Wynoochee River
| Wynoochee River river | |
|---|---|
Wynoochee River, north of Wynoochee Lake | |
| Location | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Washington |
| Counties | Grays Harbor |
| Cities | Montesano |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | Wynoochee Canyon, Olympic Mountains |
| Mouth | Montesano, Chehalis River (Washington) |
• coordinates | 46°57′42″N 123°36′33″W / 46.96167°N 123.60917°W |
| Length | 60 miles (97 km) |
Basin size | 218 sq mi (560 km2) |
The Wynoochee River is a 60-mile (97 km) long[1] river located in the Olympic Peninsula in the U.S. state of Washington.
Etymology
The name Wynoochee comes from the Lower Chehalis placename /xʷənúɬč/,[2] meaning "shifting".[3] The earliest recorded use of the geographic name is March 1, 1854.[4]
Course
A tributary of the Chehalis River, the Wynoochee River rises in the Olympic Mountains within the Olympic National Park and flows generally south. Its drainage basin is 218 square miles (560 km2) in area.[5]
Wynoochee Canyon
The river has created Wynoochee Canyon in the hills it passes through. The wreckage of a train including locomotive and rail cars blown up and smashed during the making of 1961 film Ring of Fire is in the canyon.[6]
Wynoochee Dam and Lake
Wynoochee Lake dam (47°23′08″N 123°36′16″W / 47.38556°N 123.60444°W in Grays Harbor County) is a concrete gravity dam in the Olympic National Forest on river mile 51.8 of the Wynoochee. Construction started in 1969 and was completed in 1972. The dam is used for flood control, water supply, recreation on its reservoir, Wynoochee Lake.[7]
History
The city of Montesano was a recipient of the installation of flood control measures near Montesano's wastewater treatment plant which rests near the river. As part of the Chehalis Basin Strategy, log jacks were placed during 2018-2019 that helped increase the riverbank of the migrating river, which was threatening the plant that during flooding would have inundated the community with sewage runoff. The fortification increased the habitat of aquatic species and extended the operating life of the plant by several decades.[8]
See also
References
- ^ "Wynoochee River". The Columbia Gazetteer of North America. Retrieved 2009-05-19.
- ^ Bright, William (2004). Native American placenames of the United States. University of Oklahoma Press. p. 576. ISBN 978-0-8061-3598-4. Retrieved 6 April 2011.
- ^ Majors, Harry M. (1975). Exploring Washington. Van Winkle Publishing Co. p. 73. ISBN 978-0-918664-00-6.
- ^ Edmond Stephen Meany (1923). Origin of Washington Geographic Names. University of Washington Press. pp. 353–354. ISBN 0598974806.
{{cite book}}: ISBN / Date incompatibility (help) - ^ "Chehalis River Basin Nonpoint Action Plan - Wynoochee River". Chehalis River Council. Retrieved 2009-06-05.
- ^ Douglas Scott. "Explore the "Ring of Fire" Movie Train Wreck". GraysHarborTalk.
- ^ Water Resources Data for Washington. Vol. 1. U.S. Department of the Interior, Geological Survey. 1975. p. 53.
- ^ The Chronicle staff (August 25, 2023). "Chehalis Basin Strategy progress in review: Log jacks protect wastewater treatment plant in Grays Harbor County". The Chronicle. Retrieved August 28, 2023.