Waimea River (Kauai)
The Waimea River is the largest and the longest river on the island of Kauai in the U.S. state of Hawaii. At 35.7 km (22.2 mi) in length,[1] it is the 3rd longest rivers in the Hawaiian Islands, draining one sixth of the total area of the island.
| Waimea | |
|---|---|
.jpg.webp) | |
  Location of mouth | |
| Location | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Hawaii |
| Region | Kauai |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | Alaka'i Swamp (confluence of the Waiahulu and Po'omau streams) |
| • coordinates | 22°05′25″N 159°39′19″W |
| Mouth | |
• location | Waimea, Kauai County, Hawaii |
• coordinates | 21°57′17″N 159°39′35″W |
| Length | 35.7 km (22.2 mi) |
| Basin size | 227 km2 (88 sq mi) |
| Basin features | |
| Tributaries | |
| • left | Makaweli River |
It rises in a wet plateau of the island's central highlands, in the Alaka'i Swamp, the largest high-elevation swamp in the world. It flows south, passing through the spectacular 3,000-foot-deep (910 m) Waimea Canyon, known as the "Grand Canyon of the Pacific."
The valleys of the Waimea River and its tributary, the Makaweli River, were once heavily populated. It enters the Pacific Ocean at Waimea, near the 1778 landing place of Captain Cook on Kauai.
References
- U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data. The National Map, accessed April 28, 2011
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