User:Shannon1/Sandbox 3

Feather River
The Feather River above its confluence with the Bear River
Map of the Feather River drainage basin, with the artificially connected Butte Creek and Sutter Basin indicated in yellow
Location
Country	United States
State	California
Physical characteristics
Source	North Fork Feather River
• location	Lassen Volcanic National Park, Plumas County
• coordinates	40°21′47″N 121°27′05″W / 40.36306°N 121.45139°W / 40.36306; -121.45139[1]
• elevation	5,436 ft (1,657 m)[2]
2nd source	Middle Fork Feather River
• location	Sierra Valley, Plumas County
• coordinates	39°48′49″N 120°22′46″W / 39.81361°N 120.37944°W / 39.81361; -120.37944[3]
• elevation	4,872 ft (1,485 m)[4]
Source confluence	Lake Oroville source_confluence_location = Upstream of Oroville Dam
• coordinates	39°32′14″N 121°29′00″W / 39.53722°N 121.48333°W / 39.53722; -121.48333
• elevation	902 ft (275 m)[5]
Mouth	Sacramento River
• location	Verona, Sutter County
• coordinates	38°47′08″N 121°37′17″W / 38.78556°N 121.62139°W / 38.78556; -121.62139[6]
• elevation	26 ft (7.9 m)[6]
Length	73 mi (117 km)[7]
Basin size	6,200 sq mi (16,000 km2)[8]
Discharge
• location	Nicolaus
• average	8,537 cu ft/s (241.7 m3/s)[9]
• minimum	150 cu ft/s (4.2 m3/s)
• maximum	357,000 cu ft/s (10,100 m3/s)

The Feather River is a major river in Northern California and is the principal tributary of the Sacramento River. The river is fed by several forks that drain a large area of the northern Sierra Nevada before combining at Lake Oroville, the reservoir formed by Oroville Dam. The Feather River proper then flows southwards through the Sacramento Valley from Oroville to join the Sacramento River at Verona, about 20 miles (32 km) northeast of downtown Sacramento. The main stem of the Feather River is 73 miles (117 km) long; measured to the head of its longest tributary, it is nearly 215 miles (346 km) long.^[7] The Feather River drainage basin includes parts of nine California counties; the main stem of the river flows through Butte, Yuba and Sutter counties. The Feather River is the only river system that cuts across the Sierra Nevada, with some of its tributaries originating east of the Sierra Crest in the Diamond Mountains.^[10]: 133

Historically, the Feather River basin was primarily Maidu territory although the Paiute and Washoe also used the area for hunting. The river and its tributaries were a major center of mining during the California Gold Rush in the 1850s and were settled by Europeans soon afterward. The river was a major transporation corridor across the northern Sierra for Native Americans and early explorers, and in 1909 the Feather River Route, following the North Fork canyon, became the second railroad to cross the Sierra Nevada. The Feather River and its tributaries have experienced significant environmental damage from mining, timber harvesting, livestock grazing, and other economic activities in the decades since the gold rush era, with high turbidity being a continuing concern for its impacts on fish habitat and flooding.

The Feather is one of the largest rivers in California by volume, with an average annual flow exceeding 7 million acre feet (8.65 billion m³).^[11] The river's water has been used for irrigation and mining in the Sacramento Valley since the mid-19th century, and for hydroelectricity generation since the early 20th century. As the primary source of water for the California State Water Project, the Feather provides water for the San Joaquin Valley and Southern California.