White River (Missouri River tributary) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids White River |
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White River at the U.S. Highway 20 crossing west of Crawford in northwest Nebraska
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White River watershed
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 Location of the mouth of the White River in South Dakota
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| Country | United States |
| State | Nebraska, South Dakota |
| County | Dawes, Oglala Lakota, Pennington, Jackson, Jones, Mellette, Tripp, Lyman |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Main source | Pine Ridge near Harrison, Dawes County, Nebraska 4,861 ft (1,482 m) 42°41′10″N 103°50′14″W / 42.68611°N 103.83722°W |
| River mouth | Missouri River near Chamberlain, Lyman County, South Dakota 1,601 ft (488 m) 43°42′50″N 99°28′01″W / 43.71389°N 99.46694°W |
| Length | 580 mi (930 km) |
| Basin features | |
| Basin size | 10,200 sq mi (26,000 km2) |
The White River is a Missouri River tributary that flows 580 miles (930 km) through the U.S. states of Nebraska and South Dakota. The name stems from the water's white-gray color, a function of eroded sand, clay, and volcanic ash carried by the river from its source near the Badlands. Draining a basin of about 10,200 square miles (26,000 km2), about 8,500 square miles (22,000 km2) of which is in South Dakota, the stream flows through a region of sparsely populated hills, plateaus, and badlands.
Aerial view from the south of the Missouri River in South Dakota, where the much smaller White River flows into it from the west. The Interstate 90 bridge is visible in the distance.
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The White River rises in northwestern Nebraska, in the Pine Ridge escarpment north of Harrison, at an elevation of 4,861 feet (1,482 m) above sea level. It flows southeast then northeast past Fort Robinson and north of Crawford. It crosses into southwestern South Dakota and flows north across the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, then northeast, receiving Wounded Knee Creek and flowing between units of Badlands National Park. It flows east-northeast and southeast at the northern edge of the reservation, forming the northern boundary of the reservation and the southern boundary of Buffalo Gap National Grassland. It receives the Little White River about 15 miles (24 km) south of Murdo, and flows east to join the Missouri in Lake Francis Case about 15 miles (24 km) southwest of Chamberlain.
The river sometimes has no surface flow due to the dry climate surrounding its badlands and prairie basin, though thunderstorms can cause brief intense flow. The river near Chamberlain flows year-round. As of 2001, the White River had generally good-quality water.
Industrial use
As of November 2019, TC Energy was applying for permits in the state to tap the White River to use water for the construction of Phase 4 of the Keystone pipeline, including camp construction to house transient construction workers.
See also
In Spanish: Río White (Dakota del Sur) para niños
