Susquehanna River

Susquehanna River (Siskëwahane)
Susquehanna River in Bradford County, Pennsylvania
Country	United States of America
States	Maryland, Pennsylvania, New York
Tributaries
- left	Lackawanna River, Mahanoy Creek, Swatara Creek, Conestoga River
- right	Unadilla River, Chenango River, Chemung River, West Branch, Juniata River
Cities	Harrisburg, PA, Wilkes-Barre, PA, Binghamton, NY, Havre de Grace, MD, Williamsport, PA, Oswego, NY, Bloomsburg, PA
Source	Otsego Lake
- location	Cooperstown, Otsego County, New York, USA
- elevation	1,180 ft (360 m)
- coordinates	42°42′02″N 74°55′10″W / 42.70056°N 74.91944°W / 42.70056; -74.91944
Secondary source	West Branch Susquehanna River
- location	Carrolltown, Cambria County, Pennsylvania, USA
- elevation	1,980 ft (604 m)
- coordinates	40°35′55″N 78°42′56″W / 40.59861°N 78.71556°W / 40.59861; -78.71556
Mouth	Chesapeake Bay
- location	Cecil County / Harford County, at Havre de Grace, Maryland, USA
- elevation	0 ft (0 m)
- coordinates	39°32′35″N 76°04′32″W / 39.54306°N 76.07556°W / 39.54306; -76.07556Coordinates: 39°32′35″N 76°04′32″W / 39.54306°N 76.07556°W / 39.54306; -76.07556
Length	464 mi (747 km)
Basin	27,500 sq mi (71,225 km2)
Discharge	for Conowingo Dam, MD
- average	40,080 cu ft/s (1,135 m3/s)
- max	1,130,000 cu ft/s (31,998 m3/s) June 24, 1972
- min	2,990 cu ft/s (85 m3/s)
Discharge elsewhere (average)
- Danville, PA	29,000 cu ft/s (821 m3/s)
The Susquehanna watershed

The Susquehanna River (/ˌsʌskwəˈhænə/; Lenape: Siskëwahane) is a major river located in the northeastern United States. At 464 miles (747 km) long, it is the longest river on the American east coast that drains into the Atlantic Ocean. With its watershed, it is the 16th-largest river in the United States, and the longest river in the continental United States without commercial boat traffic today. In the Canal Era, navigation improvements were made to enhance the river for barge shipping of bulk goods by water transport on the Pennsylvania Canal; competition from faster transport via the railroad industry resulted in reducing the maintenance on the river.

The Susquehanna rises and flows through New York, Pennsylvania, and Maryland into the Chesapeake Bay. It forms from two main branches: the "North Branch", which rises in upstate New York and is regarded by federal mapmakers as the main branch, and the West Branch Susquehanna. Both of these waterways were improved by navigations throughout the 1820s and 1830s as the Pennsylvania Canal. Together with facilities of the Allegheny Portage Railroad, loaded barges were transferred from the canal and hoisted across the mountain ridge into the Pittsburgh area. The 82-mile Union Canal was completed in 1828 to connect Schuylkill River in Reading to the Susquehanna above Harrisburg. An 82-mile leg connecting the Susquehanna with the Delaware River was instead developed as the Philadelphia and Columbia Railroad, built by the Pennsylvania Canal Commission. The shorter West Branch, which rises in western Pennsylvania, joins the main stem of the Susquehanna near Northumberland in central Pennsylvania.