Kansas River
| Kansas River | |
| Kaw River, Padouca River, Riviere de Commanches o Padocas | |
 The Kansas River at De Soto, Kansas
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| Country | United States |
|---|---|
| State | Kansas |
| Tributaries | |
| - left | Republican River, Big Blue River, Delaware River |
| - right | Smoky Hill River, Wakarusa River |
| Source confluence | |
| - location | Junction City, Kansas |
| - elevation | 1,040 ft (317 m) |
| - coordinates | 39°03′35″N 96°48′04″W / 39.05972°N 96.80111°W |
| Mouth | Missouri River |
| - location | Kansas City, Kansas |
| - elevation | 718 ft (219 m) |
| - coordinates | 39°06′55″N 94°36′38″W / 39.11528°N 94.61056°WCoordinates: 39°06′55″N 94°36′38″W / 39.11528°N 94.61056°W |
| Length | 148 mi (238 km) |
| Basin | 60,114 sq mi (155,695 km2) |
| Discharge | |
| - average | 7,240 cu ft/s (205 m3/s) |
| - max | 133,172 cu ft/s (3,771 m3/s) |
| - min | 353 cu ft/s (10 m3/s) |
 Map of the Kansas River drainage basin
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The Kansas River (also known as the Kaw; via French Cansez from kką:ze, the name of the Kaw (or Kansas) tribe) is a river in northeastern Kansas in the United States. It is the southwestern-most part of the Missouri River drainage, which is in turn the northwestern-most portion of the extensive Mississippi River drainage. Its name (and nickname) come from the Kanza (Kaw) people who once inhabited the area. The state of Kansas was named for the river.
The river valley averages 2.6 miles (4.2 km) in width, with the widest points being between Wamego and Rossville, where it is up to 4 miles (6.4 km) wide, then narrowing to 1 mile (1.6 km) or less in places below Eudora. Much of the river's watershed is dammed for flood control, but the Kansas River is generally free-flowing and has only minor obstructions, including diversion weirs and one low-impact hydroelectric dam.
Beginning at the confluence of the Republican and Smoky Hill rivers, just east of aptly named Junction City (1,040 feet or 320 metres), the Kansas River flows some 148 miles (238 km) generally eastward to join the Missouri River at Kaw Point (718 feet or 219 metres) in Kansas City. Dropping 322 feet (98 m) on its journey seaward, the water in the Kansas River falls less than 2 feet per mile (38 cm/km). The Kansas River valley is only 115 miles (185 km) long; the surplus length of the river is due to meandering across the floodplain. The river's course roughly follows the maximum extent of a Pre-Illinoian glaciation, and the river likely began as a path of glacial meltwater drainage.
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Wikipedia