Kiwalik River
| Kiwalik River (Kee-wa-lik River) | |
| Name origin: Inuit people | |
| Country | United States |
|---|---|
| State | Alaska |
| Borough | Northwest Arctic |
| Source | Seward Peninsula |
| - location | near Granite Mountain |
| - elevation | 1,467 ft (447 m) |
| - coordinates | 65°27′56″N 161°15′59″W / 65.46556°N 161.26639°W |
| Mouth | Spafarief Bay on Kotzebue Sound of the Chukchi Sea |
| - location | Mud Creek Channel near Candle |
| - elevation | 13 ft (4 m) |
| - coordinates | 65°56′28″N 161°52′40″W / 65.94111°N 161.87778°WCoordinates: 65°56′28″N 161°52′40″W / 65.94111°N 161.87778°W |
| Length | 58 mi (93 km) |
| Basin | 800 sq mi (2,072 km2) |
 Location of the mouth of the Kiwalik River in Alaska
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The Kiwalik River is a stream on the Seward Peninsula in the U.S. state of Alaska. The headwaters of the river originate in the eastern portion of the peninsula, around Granite Mountain. The river flows north to its mouth at Kiwalik Lagoon, Chukchi Sea. The start of the 20th century mining town of Candle is found on its western bank at the confluence of Candle Creek. The ore minerals and materials found in the river basin are galena, gold, pyrite, scheelite, silver and sphalerite, and the primary commodities are tungsten, lead and zinc.
The Inuit name, published by the British Admiralty, about 1880 on Chart 593, was spelled "Kee-wa-lik."
The Kiwalik River flows on the north side of Seward Peninsula. Its origin is in a low ridge that divides the Kiwalik catchment, flows for a length of about 70 miles (110 km) in a northerly direction, and finally debouches into Spafarief Bay; this bay protrudes from the Kotzebue Sound in a southeasterly direction. Its traverse further lower down for stretch of 30 miles (48 km), through the flat lowland areas, is through a wide expanse of many miles; the river, however, has a narrow stretch of about 0.5 miles (0.80 km) in river stretch of a few miles, upstream of Candle. Beyond the Candle, it forms into a lagoon. The lagoon consists of vast areas of mud flats that get exposed during low tide.
The river has many tributaries that emerge from the west and form narrow basins with long and low ridges forming the dividing line; these tributaries are: Canoe Creek, Gold Run, and Glacier, Dome, Bonanza, Eldorado, Candle Creek, and Minnehaha creeks. Another important stream, which provides for water supply needs of the town, is the Glacier Creek which originates from the eastern slope of Monument Mountain, which is the highest peak in the Fairhaven district. It confluences with the Kiwalik, about 25 miles (40 km) above the estuary. The water resource is from limestone springs during the low flow season, which increases substantially from glacial melt during the season.
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