- Van Duzen River
The Van Duzen River is a
river on the north coast ofCalifornia . It is a major tributary of the Eel River and drains 429 square miles, mostly in Humboldt County, with a small portion in Trinity County. The river travels 63 miles from its headwaters on the west side of the North Coast Range to its confluence with the Eel River, about 14 miles upstream from thePacific Ocean and 17 miles south ofEureka, California . The river's elevation is over 5,000 feet at its source and only 60 feet when it merges with the Eel River. The river has two forks in its upper reaches. The North Fork travels northwest until it reaches the small town of Dinsmore, where it starts flowing west. The Little Van Duzen, which also flows northwest, joins the North Fork a few miles later. The river flows roughly west from then on. It meets its largest tributary, Yager Creek, about 5 miles before it reaches the Eel River.The primary
land use in the watershed in timberland. Road construction and poorlogging practices, particularly historical, have increasederosion , leading to excessivesediment buildup in the river and its tributaries. In addition, gravelmining , particularly at the confluence of the Van Duzen and Eel River, has increased erosion, affected channel alignment and may blockfish migration .About 26 percent of the land is owned by industrial
timber companies. About 31 percent is privately owned, but not industrial, land used for timber production andranch es. Residential land makes up 26 percent and public land makes up 17 percent. Most of the public land is near the river's headwaters inSix Rivers National Forest .The Van Duzen River has been federally designated as a "Wild and Scenic River".
References
* [http://www.epa.gov/region9/water/tmdl/vanduzen/vanduzen.pdf United States Environmental Protection Agency]
* [http://www.krisweb.com/biblio/ncc_wmn_krameretal_2001.pdf Klamath Resource Information System]
* [http://www.savetheredwoods.org/protecting/pdf/mp_g_gcvd.pdf Save the Redwoods]External links
*Gnis|268665|Van Duzen River, USGS, GNIS
* [http://fovd.org/ Friends of the Van Duzen River]
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