| Blue Earth River Makhátho Wakpá, Makato Osa Watapa | |
|---|---|
 The Blue Earth River as viewed from Rapidan Dam in Blue Earth County in 2007 | |
 | |
| Etymology | English translation of the Dakota name for the river's blue-green clay |
| Location | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Iowa, Minnesota |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | Middle Branch Blue Earth River |
| • location | near Rake, Winnebago County, Iowa |
| • coordinates | 43°27′30″N 93°48′04″W / 43.45833°N 93.80111°W[1] |
| • elevation | 1,207 ft (368 m)[2] |
| 2nd source | West Branch Blue Earth River |
| • location | near Swea City, Kossuth County, Iowa |
| • coordinates | 43°24′13″N 94°17′38″W / 43.40361°N 94.29389°W[3] |
| • elevation | 1,152 ft (351 m)[2] |
| Source confluence | |
| • location | Elmore Township, Faribault County, Minnesota |
| • coordinates | 43°34′20″N 94°06′11″W / 43.57222°N 94.10306°W[4] |
| • elevation | 1,076 ft (328 m)[2] |
| Mouth | Minnesota River |
• location | Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minnesota |
• coordinates | 44°09′51″N 94°02′13″W / 44.16417°N 94.03694°W[4] |
• elevation | 765 ft (233 m)[2] |
| Length | 108 mi (174 km)[5] |
| Basin size | 3,486 sq mi (9,030 km2)[6] |
| Discharge | |
| • location | Rapidan Township, Minnesota[7] |
| • average | 1,076 cu ft/s (30.5 m3/s)[8] |
| • minimum | 6.9 cu ft/s (0.20 m3/s) |
| • maximum | 43,100 cu ft/s (1,220 m3/s) |
| Basin features | |
| Tributaries | |
| • left | Watonwan River |
| • right | East Branch Blue Earth River, Le Sueur River |
The Blue Earth River (Dakota: Makhátho Wakpá) is a tributary of the Minnesota River, 108 miles (174 km) long, in southern Minnesota in the United States. Two of its headwaters tributaries, the Middle Branch Blue Earth River and the West Branch Blue Earth River, also flow for short distances in northern Iowa. By volume, it is the Minnesota River's largest tributary, accounting for 46% of the Minnesota's flow at the rivers' confluence in Mankato.[6] Via the Minnesota River, the Blue Earth River is part of the watershed of the Mississippi River, draining an area of 3,486 square miles (9,030 km2) in an agricultural region. Ninety percent of the river's watershed is in Minnesota.[6] It is a Minnesota Department of Natural Resources designated Water Trail.
- ^ "Geographic Names Information System entry for Middle Branch Blue Earth River (Feature ID #459026)". Geographic Names Information System. Retrieved 2007-06-09.
- ^ a b c d Google Earth elevation for GNIS coordinates. Retrieved on 2007-06-09.
- ^ "Geographic Names Information System entry for West Branch Blue Earth River (Feature ID #653931)". Geographic Names Information System. Retrieved 2007-06-09.
- ^ a b "Geographic Names Information System entry for Blue Earth River (Feature ID #640285)". Geographic Names Information System. Retrieved 2007-06-09.
- ^ "National Assessment Database: Assessment Data for the State of Minnesota Year 2004". United States Environmental Protection Agency. pp. Blue Earth Watershed. Archived from the original on 2007-07-07. Retrieved 2007-06-09.
- ^ a b c "Watersheds of the Minnesota River Basin". Minnesota Pollution Control Agency. 2005-12-01. pp. Minnesota River Basin: Blue Earth, Watonwan, and Le Sueur River Watersheds. Archived from the original on 2007-02-05. Retrieved 2007-06-09.
- ^ Mitton, G. B.; K. G. Guttormson; G. W. Stratton; E. S. Wakeman. "Water Resources Data in Minnesota, Water Year 2005 Annual Report". United States Geological Survey. pp. Blue Earth River near Rapidan, MN. Retrieved 2007-06-09.
- ^ Mitton, G. B.; K. G. Guttormson; G. W. Stratton; E. S. Wakeman. "Water Resources Data in Minnesota, Water Year 2005 Annual Report". United States Geological Survey. pp. Blue Earth River near Rapidan, MN. Retrieved 2007-06-09.