Puyallup River

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Puyallup River
River
View of the Puyallup River between River Road and North Levee Road (the river separates Fife from Tacoma).
Country	United States
State	Washington
Counties	Pierce
Tributaries
- right	Mowich River, Carbon River, White River
Cities	Orting, Puyallup, Tacoma
Source	Mount Rainier
- elevation	2,280 ft (695 m) [1]
- coordinates	46°51′50″N 121°57′4″W [2]
Mouth	Puget Sound
- location	Commencement Bay
- elevation	0 ft (0 m) [1]
- coordinates	47°16′10″N 122°25′42″WCoordinates: 47°16′10″N 122°25′42″W [2]
Length	45 mi (72 km) [3]
Basin	948 sq mi (2,455 km2) [4]
Discharge	for Puyallup
- average	3,313 cu ft/s (94 m3/s) [4]
- max	57,000 cu ft/s (1,614 m3/s)
- min	400 cu ft/s (11 m3/s)
Map of the Puyallup River watershed
Mouth of the Puyallup River in Washington

The Puyallup River (/pjuːˈæləp/ pew-AL-əp) is a river in the U.S. state of Washington. About 45 miles (72 km) long, it is formed by glaciers on the west side of Mount Rainier. It flows generally northwest, emptying into Commencement Bay, part of Puget Sound. The river and its tributaries drain an area of about 948 square miles (2,460 km²) in Pierce County and southern King County.^[5]
The river's watershed is the youngest in the Puget Sound region, having been formed from a series of lahars starting about 5,600 years ago.^[6] The valley's 150,000 residents are at risk from future lahars. For this reason, the United States Geological Survey has installed a lahar warning system.

Contents

• 1 Course
• 2 Natural history
• 3 River modifications
• 4 History
• 5 See also
• 6 References
• 7 External links