West Twin River (Wisconsin)

This article is about the river in central and eastern Wisconsin. For the river in the U.S. state of Washington, see West Twin River (Washington).
West Twin River
East Twin and West Twin rivers meet at the Two Rivers harbor before journeying into Lake Michigan.
West Twin River (Wisconsin) is located in Wisconsin
West Twin River (Wisconsin)
West Twin River (Wisconsin) is located in the United States
West Twin River (Wisconsin)
Location
CountryUnited States
StateWisconsin
Physical characteristics
Source 
 • locationConfluence of the Devils River and the Neshota River[1]
 • coordinates44°17′51″N 87°46′18″W / 44.2974944°N 87.7717564°W / 44.2974944; -87.7717564
Mouth 
 • location
Confluence with the East Twin River at Two Rivers, Wisconsin
 • coordinates
44°08′42″N 87°33′45″W / 44.1449957°N 87.5625810°W / 44.1449957; -87.5625810
 • elevation
581 feet (177 m)
Length18.5 miles (29.8 km)
Basin size176 square miles (460 km2)
Basin features
ProgressionSouth-southeast and east
River systemWest Twin River

The West Twin River, formerly the Neshota River, is an 18.5-mile-long (29.8 km)[2] river in east-central Wisconsin that is a tributary to Lake Michigan. It merges with the East Twin River in the city of Two Rivers, Wisconsin, less than a mile from the lakeshore. The source of the river is in southeast Brown County, near Richard J. Drum Memorial Forest. It is formed by the confluence of the Devils River and the Neshota River.[3] On its course it passes through the unincorporated communities of Kingsbridge and Shoto.

About 6 miles (10 km) upstream from its mouth, the West Twin River is blocked by Shoto Dam, which divides the river into upper and lower reaches.[4] The river below Shoto Dam is broad, shallow, and slow and the water quality is poor, while above the dam it is narrow, deep, and fast-flowing with good to excellent water quality.[4] Shoto Dam creates a 55-acre (22 ha) reservoir known as Shoto Lake.[5]

  1. ^ "Feature Detail Report for: West Twin River". USGNIS. U.S. Department of the Interior. Retrieved 30 November 2020.
  2. ^ U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data. The National Map, accessed December 19, 2011
  3. ^ Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, West Twin River Watershed, June 2010, p. 4.
  4. ^ a b Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, West Twin River Watershed, June 2010, p. 5.
  5. ^ Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, West Twin River Watershed, June 2010, p. 7.