West Fork Little Kanawha River

The West Fork Little Kanawha River is a tributary of the Little Kanawha River, 48.1 miles (77.4 km) long,[3] in west-central West Virginia in the United States. Via the Little Kanawha and Ohio rivers, it is part of the watershed of the Mississippi River, draining an area of 246 square miles (640 km²)[4] in a rural region on the unglaciated portion of the Allegheny Plateau. By drainage area, it is the second-largest tributary of the Little Kanawha River, after the Hughes River.[4]

West Fork Little Kanawha River
West Fork Little Kanawha River in Creston in 2009
The West Fork Little Kanawha River and its watershed
Location
Country	United States
State	West Virginia
Counties	Clay, Calhoun, Roane, Wirt
Physical characteristics
Source
• location	southwest of Nebo, northern Clay County
• coordinates	38.6184296°N 81.0539982°W / 38.6184296; -81.0539982[1]
• elevation	1,178 ft (359 m)[2]
Mouth	Little Kanawha River
• location	Creston, Wirt County
• coordinates	38.9473052°N 81.2717844°W / 38.9473052; -81.2717844[1]
• elevation	623 ft (190 m)[1]
Length	48.1 mi (77.4 km)
Basin size	246 sq mi (640 km^2)
Discharge
• location	Rocksdale
• minimum	0 cu ft/s (0 m^3/s)
• maximum	20,200 cu ft/s (570 m^3/s)
Basin features
Tributaries
• left	Left Fork West Fork Little Kanawha River
• right	Henry Fork

The West Fork rises southwest of the community of Nebo in northern Clay County and flows generally north-northwestward through Calhoun County and along a portion of Calhoun County's western boundary with Roane and Wirt counties, through the communities of Nebo, Stinson, Chloe, Minnora, Orma, Arnoldsburg, and Rocksdale, to its mouth at Creston in southeastern Wirt County, where it flows into the Little Kanawha River from the south. For most of its course upstream of Arnoldsburg, it is paralleled by West Virginia Route 16; for a short distance downstream of Arnoldsburg, it is paralleled by U.S. Route 33.[5]

Among the West Fork's tributaries are the Left Fork West Fork Little Kanawha River, which it collects at Orma; and the Henry Fork, which it collects along the boundary of Roane and Calhoun counties.[5]

According to the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection, approximately 91% of the West Fork's watershed is forested, mostly deciduous. Approximately 8.8% is used for pasture and agriculture.[4]

Flow rate

At the United States Geological Survey's stream gauge on the West Fork at Rocksdale, downstream of the mouth of the Henry Fork, the highest recorded flow during the period 1928–2009 was 20,200 ft³/s (572 m³/s) on April 16, 1939. Periods of no flow were recorded at times during several years.[6]

See also

• List of rivers of West Virginia

References

1. Geographic Names Information System. "Geographic Names Information System entry for West Fork Little Kanawha River (Feature ID #1548928)". Retrieved October 11, 2011.
2. Google Earth elevation for GNIS source coordinates. Retrieved March 15, 2011.
3. United States Environmental Protection Agency. "Watershed Assessment, Tracking & Environmental Results: Assessment Summary for Reporting Year 2008, West Virginia, Little Kanawha Watershed". Archived from the original on October 14, 2011. Retrieved October 13, 2011.
4. West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection. "Little Kanawha River". Watershed Atlas Project. Archived from the original on April 4, 2005. Retrieved October 11, 2011.
5. West Virginia Atlas & Gazetteer. Yarmouth, Me.: DeLorme. 1997. pp. 34, 44. ISBN 0-89933-246-3.
6. "Water-Data Report 2009: 03154000 West Fork Little Kanawha River at Rocksdale, West Virginia" (PDF). United States Geological Survey. 2009. Retrieved October 11, 2011.