Entiat River

For other uses, see Entiat (disambiguation).

The Entiat River is a tributary of the Columbia River, joining the Columbia near Entiat. The United States Geological Survey (USGS) lists two variant names for the Entiat River: En-ti-at-kwa River and Entiatqua River.^[1] The river's name is derived from the Columbia-Moses (Salishan) term /nt'yátk^w/ [nt'iátk^w], meaning "place of grassy water";^[5] another source states that it was called Enteatqua which means "Rapid Water"^[6] or "Rushing Water." The name, spelled "Entiat", was selected for the river in 1958 by the Chelan County Public Utility District.^{[citation needed]}

Entiat River
Location of the mouth of the Entiat River in Washington Show map of Washington (state) Entiat River (the United States) Show map of the United States
Location
Country	United States
State	Washington
County	Chelan
Physical characteristics
Source	Cascade Range
• coordinates	48°9′1″N 120°47′58″W[1]
Mouth	Columbia River
• coordinates	47°39′40″N 120°13′28″W[1]
Length	57 mi (92 km)[2]
Basin size	466 sq mi (1,210 km2)[3]
Discharge
• location	river mile 1.4 near Entiat[4]
• average	471 cu ft/s (13.3 m3/s)[4]
• minimum	58 cu ft/s (1.6 m3/s)
• maximum	4,810 cu ft/s (136 m3/s)

The Entiat River is located entirely within Chelan County, in Washington state in the United States. Over 90% of the drainage basin of the Entiat River and its tributaries is publicly owned property, mostly the Wenatchee National Forest. A large number of place names in the Entiat River basin were given by Albert H. Sylvester.

Course

The Entiat River's headwaters lie in the Glacier Peak Wilderness of the Wenatchee National Forest. Its main source comes from the slopes of Mount Maude and Seven Fingered Jack, and Entiat Glacier. From there the river flows east through Entiat Meadows before turning south. It flows south and southeast between the Entiat Mountains on the west and the Chelan Mountains on the east.

Downstream from the main river's confluence with the North Fork Entiat River, the Entiat River falls over Entiat Falls. It collects the waters of many small tributary creeks, including the Mad River, Larch Lakes River, Cow Creek, and Myrtle Lake.

In its final miles, the Entiat River turns east to join the Columbia River at Columbia river mile 483.7,^[4] just south of the small city of Entiat. At this point the Columbia River is a reservoir created by Rocky Reach Dam. The reservoir's name is Lake Entiat. Fern Lake is located at the headwaters of the North Fork Entiat. Entiat Glacier, located in a cirque on the eastern side of Mount Maude and Seven Fingered Jack, is the headwaters of the Entiat River.

Fern Lake, at the headwaters of the North Fork Entiat.

Flora and fauna

The Entiat River supports populations of Chinook salmon, steelhead trout, bull trout and Lamprey. The populations are relatively small due to the scarcity of juvenile-rearing habitat in the lower Entiat River, However, due to the Entiat National Fish Hatchery (USFWS) there is a robust Summer Chinook fishery.

See also

• List of rivers of Washington (state)
• List of tributaries of the Columbia River

References

1. U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Entiat River
2. Calculated in Google Earth
3. "Wenatchee Subbasin Plan". Northwest Power and Conservation Council. Retrieved 30 July 2009.
4. "Water Resources Data-Washington Water Year 2005; Entiat, Wenatchee, and Sand Hollow River Basins and the Columbia River from Wells Dam to Rock Island Dam" (PDF). USGS. Retrieved 31 July 2009.
5. Bright, William (2004). Native American Placenames of the United States. University of Oklahoma Press. p. 145. ISBN 978-0-8061-3598-4.
6. "City of Entiat, WA - Historiy - First Town". Archived from the original on 2017-08-18. Retrieved 2017-08-18.

Sources

• "Washington Road & Recreation Atlas". Benchmark Maps, 2000.
• Entiat River Basin, Washington Department of Ecology