The Rough River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data
The National Map
accessed June 13, 2011

tributary A tributary, or an ''affluent'', is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream (''main stem'' or ''"parent"''), river, or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries, and the main stem river into which they ...

of the Green River in west-central

Kentucky Kentucky (, ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north, West Virginia to the ...

in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. It's located about 70 miles southwest of Louisville, and flows through Breckinridge, Hardin, Grayson, and

Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...

counties. Via the Green and

rivers, it is part of the

watershed Watershed may refer to: Hydrology * Drainage divide, the line that separates neighbouring drainage basins * Drainage basin, an area of land where surface water converges (North American usage) Music * Watershed Music Festival, an annual country ...

of the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the main stem, primary river of the largest drainage basin in the United States. It is the second-longest river in the United States, behind only the Missouri River, Missouri. From its traditional source of Lake Ita ...

DeLorme DeLorme Publishing Company is a producer of personal satellite tracking, messaging, and navigation technology. The company's main product, ''inReach'', integrates GPS and satellite technologies. ''inReach'' provides the ability to send and rec ...

(2005). ''Kentucky Atlas & Gazetteer''. Yarmouth, Maine: DeLorme. . According to the

Geographic Names Information System The Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) is a database of name and location information about more than two million physical and cultural features, encompassing the United States and its territories; the Compact of Free Association, asso ...

, it has also been known historically as "Rough Creek". In the 1950s it was dammed, creating Rough River Lake.

Wildlife

Rough River has an immense amount of terrestrial wildlife, which includes amphibians, mammals, and birds. Because of the diverse amount of habitats, hundreds of different species live along the lake. The Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife has licensed thousands of acres of land dedicated to wildlife. There are 49 known mammal species inhabiting the lake. Cotton-tail rabbit, gray squirrels, fox, muskrat, woodchuck, raccoon and skunk are a few of the mammals seen at this lake. Grasslands and marshes inhabit many different species of birds, including dove, quail, and sandhill cranes. Among these birds, quails, mallards, and doves are the most hunted. Fishing is one of the most popular tourist activities at this lake. It averages about 300 pounds of fish per acre. The upper region of the lake is slightly more fertile (more nutrient-rich) than the lower region. Different species of fish in the lake include: spotted bass, largemouth bass, hybrid striped bass, catfish, crappie, bluegill, and white bass.

Vegetation

The lakes vegetation consists of forests, pastureland, and cropland. Near streams you can find sycamore, red maple, birch, hemlock, hackberry, and sweet gum trees. Most of the lake is made up of oak-hickory forests. This is accurate for the areas that have been preserved as being wooded areas. In other areas near the dam, the space has been maintained in mowed grass as well as being developed for recreational use (tourism) and access to the tailwater and stilling basin. Rough River's basin is different than others similarly sized, because it encompasses four Level VI ecoregions. These four ecoregions are the Knobs-Norman Upland, the Crawford-Mammoth Cave Uplands, the Caseyville Hills, and the Mitchel Plain. Majority encompasses the Crawford-Mammoth Cave Uplands with small coverage of the others.

Wetlands

A variety of freshwater wetlands exist along the lake. These wetlands are seasonally flooded, which means surface water is present for extended periods early in the growing season, but is absent by the end of the season. Some wetlands are seasonally flooded, while others are temporarily flooded. The water usually lies well below the ground surface for most of the growing season.

Course

The Rough River rises in northwestern Hardin County and flows generally west-southwestwardlyColumbia Gazetteer of North America entry
/ref> through or along the boundaries of Grayson, Breckinridge,

and McLean counties, past the town of

Hartford Hartford is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The city, located in Hartford County, Connecticut, Hartford County, had a population of 121,054 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 ce ...

. It joins the Green River at the town of Livermore, on the common boundary of McLean and Ohio counties. On the boundary of Breckinridge and Grayson counties, the Rough was

dam A dam is a barrier that stops or restricts the flow of surface water or underground streams. Reservoirs created by dams not only suppress floods but also provide water for activities such as irrigation, human consumption, industrial use, aqua ...

med by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in 1959 to form Rough River Lake, originally called Rough River Reservoir. The lake includes the North Fork of Rough River, which flows for its entire length in Breckinridge County. The Rough River has a mean annual discharge of 1,169 cubic feet per second near

Dundee Dundee (; ; or , ) is the List of towns and cities in Scotland by population, fourth-largest city in Scotland. The mid-year population estimate for the locality was . It lies within the eastern central Lowlands on the north bank of the Firt ...

References

{{authority control Rivers of Kentucky Rivers of Breckinridge County, Kentucky Rivers of Grayson County, Kentucky Rivers of Hardin County, Kentucky Rivers of McLean County, Kentucky Rivers of Ohio County, Kentucky Green River (Kentucky)

Wildlife

Vegetation

Wetlands

Course

See also

References