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Jordan River (Utah)

Jordan River
Proveau's Fork, West Jordan River
A photo of a river in the foreground and hills in the background. A small dam or diversion is in the center of the photo where a canal flows off from the river.
Dam at Jordan River Narrows in 1901
Name origin: Named after the Jordan River
Country United States
State Utah
Counties Utah, Salt Lake
Source Utah Lake
 - elevation 4,489 ft (1,368 m) (compromise level)
 - coordinates 40°21′34″N 111°53′40″W / 40.35944°N 111.89444°W / 40.35944; -111.89444 
Mouth Great Salt Lake
 - elevation 4,200 ft (1,280 m) (historical average)
 - coordinates 40°53′52″N 111°58′25″W / 40.89778°N 111.97361°W / 40.89778; -111.97361Coordinates: 40°53′52″N 111°58′25″W / 40.89778°N 111.97361°W / 40.89778; -111.97361 
Length 51.4 mi (83 km)
Basin 791 sq mi (2,049 km2)
Discharge mouth
 - average 524 cu ft/s (15 m3/s)
A map of Salt Lake County showing a river running from a lake in the south to a lake in the north. Canals branch off the river. Other creeks enter from the east. In the lower right corner is a map of Utah with a colored-in portion in the northern middle showing the location of Salt Lake County.
Map of the Jordan Subbasin and the location of Salt Lake County in Utah (inset)

The Jordan River, in the state of Utah, United States, is a river about 51 miles (82 km) long. Regulated by pumps at its headwaters at Utah Lake, it flows northward through the Salt Lake Valley and empties into the Great Salt Lake. Four of Utah's six largest cities border the river: Salt Lake City, West Valley City, West Jordan and Sandy. More than a million people live in the Jordan Subbasin, which is the part of the Jordan River watershed that lies within Salt Lake and Utah counties. During the , the area was part of Lake Bonneville.

Members of the Desert Archaic Culture were the earliest known inhabitants of the region; an archaeological site found along the river dates back 3,000 years. Mormon pioneers led by Brigham Young were the first European American settlers, arriving in July 1847 and establishing farms and settlements along the river and its tributaries. The growing population, needing water for drinking, irrigation, and industrial use in an arid climate, dug ditches and canals, built dams, and installed pumps to create a highly regulated river.

Although the Jordan was originally a cold-water fishery with 13 native species including Bonneville cutthroat trout, it has become a warm-water fishery where the common carp is most abundant. It was heavily polluted for many years by raw sewage, agricultural runoff, and mining wastes. In the 1960s, sewage treatment removed many pollutants. In the 21st century, pollution is further limited by the Clean Water Act, and, in some cases, the Superfund program. Once the home of bighorn sheep and beaver, the contemporary river is frequented by raccoons, red foxes, and domestic pets. It serves as an important avian resource, as does the Great Salt Lake and Utah Lake, visited by more than 200 bird species.


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Wikipedia

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