Holly River

Holly River
Right Fork Holly River in the Elk River Wildlife Management Area in 2007
Holly River is located in West Virginia
Holly River
Location of the mouth of the Holly River in Braxton County, West Virginia
Location
CountryUnited States
StateWest Virginia
CountiesWebster, Braxton
Physical characteristics
SourceLeft Fork Holly River
 • locationnortheastern Webster County
 • coordinates38°37′44″N 80°15′34″W / 38.6289961°N 80.2595219°W / 38.6289961; -80.2595219[2]
 • length24.1 miles (38.8 km)
 • elevation2,920 ft (890 m)[3]
2nd sourceRight Fork Holly River
 • locationnorth-central Webster County
 • coordinates38°32′59″N 80°20′27″W / 38.5498299°N 80.3409131°W / 38.5498299; -80.3409131[4]
 • length23.9 miles (38.5 km)
 • elevation2,338 ft (713 m)[3]
Source confluence 
 • locationeastern Braxton County
 • coordinates38°40′15″N 80°32′36″W / 38.6708333°N 80.5433333°W / 38.6708333; -80.5433333[1]
 • elevation935 ft (285 m)[3]
MouthSutton Lake on the Elk River
 • location
eastern Braxton County
 • coordinates
38°39′12″N 80°35′28″W / 38.6534349°N 80.5912026°W / 38.6534349; -80.5912026[1]
 • elevation
915 ft (279 m)[1]
Length3.9 mi (6.3 km)
Basin size148 sq mi (380 km2)

The Holly River is a tributary of the Elk River in central West Virginia in the United States. Via the Elk, Kanawha, and Ohio Rivers, it is part of the watershed of the Mississippi River, draining an area of 148 square miles (380 km2)[5] in a rural region of the Allegheny Mountains. It is approximately 3.9 miles (6.3 km) long, or 28 miles (45 km) including its Left Fork.[6] The river was named for the holly bushes along its course.[7]

The Holly River is formed by the confluence of its Left Fork and its Right Fork:

From the confluence of its left and right forks, the Holly River flows westward 3.9 miles (6.3 km)[6] as an arm of Sutton Lake, formed by a dam on the Elk River, to its mouth approximately 9 miles (14 km) east of Sutton. The Holly River’s course and the lower reaches of the left and right forks are part of the Elk River Wildlife Management Area.[8]

According to the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection, approximately 97% of the Holly River watershed is forested, mostly deciduous. Approximately 2% is used for pasture and agriculture.[5]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c Geographic Names Information System. "Geographic Names Information System entry for Holly River (Feature ID #1540396)". Retrieved 2011-03-09.
  2. ^ a b Geographic Names Information System. "Geographic Names Information System entry for Left Fork Holly River (Feature ID #1541664)". Retrieved 2011-03-09.
  3. ^ a b c Google Earth elevation for GNIS coordinates. Retrieved on 2011-03-09.
  4. ^ a b Geographic Names Information System. "Geographic Names Information System entry for Right Fork Holly River (Feature ID #1545650)". Retrieved 2011-03-09.
  5. ^ a b West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection. "Elk River". Watershed Atlas Project. Archived from the original on 2005-04-05. Retrieved 2011-03-09. {cite web}: External link in |work= (help)
  6. ^ a b c d United States Environmental Protection Agency. "Watershed Assessment, Tracking & Environmental Results: Assessment Summary for Reporting Year 2008, West Virginia, Elk Watershed". Archived from the original on 2012-12-13. Retrieved 2011-10-13.
  7. ^ Kenny, Hamill (1945). West Virginia Place Names: Their Origin and Meaning, Including the Nomenclature of the Streams and Mountains. Piedmont, WV: The Place Name Press. pp. 311–312.
  8. ^ a b c West Virginia Atlas & Gazetteer. Yarmouth, Me.: DeLorme. 1997. pp. 45–46. ISBN 0-89933-246-3.

External links