The Little River is a
[U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data]
The National Map
, accessed June 3, 2011 tributary of the
Ouachita (Black) River in central
Louisiana in the
United States. Via the Ouachita and
Red rivers, it is part of the
watershed
Watershed is a hydrological term, which has been adopted in other fields in a more or less figurative sense. It may refer to:
Hydrology
* Drainage divide, the line that separates neighbouring drainage basins
* Drainage basin, called a "watershe ...
of the
Mississippi River. According to the
Geographic Names Information System, the Little River has also been known historically as "Bayou Des Nacitoches," "Catahoula Bayou," and "Catahoula River."
The Little River is formed about northeast of
Georgetown by the confluence of the
Dugdemona River The Dugdemona River (pronounced ''dug-duh-mona'') is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map , accessed June 3, 2011 tributary of the Little River in north-central Louisiana in the United ...
and
Castor Creek. It flows initially southeastwardly along the boundaries of
Grant,
LaSalle, and
Rapides parishes, before turning east-northeastwardly into LaSalle Parish through
Catahoula Lake, which is bordered by the
Catahoula National Wildlife Refuge. In the twentieth century the waste from the oil production and exploration damaged the riparian lands in LaSalle Parish. After passing through the lake, the Little River continues east-northeastwardly into
Catahoula Parish, where it joins the Ouachita River from the west at
Jonesville, just downstream of the mouth of the
Tensas River. (Below the mouth of the Tensas, the Ouachita River is sometimes known as the "Black River.")
The Little River, as measured at the USGS station at
Rochelle, LA, has a mean annual discharge of 2,260 cubic feet per second.
The state government of Louisiana has designated the uppermost of the Little River (above Catahoula Lake) as a "Natural and Scenic River." This portion of the river flows through a mixed
oak-
gum
Gum may refer to:
Types of gum
* Adhesive
* Bubble gum
* Chewing gum
* Gum (botany), sap or other resinous material associated with certain species of the plant kingdom
** Gum arabic, made from the sap of ''Acacia senegal'', an Old World tree s ...
bottomland forest interspersed with stands of
bald cypress. Sixty prehistoric
Native American archaeological sites have been identified along this stretch of the river.
[Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality (2002)]
State of Louisiana Water Quality Management Plan
Appendix B: Descriptions of Louisiana's Natural and Scenic Rivers (PDF)
/ref>
See also
* List of Louisiana rivers
References
External links
Catahoula National Wildlife Refuge
{{authority control
Rivers of Louisiana
Rivers of Catahoula Parish, Louisiana
Rivers of Grant Parish, Louisiana
Rivers of LaSalle Parish, Louisiana
Rivers of Rapides Parish, Louisiana
Tributaries of the Red River of the South
Ouachita River