| Braden River | |
| Subdivision Type1: | Country |
| Subdivision Name1: | United States |
| Length: | 21miles |
| Mouth Location: | Manatee River |
| Basin Size: | 83sqmi |
The Braden River is a 21miles waterway that drains an 83sqmi area watershed in west-central Florida and is the largest tributary of the Manatee River.
The hydrology of the Braden River was altered in 1936 when the city of Bradenton created Ward Lake, a reservoir with an 838feet broad-crested weir upstream from the mouth. In 1985 the reservoir was expanded and supplies an annual average of 5.7e6USgal of water per day.[1]
The Braden River can be hydrologically divided into three distinct sections that include an 8.6miles reach of naturally incised, free-flowing channel; a 6.4miles reach of impounded river created by the Ward Lake reservoir and weir; and a 6miles reach of tidal estuary.[1]