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 affluent, is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream or 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 drain the surrounding drainag ...

of the Green River in west-central

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virgini ...

in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...

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

Grayson Grayson may refer to: Places Canada * Grayson, Saskatchewan * Rural Municipality of Grayson No. 184, Saskatchewan United States * Grayson, California * Grayson, Georgia ** Grayson High School * Grayson, Kentucky * Grayson, Louisiana * Gra ...

, and

Ohio Ohio () is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Of the List of states and territories of the United States, fifty U.S. states, it is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 34th-l ...

counties. Via the Green and

rivers, it is part of the watershed of the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson Bay drainage system. From its traditional source of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, it ...

DeLorme DeLorme is the 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 receive text message ...

(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 locative information about more than two million physical and cultural features throughout the United States and its territories, Antarctica, and the associated states of ...

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

Rough River Lake The Rough River Lake is a Y-shaped reservoir located in Breckinridge, Hardin, and Grayson counties in Kentucky, about 70 miles southwest of Louisville. This lake was created by the building of a dam, begun in 1955 and completed in 1961, 89.3 mil ...

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

, Breckinridge,

and

McLean MacLean, also spelt Maclean and McLean, is a Gaelic surname Mac Gille Eathain, or, Mac Giolla Eóin in Irish Gaelic), Eóin being a Gaelic form of Johannes (John). The clan surname is an Anglicisation of the Scottish Gaelic "Mac Gille Eathain" ...

counties, past the town of

Hartford Hartford is the capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It was the seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960. It is the core city in the Greater Hartford metropolitan area. Census estimates since ...

. 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 dammed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in 1959 to form

, 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.

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