North Fork American River
| North Fork American River | |
|---|---|
Sierra Nevada, Placer County | |
| • coordinates | 39°13′04″N 120°16′28″W / 39.21778°N 120.27444°W[1] |
| • elevation | 7,935 ft (2,419 m) |
| Mouth | Folsom Lake |
• location | Auburn, Placer County |
• coordinates | 38°42′42″N 121°08′44″W / 38.71167°N 121.14556°W[1] |
• elevation | 469 ft (143 m) |
| Length | 88 mi (142 km)[2] |
| Basin size | 996 sq mi (2,580 km2)[3] |
| Discharge | |
| • location | Rattlesnake Bar[3] |
| • average | 2,289 cu ft/s (64.8 m3/s)[3] |
| • minimum | 51 cu ft/s (1.4 m3/s) |
| • maximum | 115,000 cu ft/s (3,300 m3/s) |
The North Fork American River is the longest branch of the
Sierra Nevada, near Lake Tahoe, to its mouth at Folsom Lake northeast of Sacramento.[2] Prior to the construction of Folsom Dam
the river was about 9 miles (14 km) longer making for a total length of 97 miles (156 km).
It rises at
North Fork Dam, built in 1939 to contain hydraulic mining debris.[4]
Below the dam, the river bends south, passing under the Foresthill Bridge, the highest bridge in California, then receives the Middle Fork American River, its largest tributary, from the left. The valley widens as the river flows south past Auburn, soon emptying into the north arm of Folsom Lake, a reservoir formed in 1955 by the Folsom Dam. Its waters merge in the lake with those of the South Fork American River and form the American River, a tributary of the Sacramento River.[4]
See also
- American River topics
- Auburn Dam
- California Gold Rush
- Mountain Quarries Bridge — on the North Fork.
References
- ^ a b "North Fork American River". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. 1981-01-19. Retrieved 2011-05-21.
- ^ a b U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data. The National Map, accessed 2011-05-21
- ^ a b c "USGS Gage #11434000 on the North Fork American River at Rattlesnake Bar, CA". National Water Information System. U.S. Geological Survey. 1930–1955. Retrieved 2011-05-21.
- ^ a b USGS Topo Maps for United States (Map). Cartography by United States Geological Survey. ACME Mapper. Retrieved 2009-10-29.
External links
- North Fork American Wild and Scenic River - BLM page
