603:
Puyallup. Dynamiting the river channels continued until the major flood of 1906 which ended up sending the entire White River down the Stuck River. Because of the risk of floods, the diversion was not wanted by Pierce County, which sued King County in an attempt to have the White River rediverted away from the Stuck River. The lawsuit dragged on for years until 1913 when the two counties reached an agreement. Pierce County would keep the White River, but King County would pay 60% of the cost of flood control. Dams, levees, and barriers were built along the White River in hopes of preventing major flooding, but in 1933 a large flood inundated the region. The two counties realized they were unable to tame the river and so turned to the federal government. The result was Mud
Mountain Dam.
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The river turns gradually westward, passing several national forest campgrounds. Huckleberry Creek joins just below The Dalles
Campground. Several miles downriver from there the White River is joined by one of its main tributaries, the West Fork White River, which also originates at a glacier in
618:
In 1911 a diversion dam was built near
Buckley which, along with a system of dikes around the originally small Lake Tapps, created a larger reservoir. Over the years a small community has developed around the lake. The reservoir's water is returned to the White River about 20 miles (32 km)
546:
Lake Tapps is a reservoir created in 1911 for hydroelectric purposes. A diversion dam near
Buckley taps the White River's water, sending a portion of it through a flume, a canal, and a pipeline to Lake Tapps. An outlet canal on the west side of the lake routes water through the turbines of the
602:
In the late 19th century farmers along the White River were subjected to nearly annual floods. Sometimes farmers would use dynamite to divert the river into different channels. In 1899 one such explosion went awry and ended up diverting most of the White River into the Stuck River, thence the
623:. Recently, Puget Sound Energy sold the lake to Cascade Water Alliance (CWA). CWA is currently undergoing environmental studies intending to use the lake as a drinking water source. The lake has also been the focus of water quality issues through a planning process identified in the
614:
fish passage, so a "trap and haul" system is used, in which fish are transported around the dam by truck. After Mud
Mountain Dam was built, the farmers of the lower White River were freed from the previously near-constant worry about flooding.
437:. Shortly after emerging from the Emmons Glacier, the White River flows generally east, by the White River Campground, then the White River Ranger Station, after which it turns north. The river is paralleled by much of its upper course by
476:, which creates a marshy intermittent lake called Mud Mountain Lake. The dam was built for flood control purposes. Mud Mountain Lake only fills with water during conditions of exceptionally high stream flow.
433:
The source of the White River is the Emmons
Glacier on the northeast side of Mount Rainier. The river flows from ice caves at the toe of the glacier. Its upper reach is contained within
719:
of 1855-1856. Volunteer US troops were ambushed while on their way to work on a construction project near a ferry across the river in the last altercation in the war.
547:
Dieringer
Powerhouse, after which the water is returned to the lower White River (or Stuck River as it is locally called in this area) via the Dieringer "tailrace".
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441:, called the Mather Memorial Parkway in the national park. After several miles the river exits Mount Rainier National Park and enters
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salmon are also present in very small numbers. The White River coho salmon are a mixed population of hatchery and wild fish. The
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was replaced with a permanent diversion wall. Thus the White River remains a tributary of the
Puyallup River today.
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873:"5-Year Review: Summary & Evaluation of Puget Sound Chinook, Hood Canal Summer Chum, Puget Sound Steelhead"
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587:. In 1906, a great flood coupled with a large log and debris jam diverted the White River southward into the
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Emmons
Glacier (left) on the northeast side of Mount Rainier, the source of the White River (lower left)
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This article is about the tributary to the
Puyallup River. For the tributary to Lake Wenatchee, see
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Maps showing the changes of course and nomenclature of rivers in the Duwamish Valley, 1899-1959.
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671:. Pink and chum salmon dominate the runs. Although no large natural lakes occur in the basin,
527:, after which it makes a large bend northwest and then southwest, essentially flowing around
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453:. A few miles downriver from the West Fork confluence another major tributary joins, the
751:
U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: White River (Puyallup River)
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U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: West Fork White River
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The White River and its tributaries provide habitat for salmon species including
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downstream from the diversion dam. Ownership and operation was transferred to
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near Auburn, and the combined river (under the name "White") joined the
535:. Below that, to the west of Lake Tapps, the White River enters a broad
425:
The dry gravel bed of the White River floodplain near the campground in
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55:
472:. Several miles downriver from there the White River is impounded by
60:
The White River is shown highlighted in the Puyallup River watershed
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for flood control purposes, was completed in 1948. The dam blocks
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Below Greenwater, the White River flows generally west. It passes
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505:, with its brilliant yellow fall foliage, grows alongside in the
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The White River valley was the scene of violent clashes between
914:
Puget's Sound: A Narrative of Early Tacoma and the Puget Sound
389:. It flows about 75 miles (121 km) from its source, the
515:
Below Mud Mountain Dam the White River enters the greater
959:
White River Journal: Flooding, Dams, and Renamed Rivers
878:. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. 2011
531:. North of the lake, the White River flows through the
627:"White River Basin Plan", adopted November 26, 2013.
