Iowa River - Misplaced Pages

Tributary of the Mississippi River in Iowa, United States

Iowa River
The Iowa River upstream of Marshalltown, Iowa
Map showing the Iowa River (to the left) and its tributary the Cedar River
Location
State	Iowa
Physical characteristics

Source	confluence of East Branch Iowa River and West Branch Iowa River
• location	Belmond
• coordinates	42°51′38″N 93°36′50″W / 42.860524°N 93.6138214°W / 42.860524; -93.6138214

Mouth	Mississippi River
• location	near Toolesboro
• coordinates	41°9′38″N 91°1′26″W / 41.16056°N 91.02389°W / 41.16056; -91.02389
Length	323 mi (520 km)

Discharge
• location	Oakville, Iowa
• average	14,109 cu/ft. per sec.

Basin features
River system	Mississippi River
Tributaries
• left	Swisher Creek, Cedar River
• right	English River

The Iowa River is a tributary of the Mississippi River in the state of Iowa in the United States. It is about 323 miles (520 km) long and is open to small river craft to Iowa City, about 65 miles (105 km) from its mouth. Its major tributary is the Cedar River.

Course

It rises in two branches, the West Branch and East Branch, both of which have their headwaters in Hancock County, each about 38 miles (61 km) long and which join in Belmond.

The Iowa then proceeds roughly in a southeast direction, passing through the city of Iowa Falls, through a scenic valley to Steamboat Rock, then through the cities of Eldora, Marshalltown, Tama, and Marengo, and through the Amana Colonies in Iowa County. In Johnson County, it becomes impounded by the Coralville Dam in the Coralville Reservoir, which turns southward to the spillway. The river runs generally south and passes through Iowa City and the University of Iowa campus. A lowhead dam at Burlington Street in Iowa City is the last dam before the river's confluence with the Mississippi. South of Iowa City, it is joined in Washington County by the English River, and then in Louisa County it is joined by the Cedar River to flow into the Mississippi.

Uses

The Iowa River is noted for recreational and commercial fishing. Game fish include largemouth and smallmouth bass, walleye, northern pike, channel and flathead catfish, crappie and other panfish. The Coralville Reservoir is commercially fished for carp and buffalo fish.

Pine Lake State Park is located on the Iowa River at Eldora.

Floods

The Iowa can flood, notably in the June 2008 Midwest floods, and the Great Flood of 1993. The Cedar and its tributaries, including the Shell Rock River, can contribute to flooding events. It tore down the historical swinging bridge in Charles City, Iowa.

August 2022 jawbone discovery

On the afternoon of August 8, 2022, Marshall County Conservation staff discovered a jawbone from a prehistoric Native American of middle age or older in the Iowa River in Marshall County.

References

U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Iowa River
"Iowa River". USGS.
^ U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data. The National Map Archived 2012-03-29 at the Wayback Machine, accessed May 13, 2011
"Sheriff: Human remains believed to have been discovered along Iowa River". KCCI. August 11, 2022. Retrieved 23 September 2022.
Mollenbeck, Andrew (22 September 2022). "Jawbone from prehistoric times found in Iowa River". KCCI. Retrieved 23 September 2022.

External links

Media related to Iowa River at Wikimedia Commons
U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Iowa River
"Iowa. A river in the State of Iowa" . New International Encyclopedia. 1905.

v t e Minnesota tributaries of the Upper Mississippi River below St Anthony Falls
Minnesota River	Little Minnesota River Pomme de Terre River Lac qui Parle River Chippewa River Yellow Medicine River Redwood River Cottonwood River Blue Earth River
St. Croix River	Kettle River Snake River
Cannon River	North Cannon River Little Cannon River Straight River Little Cannon River (Sabre Lake) Belle Creek
Zumbro River	North Fork Zumbro River Middle Fork Zumbro River North Branch Middle Fork Zumbro River South Branch Middle Fork Zumbro River South Fork Zumbro River
Whitewater River	North Fork Whitewater River Middle Fork Whitewater River South Fork Whitewater River
Root River	South Fork Root River Badger Creek South Branch Root River Camp Creek North Branch Root River Middle Branch Root River Rush Creek Pine Creek Coolridge Creek Hemingway Creek
Upper Iowa River (Iowa, Minnesota)	Pine Creek Little Iowa River North Branch Upper Iowa River
Iowa River (Iowa)	Cedar River Shell Rock River Winnebago River (Iowa) Lime Creek Little Cedar River (Iowa and Minnesota) Little Cedar River (Dodge County, Minnesota)
Des Moines River (Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri)	East Fork Des Moines River Heron Lake Outlet Jack Creek Diversion Creek Okabena Creek Lime Creek Beaver Creek
Missouri River (Missouri, Iowa)	Little Sioux River Ocheyedan River West Fork Little Sioux River Big Sioux River (Iowa) Rock River Little Rock River East Branch Rock River Split Rock Creek Pipestone Creek Flandreau Creek
Other rivers and streams	Crooked Creek North Fork Crooked Creek South Fork Crooked Creek Hay Creek Pine Creek Vermillion River South Branch Vermillion River Wapsipinicon River Wells Creek Winnebago Creek
Streams by region	Driftless Area Counties Dakota Dodge Fillmore Goodhue Houston Mower Olmsted Rice Wabasha Winona
See also: List of rivers of Minnesota, North Shore Streams, Wisconsin rivers, Iowa rivers, North Dakota rivers

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