Dan River

View of the Dan River, Danville, Virginia

The Dan River flows 214 miles (344 km)[1] in the U.S. states of North Carolina and Virginia. It rises in Patrick County, Virginia, and crosses the state border into Stokes County, North Carolina. It then flows into Rockingham County. From there it goes back into Virginia. It reenters North Carolina near the border between Caswell County and Rockingham County. It flows into northern Caswell County and then back into southern Virginia and finally into Kerr Reservoir on the Roanoke River.

The name of the river was first recorded by William Byrd II in 1728, during an expedition to survey the Virginia border, though Byrd did not explain the reason for the name.[2] A variant name is "South Branch Roanoke River".[3]

In 2014, a large amount of coal ash spilled into the river, prompting a cleanup process costing an estimated $300 million.[4]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "The National Map". U.S. Geological Survey. Archived from the original on April 5, 2012. Retrieved Feb 14, 2011.
  2. ↑ "Early Danville History". Danville Historical Society. Retrieved 10 September 2015.
  3. ↑ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Dan River
  4. ↑ Jarvis, Craig (November 26, 2014). "Dan River coal ash spill damage could top $300 million". News & Observer.

Coordinates: 36°39′22″N 78°35′55″W / 36.65611°N 78.59861°W / 36.65611; -78.59861

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