East Fork Carson River
Rafting the East Fork of the Carson River
Map of the Carson River watershed
Location
CountryUnited States
StateCalifornia, Nevada
Physical characteristics
SourceSierra Nevada
 • locationAlpine County, California
 • coordinates38°21′41″N 119°37′36″W / 38.36139°N 119.62667°W / 38.36139; -119.62667[1]
 • elevation10,312 ft (3,143 m)
MouthCarson River
 • location
Douglas County, Nevada
 • coordinates
38°59′27″N 119°49′29″W / 38.99083°N 119.82472°W / 38.99083; -119.82472[1]
 • elevation
4,675 ft (1,425 m)
Length61 mi (98 km)[2]
Basin size392 sq mi (1,020 km2)[3]
Discharge 
 • locationnear Gardnerville, NV[4]
 • average376 cu ft/s (10.6 m3/s)[5]
 • minimum11 cu ft/s (0.31 m3/s)
 • maximum20,300 cu ft/s (570 m3/s)

The East Fork Carson River is the largest tributary of the Carson River, flowing through California and Nevada in the western United States. The north-flowing river is 61 miles (98 km) long[3] and drains a mostly rural, mountainous watershed of 392 square miles (1,020 km2).[3]

Description

The river originates at Sonora Peak, in the Sierra Nevada in Alpine County, California. The headwaters of the river are in the Carson-Iceberg Wilderness of the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest. It flows north through a U-shaped glacial canyon, dropping over Carson Falls, then continues to the Silver King Valley, where it meets Silver King Creek and turns northwest, flowing to Centerville Flat where it is joined by Silver Creek and turns north. Between here and Markleeville, California the river canyon is followed by parts of SR 4 and SR 89, the Alpine State Highway. At Markleeville it receives a major tributary, Markleeville Creek, before flowing north into Douglas County, Nevada. In Nevada the river enters the agricultural Carson Valley and passes through the Washoe Indian Reservation, past Dresslerville, Gardnerville and Minden. It joins with the West Fork Carson River on the western edge of the valley, near Genoa to form the Carson River.[6] Below this confluence the Carson River continues 131 miles (211 km) to its eventual terminus in the Carson Sink in Churchill County, Nevada.[7]

The United States Bureau of Reclamation (USBR) proposed their intention in 1962 to build a $23 million dam to both provide irrigation water for a Carson canal, and generate 800 kW of power. The waters from the dam would have extended nine miles into California. Neither the canal nor dam was never built.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "East Fork Carson River". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. 1981-01-19. Retrieved 2016-12-08.
  2. ↑ "USGS National Atlas Streamer". United States Geological Survey. Archived from the original on 2014-05-28. Retrieved 2016-12-08.
  3. 1 2 3 "USGS Gage #10309100 on the East Fork Carson River at Minden, NV". National Water Information System. U.S. Geological Survey. 1974–1998. Retrieved 2016-12-08.
  4. ↑ "USGS Gage #10309000 on the East Fork Carson River near Gardnerville, NV" (PDF). National Water Information System. U.S. Geological Survey. 1939–2013. Retrieved 2016-12-08.
  5. ↑ "USGS Gage #10309000 on the East Fork Carson River near Gardnerville, NV" (PDF). National Water Information System. U.S. Geological Survey. 1939–2013. Retrieved 2016-12-08.
  6. ↑ USGS Topo Maps for United States (Map). Cartography by United States Geological Survey. ACME Mapper. Retrieved 2016-12-08.
  7. ↑ "Carson River Atlas" (PDF). California Department of Water Resources. State of Nevada Division of Water Resources. December 1991. Retrieved 2016-12-08.

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