Mattaponi River Explained

Mattaponi River
Map:Yorkrivermap.png
Subdivision Type1:Country
Subdivision Name1:United States
Subdivision Type2:State
Subdivision Name2:Virginia
Subdivision Type3:Counties
Subdivision Name3:King and Queen, King William, New Kent, Caroline
Length:103miles[1]
Source1:Confluence of the Matta and Poni rivers
Source1 Location:Near Woodford, Caroline County
Source1 Coordinates:38.1125°N -77.4356°W
Mouth:York River
Mouth Location:West Point, King William County
Mouth Coordinates:37.5175°N -76.7917°W
Tributaries Left:Matta River, South River
Tributaries Right:Poni River

The Mattaponi River is a 103adj=midNaNadj=mid[1] tributary of the York River estuary in eastern Virginia in the United States.

History

Historically, the Mattaponi River has been known by a variety of names and alternate spellings, including Mat-ta-pa-ment, Matapanient River, Matapany River, Matapeneugh River, Mattapanient River, Mattaponie River, Mattapony River, and Riviere de Mattapony. The current name and spelling of "Mattaponi" was set by official decisions of the United States Board on Geographic Names in 1897 and 1936.

Residents of the counties surrounding Mattaponi River have debated a proposed reservoir on the Mattaponi River, with environmental groups such as the Sierra Club, members of the Mattaponi Indian tribe, and residents of King William County opposing Newport News Waterworks in their efforts to build the King William Reservoir.[2]

Course

The Mattaponi River ultimately rises as four streams in Spotsylvania County, each of which is given a shorter piece of the Mattaponi's name:

From the confluence of its tributaries, the Mattaponi flows generally southeast through Caroline County, where it collects the South River at the southern edge of the Mattaponi Wildlife Management Area; in its lower reaches it defines the boundary between King William and King and Queen counties. At West Point, it meets the Pamunkey River to form the York River.

See also

Notes and References

  1. U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data. The National Map, accessed April 1, 2011
  2. News: Harper. Scott. Newport News halts King William Reservoir work. 16 August 2017. The Virginian-Pilot. 2 May 2009. en.