Malad River

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For other places with the same name, see Malad River (disambiguation).
Malad River
Country United States
State Idaho
Region Gooding County
Length 11.5 mi (19 km) [1]
Watershed 3,000 sq mi (7,770 km²) [2]
Discharge at near Gooding
 - average 286 cu ft/s (8.1 m³/s) [2]
 - maximum 6,400 cu ft/s (181.23 m³/s)
 - minimum 0 cu ft/s (0 m³/s)
Discharge elsewhere
 - mouth 112 cu ft/s (3.17 m³/s) [2]
Source
 - coordinates 42°56′42″N 114°47′46″W / 42.945, -114.79611 [1]
 - elevation 3,460 ft (1,055 m) [3]
Mouth Snake River
 - coordinates 42°51′45″N 114°54′18″W / 42.8625, -114.905 [1]
 - elevation 2,703 ft (824 m) [3]
Major tributaries
 - left Little Wood River
 - right Big Wood River

The Malad River is a tributary of the Snake River, in Idaho in the United States. It is formed by the confluence of the Big Wood River and the Little Wood River near Gooding. From there the river flows south and west for 11.5 miles (17.7 km) to join the Snake River near Hagerman.[1]

The river flows through Malad Gorge State Park, where it tumbles down a stairstep waterfall. The Malad Gorge is 250 feet (76 m) deep and 2.5 miles (4 km) long.

The river's flow is affected by numerous reservoirs and irrigation works on its tributaries. The Malad River itself is largely diverted into a power flume that enters the Snake below the mouth of the Malad, via a powerhouse. Below the diversion the Malad River is replenished by numerous springs, yet the average flow above the diversion is higher than at the river's mouth.[2]

The Malad River is part of the Columbia River basin, being a tributary of the Snake River, which is tributary to the Columbia River.

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c d USGS GNIS: Malad River, USGS, GNIS.
  2. ^ a b c d Water Resource Data, Idaho, 2005, USGS.
  3. ^ a b Google Earth elevation for GNIS coordinates.