The English River is a

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 drai ...

of the

Iowa River The Iowa River is a tributary of the Mississippi River in the state of Iowa in the United States. It is about longU.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map , accessed May 13, 2011 and ...

in southeastern

Iowa Iowa () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to th ...

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 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

. The main stem of the river is long.U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data
The National Map
, accessed May 13, 2011 Including its longest

headwaters The headwaters of a river or stream is the farthest place in that river or stream from its estuary or downstream confluence with another river, as measured along the course of the river. It is also known as a river's source. Definition The ...

tributary, the North English River, the total length increases to . Via the Iowa River, it is part 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 fl ...

watershed. The Deep River is a minor tributary of the English River. The towns of North English, South English and Deep River are named for the English and Deep rivers.

Course

The English River flows for much of its course in north and south forks, which join in extreme northwestern Washington County. The English River then flows generally eastwardly for about , past the town of Riverside. It joins the Iowa River in northeastern Washington County, south of Iowa City.

North English River

The North English River is the longer of the two forks. It rises just south of Grinnell in western Poweshiek County and flows generally east-southeastwardly through Iowa County, past the town of Guernsey. In Iowa County it collects two minor tributaries, the Deep River and the Middle English River, both of which rise in Poweshiek County and flow eastwardly for short distances.

Deep River

The Deep River is a minor tributary of the North English River. It rises about two miles north-northwest of Montezuma in the south-central part of Poweshiek County at with an elevation of . It flows generally eastward for about , passing on the north side of the village of Deep River, Iowa, until it reaches the North English River at at an elevation of in the south-west part of Iowa County. The stream was reportedly named not because the water was so deep, but rather it was so far down from the stream bank to the water. The river experienced a record flood on May 14, 1970 with a greater than 50 year recurrence interval. At the flood crest the

stream gage A stream gauge, streamgage or stream gauging station is a location used by hydrologists or environmental scientists to monitor and test terrestrial bodies of water. Hydrometric measurements of water level surface elevation ("stage") and/or volu ...

on the Deep River station at the town of Deep River measured a record stage of and a stream flow of

Middle English River

The Middle English River, also the Middle Fork English River, is a minor tributary of the North English River. It rises about south-southeast of the village of Deep River, Iowa in the southeastern part of Poweshiek County at with an elevation of . It flows generally eastward for about until it reaches the North English River at about northeast of North English at an elevation of near the southern border of Iowa County.

South English River

The South English River rises just south of Montezuma in southern Poweshiek County and flows generally eastwardly through extreme northeastern Mahaska County and northern Keokuk County.

References