| San Carlos River | |
| Pushpin Map: | Arizona#USA |
| Subdivision Type1: | Country |
| Subdivision Name1: | United States |
| Subdivision Type2: | State |
| Subdivision Name2: | Arizona |
| Length: | 30miles |
| Source1 Coordinates: | 33.452°N -110.1898°W |
| Mouth Coordinates: | 33.1989°N -110.4109°W |
| River System: | Gila River |
The San Carlos River is a 37miles long[1] tributary of the Gila River in southeast Arizona, United States. The river drains an arid region of 1026mi2, situated mostly within the San Carlos Indian Reservation.[2]
The river originates as the confluence of Ash Creek (30miles long) and Kidde Creek in the Natanes Mountains, a subrange of the Gila Mountains, at 4300feet above sea level. Flowing west, it enters a deep canyon along the Gila–Graham County line. After receiving the Blue River from the right, the river is impounded in a small reservoir, Takalai Lake. Below the lake the valley widens and the river turns south, passing San Carlos and Peridot, before emptying into the northern arm of San Carlos Lake, a reservoir on the Gila River.
Most of the flow in the river originates from springs in the canyons above Takalai Lake. The springs are considered sacred by the San Carlos Apache.[3] The average annual discharge near Peridot is 54.2cuft/s, with a maximum of 54800cuft/s on January 8, 1993.[2] Although the upper reaches of the river are perennial, the lower river is frequently dry during the early summer as a result of irrigation diversions.