The Raccoon River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data
The National Map
accessed May 26, 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 drai ...

of the

Des Moines River The Des Moines River () is a tributary of the Mississippi River in the upper Midwestern United States that is approximately long from its farther headwaters.U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe Na ...

in central

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 ...

. As measured using the longest of its three forks, its length increases to . Via the Des Moines River, 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 fl ...

. The river runs through an intensely cultivated area of croplands and livestock farming, receiving

Tile drainage Tile drainage is a form of agricultural drainage system that removes excess sub-surface water from fields to allow sufficient air space within the soil, proper cultivation, and access by heavy machinery to tend and harvest crops. While surface wate ...

from slow-draining rich natural bottomland. The

Des Moines metropolitan area The Des Moines metropolitan area, officially known as the Des Moines–West Des Moines, IA Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) is located at the confluence of the Des Moines River and the Raccoon River. Des Moines serves as the capital of the U.S ...

has been obtaining its drinking water from the Raccoon River just before it empties into the

through water utilities since the 19th century. During the

Great Flood of 1993 The Great Flood of 1993 (or Great Mississippi and Missouri Rivers Flood of 1993) was a flood that occurred in the Midwestern United States, along the Mississippi and Missouri rivers and their tributaries, from April to October 1993. The flood wa ...

, the Raccoon River flooded the

water treatment Water treatment is any process that improves the quality of water to make it appropriate for a specific end-use. The end use may be drinking, industrial water supply, irrigation, river flow maintenance, water recreation or many other uses, inc ...

facility of Des Moines, shutting off the city's supply of drinking water.

History

The Racoon River was first documented on the 1814 map by Lewis and Clark, though the USGS references the name to a later map from 1843 named ''Hydrological Basin of the Upper Mississippi River'' based on field measurements by Joseph N. Nicollet during his Midwestern expeditions in the 1830s.

Course

The Raccoon River is a

of the

in central

in the

. It flows for much of its length as three streams and when measured using the longest of its three forks, its length increases to . The river runs through an intensely cultivated area of croplands mostly of corn and soy and livestock farming, where slow-draining rich natural bottomlands have been tiled to drain them for agricultural cultivation.David Pitt (AP) "Des Moines struggling with nitrates in water "
accessed 21 November 2013. *The North Raccoon River is, by far, the longest of the three, at . It rises north of Marathon in northeastern Buena Vista County and initially flows southwardly into Sac County, where it turns southeastward for the remainder of its course through

Calhoun John C. Calhoun (1782–1850) was the 7th vice president of the United States. Calhoun can also refer to: Surname * Calhoun (surname) Inhabited places in the United States *Calhoun, Georgia *Calhoun, Illinois * Calhoun, Kansas * Calhoun, Kentuc ...

, Carroll,

Greene Greene may refer to: Places United States *Greene, Indiana, an unincorporated community *Greene, Iowa, a city *Greene, Maine, a town ** Greene (CDP), Maine, in the town of Greene *Greene (town), New York ** Greene (village), New York, in the town ...

and

Dallas Dallas () is the List of municipalities in Texas, third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 ...

counties. It passes the towns of Sac City, Jefferson,

Perry Perry, also known as pear cider, is an alcoholic beverage made from fermented pears, traditionally the perry pear. It has been common for centuries in England, particularly in Gloucestershire, Herefordshire, and Worcestershire. It is also mad ...

and Adel. The Adel Island dam in Adel is the only dam along its course.http://www.iowadnr.gov/portals/idnr/uploads/riverprograms/map_raccoon%20north%20south%20and%20middle.pdf?amp;tabid=868 ''Expedition and Fishing Guide'' IA Department of Natural Resources (DNR) website retrieved April 28, 2013 *The Middle Raccoon River, long, rises in northwestern Carroll County and flows generally southeastwardly through Guthrie and Dallas counties, past Carroll, Coon Rapids, Springbrook State Park, Panora, Linden, and Redfield. The three dams located along its course are the Lake Panorama dam and the Lennon Mill dam at Panora, and the Redfield dam at Redfield. Even though the Lake Panorama dam, completed in 1970, was built for recreational purposes only, it has provided some additional benefits by controlling flooding along the Middle Raccoon River. The Middle Raccoon River flows into the South Raccoon River about south of Redfield. *The South Raccoon River, about long, rises in northeastern Audubon County and flows generally southeastwardly through Guthrie and Dallas counties, past the town of Guthrie Center. South of Redfield, after the Middle Raccoon River flows into the South Raccoon River, a flow gauge operated jointly by the

