White Rabbit River

White Rabbit River near Port Anderson

### Districts

Mount Prosperity District, Kingston District, Grey Wolf Reservation, White Rabbit District, Whitelaw District, White Rabbit Reservation

### Cities

Fort Dean, Port Anderson, Colonial Heights, Whitelaw

## Physical characteristics

### Mouth

Atlantic OceanLocation: Depression BayElevation: 0m

### Discharge

Minimum: 11 m3/sAverage: 93.8 m3/sMaximum: 1,600 m3/s

## Basin features

### Cities

Fort Dean, Port Anderson, Colonial Heights, Whitelaw

### Tributaries

Grey Wolf River, White River, Greene River

The **White Rabbit River** is a river in Whitelaw Capital Territory. About 107 kilometres long, it is formed by glaciers on the west side of Mount Prosperity. It flows generally west-southwest, emptying into Depression Bay in the South Atlantic. The river and its tributaries drain an area of about 2,396 km2 in Whitelaw District and White Rabbit District.

The river's watershed is the youngest in the Whitelaw Capital Territory, having been formed from a series of lahars starting around 5,700 years ago. The valley's 3.3 million residents are at risk from future lahars. For this reason, the Federal Volcanology Institute has installed a lahar warning system.

## Course

The White Rabbit River begins in two forks, the North White Rabbit River and the South White Rabbit River. Both originate at glaciers on Mount Prosperity. The North White Rabbit River flows from the tow of White Rabbit Glacier, while the South White Rabbit River flows from the Aka Glacier. The two streams flow through the western part of Mount Prosperity National Park, joining just outside the park boundary and forming the White Rabbit River proper.

The main White Rabbit River flows west-southwest from Mount Prosperity. The tributary Grey Wolf River, which also flows from glaciers on Mount Prosperity, joins the White Rabbit River from the north. Below the Grey Wolf confluence, the White Rabbit River flows through a rugged region of mountains and foothills. The river is dammed at Fort Dean Diversion Dam shortly before the Grey Wolf confluence. The dam diverts a portion of the White Rabbit River into a long flume, which runs for several miles to Fort Dean, where the water is passed through turbines in a hydroelectric powerhouse before being returned to the river. The White Rabbit River passes through a steep and narrow gorge between Fort Dean Dam and the powerhouse.

After Fort Dean the river turns north and flows by the city of Porters Landing, where it is joined by the White River from the south. Like the Grey Wolf, the White River also originates at a glacier on Mount Prosperity (the White Glacier). The White Rabbit continues its westerly course after Porters Landing. At Colonial Heights, the river is joined by the Fife River, another glacier-fed river. At the Fife River confluence, the White Rabbit River turns southwest, flowing through the city of Whitelaw, and through the White Rabbit Reservation, before emptying into Depression Bay at the Port of Whitelaw, part of the city of Whitelaw.

## Natural history

The White Rabbit River and its main tributaries originate in the glaciers of Mount Prosperity. These glaciers continually provide sediment such as silt and gravel to the rivers, creating sand and gravel bars. The thick sediment deposits in the stream beds lower water capacity, which causes the river to meander and flood during periods of high streamflow. It also causes the rivers to become braided and meandering, turning the White Rabbit River turbid. In addition, the glaciers delay the onset of spring-summer runoff, compared to unglaciated river basins.

Historically, these factors resulted in frequent flooding and extensive floodplain wetlands, and provided a rich and complex habitat for fish and other animals. In addition, the river's mouth at Depression Bay occupied an extensive tidal flat and wetland estuary delta. Urbanization and an extensive system of flood control structures such as dams, levees, and culverts, have radically altered much of the White Rabbit River and its tributaries. The estuary delta at the mouth of the White Rabbit River has been almost completely replaced with the facilities of the Port of Whitelaw, with less than 5% of the original estuarine habitat remaining.

A fall run of atlantic salmon occurs on the river. aka, chu, and coh are also found in the river, along with the endangered atlantic trout.

## River modifications

The White Rabbit River and its main tributary, the Grey Wolf River, have been subjected to major modifications during the 20th century. The White Rabbit River between Colonial Heights and its mouth at Whitelaw was straightened. A diversion dam was built at Forest Game Park National Park by G. W. Williams in 1913 to prevent the Grey Wolf River from flowing on its natural course into the Greene River at Port Anderson. Flood protection structures were built along many rivers in the basin, including extensive levees. A flood storage reservoir, Diamond Mountain Lake, was created on the Grey Wolf River with the construction of Diamond Mountain Dam. As part of the flood control efforts, new river channels and embankments have been generally kept clear of debris such as gravel bars, large trees, logjams, and other woody debris. These modifications have radically altered the natural character of the rivers. River widths have been generally reduced. Water now fills nearly all of the land between river banks, instead of the historic pattern of braided meanders and wetlands.

## History

The river is named for the White Rabbit tribe, who lived throughout the river basin. After the Treaty of Blue Deer, the White Rabbit were granted a reservation on the lower White Rabbit River. The Treaty of Blue Deer recognised native fishing rights on the White Rabbit River. These rights were ignored for decades until Howard Adkins was arrested in 1961 for unlawfully fishing on the river. His legal case continued for years and resulted in the 1980 Adkins Decision, which granted half of all fishing rights in Toin to native tribes.

The White Rabbit tribe continues to maintain several buildings and properties on reservation lands near the mouth of the river. They are stakeholders in many issues about the river, such as the amount of water diverted at Fort Dean Diversion Dam.

The first known European to explore the White Rabbit River was Sir Alexander Fredrickson, who in July 1785 made a journey to the Mount Prosperity area via the White Rabbit and Grey Wolf river valleys. Two Indigenous Toinan guides accompanied Fredrickson; Adawosgi, a Grey Wolf, and Tayanita, a White Rabbit.

## See also

* List of crossings of the White Rabbit River
* List of Whitelaw Capital Territory rivers