Satsop River

Satsop River
Satsop River is located in Washington (state)
Satsop River
Location of the mouth of the Satsop River in Washington
Location
CountryUnited States
StateWashington
CountyGrays Harbor
Physical characteristics
SourceConfluence of East and West Forks
 • coordinates47°2′11″N 123°31′38″W / 47.03639°N 123.52722°W / 47.03639; -123.52722[1]
MouthChehalis River
 • coordinates
46°58′44″N 123°28′53″W / 46.97889°N 123.48139°W / 46.97889; -123.48139[1]
 • elevation
23 ft (7.0 m)[1]
Length6.5 mi (10.5 km)[2]
Basin size291 sq mi (750 km2)[3]
Discharge 
 • locationriver mile 2.3 near Satsop, WA[4]
 • average2,039 cu ft/s (57.7 m3/s)[4]
 • minimum147 cu ft/s (4.2 m3/s)
 • maximum51,800 cu ft/s (1,470 m3/s)

The Satsop River is a stream in the U.S. state of Washington. It has three main tributary forks, the East Fork, West Fork, and Middle Fork Satsop Rivers. The main stem Satsop River is formed by the confluence of the West and East Forks. The Middle Fork is a tributary of the East Fork. The three forks are much longer than the main stem Satsop itself, which flows south from the confluence only a few miles to join the Chehalis River near Satsop, Washington. Other significant tributaries include the Canyon River and Little River, both tributaries of the West Fork Satsop, and Decker Creek, a tributary of the East Fork Satsop River. The Satsop River's major tributaries originate in the Olympic Mountains and its southern foothills, the Satsop Hills, within Grays Harbor and Mason counties. Most of the Satsop River's watershed consists of heavily wooded hill lands. The upper tributaries extend into Olympic National Forest, approaching but not quite reaching Olympic National Park.

The Satsop River watershed is located east of the Wynoochee River and south of the Skokomish River watersheds.

  1. ^ a b c U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Satsop River
  2. ^ Calculated in Google Earth; length of main stem Satsop only; length including West Fork Satsop, the longest tributary, is 50.5 mi (81.3 km).
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference crc was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ a b "Water Resources Data-Washington Water Year 2005; Chehalis and Humptulips River Basins; 12035000 Satsop River near Satsop, WA" (PDF). United States Geological Survey. Retrieved 6 July 2009.