Blackwater River (West Virginia)

"Little Blackwater River" redirects here. For the river in Maryland, see Little Blackwater River (Maryland).
Blackwater River
Blackwater River in Blackwater Canyon viewed from Lindy Point in Blackwater Falls State Park
Map of the Monongahela River basin, with the Blackwater River highlighted.
Location
CountryUnited States
StateWest Virginia
CountyTucker
Physical characteristics
SourceCanaan Mountain
 • locationTucker County, WV
 • coordinates39°03′39″N 79°29′04″W / 39.06083°N 79.48444°W / 39.06083; -79.48444[1]
 • elevation3,594 ft (1,095 m)[2]
MouthBlack Fork
 • location
Hendricks, WV
 • coordinates
39°04′20″N 79°37′45″W / 39.07222°N 79.62917°W / 39.07222; -79.62917
 • elevation
1,690 ft (520 m)[1]
Length34 mi (55 km)
Basin size142 sq mi (370 km2)
Discharge 
 • locationDavis, WV[3]
 • average189 cu ft/s (5.4 m3/s)[3]
 • minimum22 cu ft/s (0.62 m3/s)(1930)
 • maximum12,500 cu ft/s (350 m3/s)(1929)
Basin features
Tributaries 
 • rightNorth Branch Blackwater River, Little Blackwater River

The Blackwater River is a 34.3-mile-long (55.2 km) river[4] in the Allegheny Mountains of eastern West Virginia, USA. Via the Black Fork, it is a principal tributary of the Cheat River. Via the Cheat, the Monongahela and the Ohio rivers, it is part of the watershed of the Mississippi River and drains an area of 142 square miles (370 km2). It is a true blackwater stream, owing to spruce and hemlock trees in its watershed, the tannins of which impart a tea or amber color to its water.[5]

  1. ^ a b "Blackwater River". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved 2008-05-30.
  2. ^ "Blackwater River Source". Elevation Query. U.S. Geological Survey. Archived from the original on March 1, 2012. Retrieved May 27, 2010.
  3. ^ a b "USGS 03066000 BLACKWATER R AT DAVIS, WV". U.S. Geological Survey. Retrieved 2008-05-30.
  4. ^ U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data. The National Map Archived 2012-03-29 at the Wayback Machine, accessed August 15, 2011
  5. ^ Hissom, Patricia. 2006. "Blackwater River." The West Virginia Encyclopedia. Ken Sullivan, editor. Charleston, WV: West Virginia Humanities Council. ISBN 0-9778498-0-5.