Nooksack River
BW
Catchment area of the River Nocksack
It drains part of the Cascade Range around Mount Baker on the border with Canada. The river flows in its lower reaches a fertile agricultural area before it empties into Bellingham Bay, which is connected via the Juan de Fuca Strait and the Strait of Georgia with the Pacific Ocean.
At its upper course of the river is formed by a southern, middle and northern arm, the North is often included as well to the main flow. Together with the northern arm of the Nooksack River has a length of 120 km. All three have their origin in the vicinity of Mount Baker.
Run
Northern arm
The northern arm of the Nooksack River rises in the center of the Whatcom County north of Mount Shuksan in the western part of the North Cascades National Park. It flows generally west, Mount Baker happened north. The Washington State Route 542 follows most of the oxbow.
In the North Fork Nooksack Falls flows through a narrow valley and then falls almost 30 meters into a rock canyon down. On his way further to the west arm of the water collects various inflows - these include Wells Creek, Glacier Creek, and Canyon Creek - before the river turns south for a short time. Within a few kilometers opens out of the southern and central arm. From the confluence of the Middle Forks of the river is generally called Nooksack River. The southern arm connects at Deming in the reservation area of the Nooksack.
Middle arm
The middle arm of the Nooksack River is about 32 km long and has its origin on the southern flank of Mount Baker at Baker Pass. He follows a steady northwesterly course between Mount Baker and Twin Sisters Mountain pass.
Southern arm
The 80 km long southern arm of the Nooksack River rises in southern Whatcom County, east of the Twin Sisters Mountains near the Lake Wiseman at Bell pass .. This arm initially flows briefly south and reaches the Skagit County before moving to be north-west and then turns north, passes back into the Whatcom County and flows past Acme.
Nooksack River
After the unification of all three arms of the Nooksack River flows northwestward out of the mountains and passes Everson and Lynden, after which he swings to the southwest and at Ferndale finally south to the north shore of Bellingham Bay in the reserve of the Lummi about 5 km west of Bellingham into to open sea.
Changes to the river
Near the sources and at Nooksack Falls the river drives some hydropower plants. The Middle Fork is also dammed to derive drinking water for the city of Bellingham.
Output of the 19th century flowed most of the river water over the bed of today's short Lummi River in the Lummi Bay, which is located northwest of Bellingham Bay. At about the time of the turn of the century clogged the strains of a raft that narrow channel and forced the river, another bed to between themselves. The formation of a new river deltas has been the subject of scientific studies regarding the new wetlands, while the former Delta at the Lummi Bay is now flooded only during high water.
Hydrographic
The United States Geological Survey operates a level in Ferndale. The average annual runoff is there 108 m³ / s The highest recorded value was 1370 m³ / s on November 10, 1990, the lowest amount of water of 13 m³ / s was measured on 26 October, as well as 9 and 10 November 1987.