List of U.S. rivers by discharge explained

This is a list of rivers in the continental United States by average discharge (streamflow) in cubic feet per second. All rivers with average discharge more than 15,000 cubic feet per second are listed. Estimates are approximate, because data are variable with time period measured and also because many rivers lack a gauging station near their point of outflow.

No	River	Length (km)	Length (miles)	Average discharge (cf/s)	Outflow
1				^[1]	Gulf of Mexico
2	Ohio River			^[2]	Mississippi River
3	St. Lawrence River	^[3]		(275,000 at U.S.-Canada boundary)	Gulf of Saint Lawrence
4	Columbia River				Pacific Ocean
5	Yukon River				Bering Sea
6	Atchafalaya River				Gulf of Mexico
7					Lake Ontario
8
9					Lake St. Clair
10					Mississippi River
11					Lake Huron-Lake Michigan
12					Ohio River
13					Gulf of Mexico
14
15					Atchafalaya River
16					Gulf of Alaska
17				^[4]	Columbia River
18					Pacific Ocean
19					Gulf of Alaska
20				^[5]	Mississippi River
21					Yukon River
22	Saint John River	^[6]			Bay of Fundy
23					Chesapeake Bay
24					Columbia River
25				^[7]	Ohio River
26				^[8]	Mobile River
27				?^[9]	Bering Sea
28				^[10]	Gulf of Alaska
29				?	Ohio River
30					Red River
31				^[11]	Mississippi River
32				^[12]	Columbia River
33					Mobile River
34				?^[13]	Yukon River
35				^[14]	Mississippi River
36				^[15]	Pacific Ocean
37					Yukon River
38					Gulf of California
39				^[16]	Pend Oreille River
40				^[17]	Atlantic Ocean
41				?	Susitna River
42				?	Copper River
43				^[18]	Ohio River
44				^[19]	Gulf of Mexico
45					Atlantic Ocean
46					Bering Sea
47				^[20]	Pacific Ocean
48				(approx.)^[21]	Atlantic Ocean
49					Pacific Ocean
50				(approx. 16,000? at U.S.-Canada boundary)	Columbia River
51				^[22]	Alabama River
52				^[23]	Ohio River
53				^[24]	Snake River
54					Bering Sea
55	St. Johns River			?	Atlantic Ocean
56				?	Atlantic Ocean

See also

• List of longest rivers in the United States by state
• List of rivers by discharge

Notes and References

1. Web site: Largest Rivers in the United States.. U.S. Geological Survey. 1992.
2. Book: Leeden, Frits van der . The Water Encyclopedia . 2nd . 1990 . Lewis Publishers . Chelsea, Mich. . 0-87371-120-3 . 126 .
3. Book: Benke, Arthur C., ed., and Cushing, Colbert E., ed.. Rivers of North America.. Burlington, Mass.. Elsevier Academic Press..
4. Web site: Snake River below Ice Harbor Dam, WA . United States Geological Survey . . 1963–2000 . 20 April 2011.
5. Web site: Large Rivers of the United States, Circular 44.. U.S. Geological Survey. 1949.
6. Web site: Saint John River . The Canadian Encyclopedia . 27 December 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20181227085139/https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/saint-john-river . 27 December 2018 . live .
7. Web site: USGS Water Data for Indiana.
8. Web site: USGS Water Data for Alabama.
9. Web site: "U.S. Geological Survey National Water Summary 1985: State Summaries of Surface-Water Resources. 1987.
10. Web site: USGS Water Data for Alaska.
11. Web site: USGS Water Data for Arkansas.
12. Web site: USGS Gage #12396500 on the Pend Oreille River below Box Canyon, near Ione, WA. U.S. Geological Survey. National Water Information System. 1952–2013. 2014-10-13.
13. Web site: U.S. Geological Survey National Water Summary 1985: State Summaries of Surface-Water Resources. 1987.
14. Web site: USGS Gage #05586100 on the Illinois River at Valley City, IL. U.S. Geological Survey. National Water Information System. 1939–2012. 2013-11-09.
15. Web site: USGS Gage #11447650 on the Sacramento River at Freeport, CA (Water-Data Report 2009) . U.S. Geological Survey . Water Resources of the United States .
16. Web site: Montana Water Resources Data 2004., file Web site: Mill Creek above Bassoo Creek, near Niarada to Clark Fork at Whitehorse Rapids, near Cabinet, ID. .
17. Web site: Estimates of monthly and annual net discharge, in cubic feet per second, of Hudson River at New York, N.Y.. United States Geological Survey. October 15, 2010. December 30, 2014. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20160304194547/http://ny.water.usgs.gov/projects/dialer_plots/Hudson_R_at_NYC_Freshwater_Discharge.htm. March 4, 2016. mdy-all.
18. http://wdr.water.usgs.gov/wy2009/pdfs/03049500.2009.pdf
19. Web site: The Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint (ACF) River National Water Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Program study.
20. Web site: Water-Data Report 2013: 11530500 Klamath River near Klamath, CA . U.S. Geological Survey .
21. Web site: "U.S. Geological Survey National Water Summary 1985: State Summaries of Surface-Water Resources. 1987.
22. Web site: Water resources data for the United States, Water Year 2009; gage 02411000, Coosa River at Jordan Dam near Wetumpka, AL. USGS.
23. [United States Geological Survey]
24. Web site: USGS Gage #13343000 on the Clearwater River near Lewiston. United States Geological Survey National Water Information System.