Mokelumne River
| Mokelumne River | |
 The Mokelumne River near the State Highway 49 bridge above Pardee Reservoir
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| Country | United States |
|---|---|
| State | California |
| Source | Confluence of North and Middle Forks |
| - location | Sierra Nevada, Amador/Calaveras Counties |
| - elevation | 916 ft (279 m) |
| - coordinates | 38°22′20″N 120°36′38″W / 38.37222°N 120.61056°W |
| Mouth | Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta |
| - location | Walnut Grove, San Joaquin County |
| - elevation | 0 ft (0 m) |
| - coordinates | 38°05′46″N 121°34′12″W / 38.09611°N 121.57000°WCoordinates: 38°05′46″N 121°34′12″W / 38.09611°N 121.57000°W |
| Length | 95 mi (153 km) |
| Basin | 2,143 sq mi (5,550 km2) |
| Discharge | for near Mokelumne Hill, above Pardee Reservoir |
| - average | 996 cu ft/s (28 m3/s) |
| - max | 41,300 cu ft/s (1,169 m3/s) |
| - min | 9 cu ft/s (0 m3/s) |
 Map of the Mokelumne River watershed
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The Mokelumne River /məˈkʌləmni/ is a 95-mile (153 km)-long river in northern California in the United States. The river flows west from a rugged portion of the central Sierra Nevada into the Central Valley and ultimately the Sacramento–San Joaquin River Delta, where it empties into the San Joaquin River. Together with its main tributary, the Cosumnes River, the Mokelumne drains 2,143 square miles (5,550 km2) in parts of five California counties. Measured to its farthest source at the head of the North Fork, the river stretches for 157 miles (253 km).
The river is colloquially divided into the Upper Mokelumne River, which stretches from the headwaters to Pardee Reservoir in the Sierra foothills, and the Lower Mokelumne River, which refers to the portion of the river below Camanche Dam. In its lower course, the Mokelumne is used heavily for irrigation and also provides water for the east San Francisco Bay Area through the Mokelumne Aqueduct. Several major tributaries of the river have been developed for the generation of hydroelectric power.
The name is Plains Miwok and is constructed from moke, meaning fishnet, and -umne, a suffix meaning "people of". The town of Mokelumne Hill was named for the river in about 1850.
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