The White River is a
Missouri River tributary that flows
through the
U.S. state
In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sov ...
s of
Nebraska and
South Dakota. The name stems from the water's white-gray color, a function of eroded sand, clay, and volcanic ash carried by the river from its source near the
Badlands
Badlands are a type of dry terrain where softer sedimentary rocks and clay-rich soils have been extensively eroded."Badlands" in ''Chambers's Encyclopædia''. London: George Newnes, 1961, Vol. 2, p. 47. They are characterized by steep slopes, mi ...
. Draining a basin of about ,
about of which is in South Dakota,
the stream flows through a region of sparsely populated hills, plateaus, and
badland
Badlands are a type of dry terrain where softer sedimentary rocks and clay-rich soils have been extensively eroded."Badlands" in '' Chambers's Encyclopædia''. London: George Newnes, 1961, Vol. 2, p. 47. They are characterized by steep slopes, ...
s.
The White River rises in northwestern Nebraska, in the
Pine Ridge escarpment north of
Harrison
Harrison may refer to:
People
* Harrison (name)
* Harrison family of Virginia, United States
Places
In Australia:
* Harrison, Australian Capital Territory, suburb in the Canberra district of Gungahlin
In Canada:
* Inukjuak, Quebec, or "Po ...
, at an elevation of above sea level.
It flows southeast then northeast past
Fort Robinson
Fort Robinson is a former U.S. Army fort and now a major feature of Fort Robinson State Park, a public recreation and historic preservation area located west of Crawford on U.S. Route 20 in the Pine Ridge region of northwest Nebraska.
The ...
and north of
Crawford. It crosses into southwestern South Dakota and flows north across the
Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, then northeast, receiving
Wounded Knee Creek
Wounded Knee Creek is a tributary of the White River, approximately 100 miles (160 km) long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed March 30, 2011 in Oglala Lakota County, ...
and flowing between units of
Badlands National Park
Badlands National Park ( lkt, Makȟóšiča) is an American national park located in southwestern South Dakota. The park protects of sharply eroded buttes and pinnacles, along with the largest undisturbed mixed grass prairie in the United Stat ...
. It flows east-northeast and southeast at the northern edge of the reservation, forming the northern boundary of the reservation and the southern boundary of
Buffalo Gap National Grassland
Buffalo Gap National Grassland is a National Grassland located primarily in southwestern South Dakota, United States. It is also the second largest National Grassland, after Little Missouri National Grassland in North Dakota. Characteristics of ...
. It receives the
Little White River about south of
Murdo, and flows east to join the Missouri in
Lake Francis Case
Lake Francis Case is a large reservoir impounded by Fort Randall Dam on the Missouri River in south-central South Dakota, United States. The lake has an area of and a maximum depth of . Lake Francis Case has a length of approximately and has a ...
about southwest of
Chamberlain.
The river sometimes has no surface flow due to the dry climate surrounding its badlands and prairie basin, though thunderstorms can cause brief intense flow. The river near Chamberlain flows year-round. As of 2001, the White River had generally good-quality water.
Industrial use
As of November 2019,
TC Energy
TC Energy Corporation (formerly TransCanada Corporation) is a major North American energy company, based in the TC Energy Tower building in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, that develops and operates energy infrastructure in Canada, the United States, ...
was applying for permits in the state to tap the White River to use water for the construction of Phase 4 of the
Keystone pipeline
The Keystone Pipeline System is an oil pipeline system in Canada and the United States, commissioned in 2010 and owned by TC Energy and as of 31 March 2020 the Government of Alberta. It runs from the Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin in Albert ...
, including camp construction to house transient construction workers.
See also
*
*
List of rivers of Nebraska
This is a partial list of rivers in Nebraska ( U.S. state).
By tributary Missouri River
*''Cheyenne River (SD)''
**Hat Creek
* White River
*Niobrara River
** Burgess Creek
** Bingham Creek
**Snake River
** Long Pine Creek
** Keya Paha River
** ...
*
List of rivers of South Dakota
This is a list of rivers in the state of South Dakota in the United States.
By tributary
Minnesota River watershed
* Little Minnesota River
** Jorgenson River
*Whetstone River
*North Fork Yellow Bank River
*South Fork Yellow Bank River
*West Bra ...
References
Works cited
*Benke, Arthur C., ed., and Cushing, Colbert E., ed.; Galat, David L.; Berry, Charles R., Jr.; Peters, Edward J., and White, Robert G. (2005). "Chapter 10: Missouri River Basin" in ''Rivers of North America''. Burlington, Massachusetts: Elsevier Academic Press. .
{{Authority control
Rivers of Nebraska
Rivers of South Dakota
Tributaries of the Missouri River
Rivers of Dawes County, Nebraska
Rivers of Oglala Lakota County, South Dakota
Rivers of Pennington County, South Dakota
Rivers of Jackson County, South Dakota
Rivers of Jones County, South Dakota
Rivers of Mellette County, South Dakota
Rivers of Tripp County, South Dakota
Rivers of Lyman County, South Dakota
*