List of U.S. rivers by discharge

This is a list of rivers in the continental United States by average discharge (streamflow) in cubic feet per second. All rivers with average discharge more than 15,000 cubic feet per second are listed. Estimates are approximate, because data are variable with time period measured and also because many rivers lack a gauging station near their point of outflow.

No  | River | Length (km)  | Length (miles)  | Average discharge (cf/s)  | Outflow

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1  | Mississippi River | 3,730 | 2,320 | 593,000[1] | Gulf of Mexico
2  | Ohio River | 1,575[2] | 979[2] | 281,500[3] | Mississippi River
3  | St. Lawrence River | 965[2] | 600 | 348,000[1] (275,000 at U.S.-Canada boundary)  | Gulf of Saint Lawrence
4  | Columbia River | 2,000[2] | 1,243[2] | 273,000[2] | Pacific Ocean
5  | Yukon River | 3,185[2] | 1,980[2] | 227,000[1] | Bering Sea
6  | Atchafalaya River | 220 | 137 | 225,000[1] | Gulf of Mexico
7  | Niagara River | 58 | 36 | 204,700[1] | Lake Ontario
8  | Detroit River | 51 | 32 | 188,000[1] | Lake Erie
9  | St. Clair River | 63 | 39 | 183,000[1] | Lake St. Clair
10  | Missouri River | 3,767[2] | 2,341[2] | 86,300 | Mississippi River
11  | St. Marys River | 120 | 75 | 75,000[1] | Lake Huron-Lake Michigan
12  | Tennessee River | 1,049 | 652 | 68,000[1] | Ohio River
13  | Mobile River | 72 | 45 | 67,000[1] | Gulf of Mexico
14  | Kuskokwim River | 1,130[2] | 702[2] | 67,000[1] | Bering Sea
15  | Red River | 2,190 | 1,360 | 58,000[1] | Atchafalaya River
16  | Copper River | 470 | 290 | 57,400[1] | Gulf of Alaska
17  | Snake River | 1,674[2] | 1,040[2] | 55,000[4] | Columbia River
18  | Stikine River | 610 | 379 | 56,000[1] | Pacific Ocean
19  | Susitna River | 504 | 313 | 51,000[1] | Gulf of Alaska
20  | Arkansas River | 2,322[2] | 1,443[2] | 44,500[5] | Mississippi River
21  | Tanana River | 940[2] | 584[2] | 41,800[2] | Yukon River
22  |  Saint John River | 673 [6] | 418 [6] | 38,800 [6] | Bay of Fundy
23  | Susquehanna River | 747 | 464 | 38,200[1] | Chesapeake Bay
24  | Willamette River | 301 | 187 | 37,400[1] | Columbia River
25  | Wabash River | 810[2] | 503[2] | 34,500[7] | Ohio River
26  | Alabama River | 512 | 318 | 32,500[8] | Mobile River
27  | Nushagak River | 450 | 280 | 32,000?[9] | Bering Sea
28  | Alsek River | 386 | 240 | 31,000[10] | Gulf of Alaska
29  | Cumberland River | 1,120[2] | 696[2] | 30,000?  | Ohio River
30  | Black River-Ouachita River | 974[2] | 605[2] | 29,800[2] | Red River
31  | White River | 1,159[2] | 720[2] | 29,500[11] | Mississippi River
32  | Pend Oreille River | 210 | 130 | 27,000[12] | Columbia River
33  | Tombigbee River | 320 | 200 | 26,300[8] | Mobile River
34  | Koyukuk River | 684 | 425 | 25,000?[13] | Yukon River
35  | Illinois River | 439 | 273 | 24,000[14] | Mississippi River
36  | Sacramento River | 719 | 447 | 23,500[15] | Pacific Ocean
37  | Porcupine River | 916 | 569 | 23,000[1] | Yukon River
38  | Colorado River | 2,330[2] | 1,450[2] | 22,000[1] | Gulf of California
39  | Clark Fork River | 500 | 310 | 21,900[16] | Pend Oreille River
40  | Hudson River | 507 | 315 | 21,900[17] | Atlantic Ocean
41  | Yentna River | 121 | 75 | 21,000?[10] | Susitna River
42  | Chitina River | 180 | 112 | 20,000?  | Copper River
43  | Allegheny River | 523 | 320 | 19,900[18] | Ohio River
44  | Apalachicola River | 80 | 50 | 19,602[19] | Gulf of Mexico
45  | Connecticut River | 655 | 407 | 18,400 | Atlantic Ocean
46  | Kvichak River | 80 | 50 | 17,900[10] | Bering Sea
47  | Klamath River | 423 | 263 | 17,300[20] | Pacific Ocean
48  | Santee River | 230 | 143 | 17,000(approx.)[9] | Atlantic Ocean
49  | Skagit River | 240 | 150 | 16,500 | Pacific Ocean
50  | Kootenai (Kootenay) River | 781 | 485 | 27,600 (approx. 16,000? at U.S.-Canada boundary)  | Columbia River
51  | Coosa River | 450 | 280 | 16,000[21] | Alabama River
52  | Kanawha River | 156 | 97 | 16,000[22] | Ohio River
53  | Clearwater River | 120 | 75 | 15,300[23] | Snake River
54  | Kobuk River | 451 | 280 | 15,300[10] | Bering Sea
55  | St. Johns River | 500 | 310 | 15,000?  | Atlantic Ocean
56  | Pee Dee River | 373 | 232 | 15,000?[9] | Atlantic Ocean