918:. Seattle: University of Washington Press. p.
591:thence into the Puyallup River, which empties into
543:before emptying into the Puyallup River at Sumner.
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519:metropolitan area. It flows between the cities of
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468:and is then joined by another tributary, the
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449:Mount Rainier National Park, in this case,
691:(1998) are listed as threatened under the
405:. It defines part of the boundary between
824:, Water Resource Data, Washington, 2005,
790:, The Columbia Gazetteer of North America
563:Before 1906, the White River joined the
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325:17,000 cu ft/s (480 m/s)
305:1,435 cu ft/s (40.6 m/s)
840:Washington Road & Recreation Atlas
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443:Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest
29:
817:
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608:United States Army Corps of Engineers
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994:Braided rivers in the United States
989:Rivers of Pierce County, Washington
315:59 cu ft/s (1.7 m/s)
271:494 sq mi (1,280 km)
683:(2005), the Puget Sound steelhead
27:River in Washington, United States
14:
999:Tributaries of the Puyallup River
984:Rivers of King County, Washington
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687:(2011), and Puget Sound/Coastal
54:
42:
822:Puyallup and White River Basins
606:Mud Mountain Dam, built by the
533:Muckleshoot Indian Reservation
461:is located at the confluence.
212: • coordinates
147: • coordinates
1:
681:evolutionary significant unit
115:Physical characteristics
979:Rivers of Washington (state)
466:Federation Forest State Park
251: • elevation
190:5,050 ft (1,540 m)
186: • elevation
22:White River (disambiguation)
18:White River (Lake Wenatchee)
807:White River Watershed Facts
685:distinct population segment
539:and flows past the city of
435:Mount Rainier National Park
427:Mount Rainier National Park
289: • location
135: • location
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457:. The small settlement of
321: • maximum
311: • minimum
301: • average
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837:General course info from
729:List of Washington rivers
483:The White River exhibits
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952:White River (Washington)
361: • right
263:75 mi (121 km)
20:. For other rivers, see
910:Morgan, Murray (1979).
669:coastal cutthroat trout
495:deposited on extensive
352:West Fork White River,
348: • left
255:29 ft (8.8 m)
693:Endangered Species Act
560:
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234:47.19972°N 122.25861°W
169:46.88528°N 121.67333°W
954:at Wikimedia Commons
579:, which emptied into
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709:Washington Territory
707:and the militias of
377:is a white, glacial
239:47.19972; -122.25861
174:46.88528; -121.67333
551:River modifications
502:Populus trichocarpa
493:coarse woody debris
334:Basin features
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786:2002-11-20 at the
621:Puget Sound Energy
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711:as well as the
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679:chinook salmon
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635:Natural history
595:at Tacoma. The
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577:Duwamish River
575:, forming the
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508:Abies amabilis
491:behavior with
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391:Emmons Glacier
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880:. Retrieved
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765:Google Earth
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781:White River
715:during the
677:Puget Sound
653:coho salmon
589:Stuck River
581:Elliott Bay
569:Black River
565:Green River
497:gravel bars
375:White River
339:Tributaries
237: /
225:122°15′31″W
172: /
160:121°40′24″W
36:Stuck River
33:White River
973:Categories
882:2013-12-03
735:References
689:bull trout
612:anadromous
597:debris dam
537:floodplain
529:Lake Tapps
459:Greenwater
413:counties.
387:Washington
383:U.S. state
268:Basin size
222:47°11′59″N
85:Washington
713:U.S. Army
665:steelhead
280:Discharge
157:46°53′7″N
897:"Marker"
784:Archived
723:See also
525:Enumclaw
91:Counties
66:Location
846:. 2000.
699:History
673:sockeye
661:rainbow
641:chinook
585:Seattle
573:Tukwila
541:Pacific
521:Buckley
511:forest.
489:meander
381:in the
294:Buckley
109:Buckley
71:Country
926:
667:, and
651:, and
517:Tacoma
417:Course
411:Pierce
403:Sumner
342:
283:
260:Length
124:Source
95:Pierce
876:(PDF)
379:river
200:Mouth
81:State
924:ISBN
826:USGS
769:GNIS
657:bull
649:chum
645:pink
523:and
487:and
409:and
407:King
373:The
105:City
99:King
920:121
583:at
571:at
401:at
393:on
385:of
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852:^
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
