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Mon Valley

Monongahela River
Southsidefromwash.jpg
The Monongahela River in Pittsburgh passing the South Side on the right and Uptown/The Bluff on the left just before entering Downtown Pittsburgh
Country United States
States Pennsylvania, West Virginia
Counties Marion WV, Monongalia WV, Greene PA, Fayette PA, Washington PA, Westmoreland PA, Allegheny PA
Tributaries
 - left Peters Creek, Streets Run, Becks Run
 - right Cheat River, Youghiogheny River, Turtle Creek
Source Tygart Valley River
 - location Pocahontas County, West Virginia
 - elevation 4,540 ft (1,384 m)
 - coordinates 38°28′06″N 79°58′51″W / 38.46833°N 79.98083°W / 38.46833; -79.98083 
Secondary source West Fork River
 - location Upshur County, West Virginia
 - elevation 1,309 ft (399 m)
 - coordinates 38°51′08″N 80°21′32″W / 38.85222°N 80.35889°W / 38.85222; -80.35889 
Source confluence
 - location Fairmont, West Virginia
 - elevation 863 ft (263 m)
 - coordinates 39°27′53″N 80°09′10″W / 39.46472°N 80.15278°W / 39.46472; -80.15278 
Mouth Ohio River
 - location Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
 - elevation 709 ft (216 m)
 - coordinates 40°26′30″N 80°00′58″W / 40.44167°N 80.01611°W / 40.44167; -80.01611Coordinates: 40°26′30″N 80°00′58″W / 40.44167°N 80.01611°W / 40.44167; -80.01611 
Length 130 mi (209 km)
Basin 7,340 sq mi (19,011 km2)
Discharge for Braddock, PA
 - average 12,650 cu ft/s (358 m3/s)
 - max 81,100 cu ft/s (2,296 m3/s)
 - min 2,900 cu ft/s (82 m3/s)
Discharge elsewhere (average)
 - Masontown, PA 8,433 cu ft/s (239 m3/s)
Monongahela River.png
Map of the Monongahela River basin, with the Monongahela River highlighted

The Monongahela River (/məˌnɒnɡəˈhlə/) — often referred to locally as the Mon /ˈmɒn/ — is a 130-mile-long (210 km)river on the Allegheny Plateau in north-central West Virginia and southwestern Pennsylvania, which flows from south to north. The Monongahela joins the Allegheny River to form the Ohio River at Pittsburgh.

The Native American word Monongahela means "falling banks", in reference to the geological instability of the river's banks. Moravian missionary David Zeisberger (1721–1808) gave this account of the naming: "In the Indian tongue the name of this river was Mechmenawungihilla (alternatively spelled Menawngihella), which signifies a high bank, which is ever washed out and therefore collapses."

The Lenape Language Project renders the word as Mënaonkihëla (pronounced [mənaoŋɡihəla]), translated "where banks cave in or erode", from the verbs mënaonkihële "the dirt caves off" (such as the bank of a river or creek, or in a landslide) and mënaonke (pronounced [mənaoŋɡe]), "it has a loose bank" (where one might fall in).


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