RED RIVER BASIN

The Red River Basin is located near the geographic center of the North American continent and includes portions of Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota as well as the Canadian province of Manitoba. The Red River Basin land area encompasses nearly 45,000 square miles. Roughly one third is located in Manitoba. The remaining two thirds is located in portions of North Dakota, Minnesota, and a small portion in South Dakota. The basin's hydrology is characterized by northward flow, low south- north relief, and a high degree of anthropomorphic alterations to the landscape.

As the Red River flows north to U.S- Canadian International Border, it marks the North Dakota-Minnesota Border. At the city of Winnipeg, Manitoba, the Red River is joined by the Assiniboine River, a major tributary draining to southwestern Manitoba and southwestern Saskatchewan. The Red River terminates at Lake Winnipeg in Manitoba, Canada. Lake Winnipeg is about 250 miles long and drains from its northern end through the Nelson River northwestward to Hudson Bay.

The elevation at Wahpeton is 943 ft (287 meters) above sea level. At the mouth of Lake Winnipeg, the elevation is 714 ft (218 meters). A difference of only 229 ft (69 meters) over a distance of about 545 river miles (877 Kilometers). The slope of the river averages less than one-half foot per mile (0.09 meters per kilometer), varying from about 1.3 ft per mile (0.25 meters per kilometer) near Wahpeton and Breckenridge, to 0.2 ft per mile (0.04 meter per kilometer) near the U.S. Canadian border. The slope continues at 0.2 ft per mile (0.4 meters per kilometer) from Emerson, MB to Ste. Agathe, MB and then increases slightly to 0.38 ft per mile (0.07 meters per kilometer) from Ste. Agathe, MB to the mouth, at Lake Winnipeg.

 

Red River of North Basin

University of Minnesota-Red River Basin

Geomorphology of The Red River

Atlas of Canada

Red River Basin Map

Red River Flooded Area

Other Maps: Basin Of Manitoba, Manitoba Drainage Area, Hudson Bay