## See also

[edit]

* List of longest rivers in the United States by state
* List of rivers by discharge

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s U.S. Geological Survey (1992). "Largest Rivers in the United States" (PDF).
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad Benke, Arthur C., ed., and Cushing, Colbert E., ed. Rivers of North America. Burlington, Mass.: Elsevier Academic Press. `{{cite book}}`: `|author=` has generic name (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
3. ^ Leeden, Frits van der (1990). The Water Encyclopedia (2nd ed.). Chelsea, Mich.: Lewis Publishers. p. 126. ISBN 0-87371-120-3.
4. ^ "Snake River below Ice Harbor Dam, WA" (PDF). National Water Information System. United States Geological Survey. 1963–2000. Retrieved 20 April 2011.
5. ^ U.S. Geological Survey (1949). "Large Rivers of the United States, Circular 44" (PDF).
6. ^ a b c "Saint John River". The Canadian Encyclopedia. Archived from the original on 27 December 2018. Retrieved 27 December 2018.
7. ^ "USGS Water Data for Indiana".
8. ^ a b "USGS Water Data for Alabama".
9. ^ a b c ""U.S. Geological Survey National Water Summary 1985: State Summaries of Surface-Water Resources". 1987.
10. ^ a b c d "USGS Water Data for Alaska".
11. ^ "USGS Water Data for Arkansas".
12. ^ "USGS Gage #12396500 on the Pend Oreille River below Box Canyon, near Ione, WA" (PDF). National Water Information System. U.S. Geological Survey. 1952–2013. Retrieved 2014-10-13.
13. ^ "U.S. Geological Survey National Water Summary 1985: State Summaries of Surface-Water Resources". 1987.
14. ^ "USGS Gage #05586100 on the Illinois River at Valley City, IL" (PDF). National Water Information System. U.S. Geological Survey. 1939–2012. Retrieved 2013-11-09.
15. ^ "USGS Gage #11447650 on the Sacramento River at Freeport, CA (Water-Data Report 2009)" (PDF). Water Resources of the United States. U.S. Geological Survey.
16. ^ "Montana Water Resources Data 2004"., file "Mill Creek above Bassoo Creek, near Niarada to Clark Fork at Whitehorse Rapids, near Cabinet, ID" (PDF)..
17. ^ "Estimates of monthly and annual net discharge, in cubic feet per second, of Hudson River at New York, N.Y." United States Geological Survey. October 15, 2010. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved December 30, 2014.
18. ^ http://wdr.water.usgs.gov/wy2009/pdfs/03049500.2009.pdf [bare URL PDF]
19. ^ "The Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint (ACF) River National Water Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Program study".
20. ^ "Water-Data Report 2013: 11530500 Klamath River near Klamath, CA" (PDF). U.S. Geological Survey.
21. ^ "Water resources data for the United States, Water Year 2009; gage 02411000, Coosa River at Jordan Dam near Wetumpka, AL" (PDF). USGS.
22. ^ United States Geological Survey; USGS 03193000 KANAWHA RIVER AT KANAWHA FALLS, WV.
23. ^ "USGS Gage #13343000 on the Clearwater River near Lewiston". United States Geological Survey National Water Information System.