River).
Laurel River
Laurel River Dam
Mouth Cumberland River
Progression Cumberland—Ohio—Mississippi
Length 42 mi (68 km)
Mouth elevation 722 ft (220 m)
Avg. discharge 498 cu ft/s (14.1 m3/s)
Basin area 291 sq mi (750 km2)

The Laurel River is a 42-mile (68 km)[1] tributary of the Cumberland River in southeast Kentucky in the United States. The river drains a rural region in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, in parts of Whitley and Laurel Counties.[2] The town of Corbin is located on the river about 15 miles (24 km) east of its mouth on the Cumberland, and near the confluence with a major tributary, the Little Laurel River.

The river is impounded near its mouth by Laurel River Dam, which forms Laurel River Lake. Completed in 1974 by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the dam and reservoir serve mainly for flood control, although some hydroelectricity is also produced.

The river was likely named for thick growth of laurel along its banks.[3]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "USGS National Atlas Streamer". United States Geological Survey. Retrieved 2013-11-09.
  2. ↑ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Laurel River
  3. ↑ Collins, Lewis (1877). History of Kentucky. p. 458.

Coordinates: 36°56′46″N 84°17′46″W / 36.94611°N 84.29611°W