United States Army Corps of Engineers , colors = , anniversaries = 16 June (Organization Day) , battles = , battles_label = Wars , website = , commander1 = ...

(Rock Island District), the

United States Geological Survey The United States Geological Survey (USGS), formerly simply known as the Geological Survey, is a scientific agency of the United States government. The scientists of the USGS study the landscape of the United States, its natural resources, ...

(Iowa District), and the

Iowa Department of Transportation The Iowa Department of Transportation (Iowa DOT) is the government organization in the U.S. state of Iowa responsible for the organization, construction, and maintenance of the primary highway system. Located in Ames, Iowa, DOT is also respons ...

provides data about potential flooding threats.http://www2.mvr.usace.army.mil/WaterControl/stationinfo2.cfm?sid=REDI4&fid=REDI4&dt=S ''South Raccoon River gage at Redfield'' Rivergages website retrieved February 19, 2010 The north and south forks join in Dallas County just west of Van Meter, and the Raccoon River flows generally eastward into

Polk County Polk County is the name of twelve counties in the United States, all except two named after president of the United States James Knox Polk: * Polk County, Arkansas * Polk County, Florida * Polk County, Georgia * Polk County, Iowa * Polk Count ...

, past

Walnut Woods State Park Walnut Woods State Park is a state park in Polk County, Iowa, United States, located in suburban West Des Moines. Within the Des Moines metropolitan area, the park preserves a bottomland hardwood forest featuring the largest natural stand of ...

and

West Des Moines West Des Moines is a city in Polk, Dallas, Warren, and Madison counties in the U.S. state of Iowa. A majority of the city is located in Polk County, a minority of the city is located in Dallas County, and small portions extend into Warren and Ma ...

. It joins the

just south of downtown Des Moines and is part of the watershed of the

Drinking water use

Both the Raccoon and Des Moines rivers have been providing

drinking water Drinking water is water that is used in drink or food preparation; potable water is water that is safe to be used as drinking water. The amount of drinking water required to maintain good health varies, and depends on physical activity level, a ...

for the

through water utilities since the 19th century. During the

, the Raccoon River flooded the

facility of Des Moines, shutting off the city's drinking water supply.

Agricultural pollution

Spring thaws, as in the spring of 2013, and rainy spells after drought wash nitrate from fertilizer into the river. On November 20, 2014 nitrates spiked at 13.7 parts per million (ppm), making the water unsafe for pregnant women and infants. (The US Environmental Protection Agency requires officials to inform the public about safety risks at 10 ppm.) At the time, these were the highest readings in the nation.

References

Sources

Columbia Gazetteer of North America entry
* DeLorme (1998). ''Iowa Atlas & Gazetteer''. Yarmouth, Maine: DeLorme. . *GNIS entries for , , ,

External links

Map of Raccoon River basin
- Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) website
South Raccoon River gage near Redfield
- US Army Corps of Engineers website
North Raccoon River at Perry
- National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) website
Middle Raccoon River at Panora
- NOAA website
South Raccoon River at Redfield
- NOAA website
Raccoon River at Van Meter
- NOAA website
Raccoon River at Des Moines Fleur Drive
- NOAA website {{authority control Rivers of Iowa Tributaries of the Des Moines River Geography of Des Moines, Iowa Rivers of Sac County, Iowa Rivers of Calhoun County, Iowa Rivers of Carroll County, Iowa Rivers of Greene County, Iowa Rivers of Dallas County, Iowa Rivers of Polk County, Iowa Rivers of Audubon County, Iowa Rivers of Guthrie County, Iowa