The Prairie River is a river in Itasca County, Minnesota. The river is located in northern Minnesota, near the communities of Taconite, Bovey, Grand Rapids, and La Prairie. It is a tributary of the Mississippi River.
| Prairie River | |
|---|---|
  Mouth of the Prairie River | |
| Location | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Minnesota |
| County | Itasca |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | |
| • coordinates | 47°35′39″N 93°10′52″W / 47.5940994°N 93.181022°W[1] |
| Mouth | |
• coordinates | 47°12′54″N 93°28′57″W / 47.2149433°N 93.4824358°W[1] |
| Length | 50 mi (80 km) |
| Discharge | |
| • location | USGS gauge near Taconite |
| • average | 211.6 cu ft/s (5.99 m3/s), USGS water years 1967-2019[2] |
| Discharge | |
| • location | mouth |
| • average | 298.1 cu ft/s (8.44 m3/s) (estimate)[3] |
In 1991 Enbridge's Line 3 pipeline ruptured near Grand Rapids, spilling 1.7 million of gallons of oil into the area, including the river, in the largest inland oil spill in US history.[4][5]
On May 4, 1988, the world record shorthead redhorse (Moxostoma macrolepidotum), which weighed 5 pounds 6 ounces (2.4 kg), was caught on the Prairie River by angler Greg Clusiau.[6]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b "Geographic Names Information System entry for Prairie River". Retrieved December 26, 2020.
- ^ "Water-Year Summary for Site 05212700". waterdata.usgs.gov. Archived from the original on December 26, 2020. Retrieved December 26, 2020.
- ^ United States Environmental Protection Agency. "Watershed Report: Prairie River". watersgeo.epa.gov. Archived from the original on December 26, 2020. Retrieved December 26, 2020.
- ^ Siple, Julie; Wareham, Bill; Kraker, Dan; Nelson, Cody (June 20, 2018). "Rivers of Oil, Episode 2: The largest inland spill". MPR News. Retrieved January 19, 2021.
- ^ Laduke, Winona (March 3, 2017). "Happy Anniversary: The largest inland oil spill in U.S. history happened in Minnesota". Grand Rapids Herald-Review. Retrieved January 19, 2021.
- ^ "Redhorse, shorthead (Moxostoma macrolepidotum)". igfa.org. International Game Fish Association. Retrieved November 29, 2022.
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