Clinch River
| Clinch River | |
| River | |
 The Clinch River at Speers Ferry in Scott County, Virginia
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| Country | United States |
|---|---|
| States | Virginia, Tennessee |
| Tributaries | |
| - left | Little River, Beaver Creek |
| - right | Guest River, North Fork Clinch River, Powell River, Coal Creek, Poplar Creek, Emory River |
| Source | Buckhorn Mountain near Tazewell, Virginia |
| - elevation | 2,760 ft (841 m) |
| - coordinates | 37°08′29″N 81°27′41″W / 37.14139°N 81.46139°W |
| Mouth | Tennessee River at Kingston, Tennessee |
| - elevation | 741 ft (226 m) |
| - coordinates | 35°51′48″N 84°31′54″W / 35.86333°N 84.53167°WCoordinates: 35°51′48″N 84°31′54″W / 35.86333°N 84.53167°W |
| Length | 337 mi (542 km) |
| Basin | 4,413 sq mi (11,430 km2) |
| Discharge | for Grissom Island near Tazewell, Tennessee, 159.8 miles (257.2 km) above the mouth |
| - average | 2,100 cu ft/s (59 m3/s) (mean for water years 1918-1983) |
| - max | 98,100 cu ft/s (2,778 m3/s) April 1977 |
| - min | 108 cu ft/s (3.1 m3/s) September 1925 |
 Clinch River watershed
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The Clinch River rises near Tazewell, Virginia, and flows southwest for more than 300 miles (480 km) through the Great Appalachian Valley, gathering various tributaries, including the Powell River, before joining the Tennessee River in Kingston, Tennessee.
The Clinch River is dammed twice: by Norris Dam, the first dam built by the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA); and by the Melton Hill Dam, the only TVA dam with a navigation lock that is not located on the main channel of the Tennessee River.
An important tributary of the Clinch River is the Powell River. The Clinch and Powell River drainage basins are separated by Powell Mountain. Tributaries entering the Clinch River below Norris Dam but above Melton Hill Dam include Coal Creek, Hinds Creek, Bull Run Creek, and Beaver Creek. Poplar Creek enters the river below the Melton Hill Dam.
A peninsula located at the mouth of the Clinch River, called Southwest Point, was the site of an early frontier fort which has been recently reconstructed. This site was important to Native Americans. A treaty between the Cherokees and the white settlers was signed at Southwest Point, allowing the Capital of Tennessee to be moved there. The Tennessee General Assembly fulfilled this requirement technically by meeting in Kingston for one day, and then voting to move the capital city elsewhere.
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Wikipedia