Raccoon River

Raccoon River
River
The Raccoon River at Van Meter
Country US
State Iowa
Districts Polk County, Iowa, Dallas County, Iowa
Tributaries
 - left South Raccoon River
 - right North Raccoon River
Source
 - elevation 850 ft (259 m)
 - coordinates 41°32′38″N 93°58′01″W / 41.544°N 93.967°W / 41.544; -93.967
Mouth Des Moines River
 - location Des Moines, Iowa
 - elevation 761 ft (232 m)
 - coordinates 41°34′44″N 93°36′43″W / 41.579°N 93.612°W / 41.579; -93.612Coordinates: 41°34′44″N 93°36′43″W / 41.579°N 93.612°W / 41.579; -93.612
Map of the Raccoon River watershed
"Feature Detail Report for: Raccoon River". USGS Geographic Names Information System. USGS. 30 April 1979. Retrieved 18 September 2009. 

The Raccoon River is a 30.8-mile-long (49.6 km)[1] tributary of the Des Moines River in central Iowa in the United States. As measured using the longest of its three forks, its length increases to 226 miles (364 km).[1] Via the Des Moines River, it is part of the watershed of the Mississippi River. The river runs through an intensely cultivated area of croplands and livestock farming, receiving Tile drainage from slow-draining rich natural bottomlands.

The Des Moines metropolitan area has been obtaining its drinking water from the Raccoon River just before it empties into the Des Moines River through water utilities since the 19th century. During the Great Flood of 1993, the Raccoon River flooded the water treatment facility of Des Moines, shutting off the city's supply of drinking water.

History

Excerpt of the Racoon River on the Map of Lewis and Clark's Track, Across the Western Portion of North America, 1814

The Racoon River was first documented on the 1814 map by Lewis and Clark, though the USGS references the name to a later map from 1843 named Hydrological Basin of the Upper Mississippi River based on field measurements by Joseph N. Nicollet during his Midwestern expeditions in the 1830´s.[2]

Course

The Raccoon River is a 30.8-mile-long (49.6 km)[1] tributary of the Des Moines River in central Iowa in the United States. It flows for much of its length as three streams and when measured using the longest of its three forks, its length increases to 226 miles (364 km).[1] The river runs through an intensely cultivated area of croplands mostly of corn and soy and livestock farming, where slow-draining rich natural bottomlands have been tiled to drain them for agricultural cultivation.[3]

The north and south forks join in Dallas County just west of Van Meter, and the Raccoon River flows generally eastwardly into Polk County, past Walnut Woods State Park and West Des Moines. It joins the Des Moines River just south of downtown Des Moines and is part of the watershed of the Mississippi River.

Raccoon River viewed upstream from its mouth in Des Moines. Principal Park is at right.

Drinking water use

Both Racoon and Des Moines rivers have been providing drinking water for the Des Moines metropolitan area through water utilities since the 19th century. During the Great Flood of 1993, the Raccoon River flooded the water treatment facility of Des Moines, shutting off the city's drinking water supply.

Agricultural pollution

Spring thaws, as in the spring of 2013, and rainy spells after drought wash nitrate from fertilizer into the river. On November 20, 2014 nitrates spiked at 13.7 parts per million (ppm), making the water unsafe for pregnant women and infants. (The US Environmental Protection Agency requires officials to inform the public about safety risks at 10 ppm.) At the time, these were the highest readings in the nation.[3]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data. The National Map, accessed May 26, 2011
  2. ↑ Nicollet, Joseph Nicholas; Frémont, John Charles (December 1843). "Hydrographical basin of the upper Mississippi River from astronomical and barometrical observations, surveys, and information.". Washington: by order of the U.S. Senate. p. 1.
  3. 1 2 David Pitt (AP) "Des Moines struggling with nitrates in water ": accessed 21 November 2013.
  4. 1 2 3 http://www.iowadnr.gov/portals/idnr/uploads/riverprograms/map_raccoon%20north%20south%20and%20middle.pdf?amp;tabid=868 Expedition and Fishing Guide IA Department of Natural Resources (DNR) website retrieved April 28, 2013
  5. ↑ http://www2.mvr.usace.army.mil/WaterControl/stationinfo2.cfm?sid=REDI4&fid=REDI4&dt=S South Raccoon River gage at Redfield Rivergages website retrieved February 19, 2010

Sources

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