Chehalis River (Washington)

Chehalis River
Chehalis River Valley (left), Grays Harbor (middle distance) and Satsop River Valley (along bottom)
Map of the Chehalis River watershed
Chehalis River (Washington) is located in Washington (state)
Chehalis River (Washington)
Mouth of the Chehalis River in Washington
Chehalis River (Washington) is located in the United States
Chehalis River (Washington)
Chehalis River (Washington) (the United States)
Location
CountryUnited States
StateWashington
CountiesGrays Harbor, Lewis, Mason, Thurston
CitiesAberdeen, Centralia, Chehalis
Physical characteristics
Source 
 • locationLewis County
 • coordinates46°27′6″N 123°17′30″W / 46.45167°N 123.29167°W / 46.45167; -123.29167[1]
 • elevation1,000 ft (300 m)[2]
MouthPacific Ocean
 • location
Grays Harbor, Aberdeen
 • coordinates
46°57′29″N 123°50′5″W / 46.95806°N 123.83472°W / 46.95806; -123.83472[1]
 • elevation
0 ft (0 m)[2]
Length115 mi (185 km)[3]
Basin size2,660 sq mi (6,900 km2)[4]
Discharge 
 • locationnear Satsop, WA[5]
 • average6,425 cu ft/s (181.9 m3/s)[5]
 • minimum440 cu ft/s (12 m3/s)
 • maximum47,000 cu ft/s (1,300 m3/s)
Discharge 
 • locationmouth (Grays Harbor)[4]
 • average11,208 cu ft/s (317.4 m3/s)[4]
Basin features
Tributaries 
 • rightSouth Fork Chehalis River, Newaukum River, Skookumchuck River, Satsop River, Wynoochee River, Wishkah River

The Chehalis River (/ʃəˈhlɪs/ shə-HAY-liss)[6] is a river in Washington in the United States. It originates in several forks in southwestern Washington, flows east, then north, then west, in a large curve, before emptying into Grays Harbor, an estuary of the Pacific Ocean. The river is the largest solely contained drainage basin in the state.

  1. ^ a b U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Chehalis River, USGS, GNIS
  2. ^ a b Google Earth elevation for GNIS coordinates.
  3. ^ Chehalis River Archived March 30, 2005, at the Wayback Machine, The Columbia Gazetteer of North America
  4. ^ a b c Overview of the Chehalis River Basin Archived October 19, 2007, at the Wayback Machine, Chehalis River Council
  5. ^ a b Water Resource Data, Washington, 2005, USGS.
  6. ^ Phillips, James W. (1971). Washington State Place Names. University of Washington Press. ISBN 0-295-95158-3.

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