Rivers of Southwests Virginia

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The following data show the size (drainage area) of the principle watersheds of southwest Virginia, expressed as square miles. These data are from Source:Hayes and Wiegand, 2006. The drainage areas shown are slightly less than the total area within Virginia because Hayes and Wiegand presented their data for locations where stream guaging stations were located. The ones shown are those which are closest to the Tennessee border (Kentucky border in the case of Pound River). While these stations are within a few miles of the border, the resulting totals leave out some of the drainage area between the guaging station and the border. In addition, in several cases streams draining certain areas of southwest Virginia discharge to the rivers shown after they leave the State of Virginia. For example, Indian Creek in the Powell River watershed discharges to the Powell River a few miles downstream of the Virginia Tennessee border. As a result, the drainage area for Indian Creek is not included in the drainage area for Powell River. Similar circumstances apply for a number of other streams draining the area, such as Beaver Creek near Bristol. For the most part, the discrepancies introduced in this way are slight, typically representing a small fraction (around 1 to 2%) of the total drainage area for southwest Virginia.

RiverStationWatershed Area*
ClinchSpeers Ferry1123
North Fork HolstonGate City671
Middle Fork HolstonOsceola236
South Fork HolstonDamascus136
Powell RiverJonesville319
Pound RiverHaysi221
  • Square miles