vania-janet/multiturn-rag-retrieval-data huggingface dataset:
Hudson River
The longest source of the Hudson River as shown on the most detailed USGS maps is the `` Opalescent River '' on the west slopes of Little Marcy Mountain , originating two miles north of Lake Tear of the Clouds , and a mile longer than `` Feldspar Brook '' , which flows out of that lake in the Adirondack Mountains . Popular culture and convention , however , more often cite the photogenic Lake Tear of the Clouds as the source .
Mississippi River
The Upper Mississippi is largely a multi-thread stream with many bars and islands . From its confluence with the St. Croix River downstream to Dubuque , Iowa , the river is entrenched , with high bedrock bluffs lying on either side . The height of these bluffs decreases to the south of Dubuque , though they are still significant through Savanna , Illinois . This topography contrasts strongly with the Lower Mississippi , which is a meandering river in a broad , flat area , only rarely flowing alongside a bluff ( as at Vicksburg , Mississippi ) . The
Columbus, Georgia
The Chattahoochee River white water opened in 2012 . After the Eagle & Phenix Dam was breached , river flow was restored to natural conditions allowing the course to be created . The 2.5 - mile ( 4.0 km ) course is the longest urban whitewater rafting and kayaking in the world , and has been ranked the world 's best manmade whitewater course by USA Today . It also features the Blue Heron Adventure , a zip - line connecting users from the Georgia side of the river to the Alabama side with a ropes course on the Alabama side and another zip - line back to Georgia .
Mississippi River
The head of navigation on the Mississippi is the Coon Rapids Dam in Coon Rapids , Minnesota . Before it was built in 1913 , steamboats could occasionally go upstream as far as Saint Cloud , Minnesota , depending on river conditions .
River Mersey
From the Runcorn Gap , the river widens into a large estuary , which is 3 miles ( 4.8 km ) wide at its widest point near Ellesmere Port . The course of the river then heads north , with Liverpool to the east and the Wirral Peninsula to the west . The Manchester Ship Canal enters the river at Eastham Locks . The eastern part of the estuary is much affected by silting , and part of it is marked on modern maps as dry land rather than tidal . The wetlands are of importance to wildlife , and are listed as a Ramsar site .
Delaware River
From Hancock , New York , the river flows between the northern Pocono Mountains in Pennsylvania , and the lowered shale beds north of the Catskills . The river flows down a broad Appalachian valley , passing Hawk 's Nest overlook on the Upper Delaware Scenic Byway . The river flows southeast for 78 miles through rural regions along the New York - Pennsylvania border to Port Jervis and the Shawangunk Mountains .
Hudson Valley
In 1598 some Dutch employed by the Greenland Company wintered in the Bay . Eleven years later , the Dutch East India Company financed English navigator Henry Hudson in his attempt to search for the Northwest Passage . During this attempt , Henry Hudson decided to sail his ship up the river that would later be named after him . As he continued up the river , its width expanded , into Haverstraw Bay , leading him to believe he had successfully reached the Northwest Passage . He docked his ship on the western shore of Haverstraw Bay and claimed the territory as the first Dutch settlement in North America . He also proceeded upstream as far as present - day Troy before concluding that no such strait existed there . Dutch
Drinking water supply and sanitation in the United States
Boston , New York City , San Francisco , Denver , and Portland , Oregon are among the large cities in the U.S. that do not need to treat their surface water sources beyond disinfection , because their water sources are located in the upper reaches of protected watersheds and thus are naturally very pure . Boston receives most of its water from the Quabbin and Wachusett Reservoirs and the Ware River in central and western Massachusetts . New York City 's water supply is fed by a 2,000 - square - mile ( 5,200 km ) watershed in the Catskill Mountains . The watershed is in one of the largest protected wilderness areas in the United States . San Francisco obtains 85 % of its drinking water from high Sierra snowmelt through the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir in Yosemite National Park . However , to supplement the imported water supply , and to help maintain delivery of drinking water in the event of a major earthquake , drought or decline in the snowpack , San Francisco considers the use of alternative locally produced , sustainable water sources such as reclaimed water for irrigation , local groundwater and desalination during drought periods , all as part of its Water Supply Diversification Program . The largest source of water supply for Portland , Oregon , is the Bull Run Watershed . Denver receives its water almost entirely from mountain snowmelt in a number of highly protected watersheds in more than 9 counties . Its water is stored in 14 reservoirs , the largest of which is the Dillon Reservoir on the Blue River in the Colorado River . Water is diverted from there through the Harold D. Roberts Tunnel under the Continental Divide into the South Platte River Basin . Cities
St. Johns River
From the intersection of the Ocklawaha River , 101 miles ( 163 km ) to the Atlantic Ocean , the St. Johns lies within the lower basin , draining a total area of 2,600 square miles ( 6,700 km ) in Putnam , St. Johns , Clay , and Duval Counties . Twelve tributaries empty into the river in the lower basin . The St. Johns River widens considerably on the north end of Lake George ; between Lake George and Palatka the river ranges between 600 and 2,640 feet ( 180 and 800 m ) wide . Between Palatka and Jacksonville , that widens further to between 1 and 3 miles ( 1.6 and 4.8 km ) . This portion of the river is the most navigable and shipping is its primary use . The Army Corps of Engineers maintains shipping channels at least 12 feet ( 3.7 m ) deep and 100 feet ( 30 m ) wide . North of Jacksonville , the channels are expanded to 40 feet ( 12 m ) deep and between 400 and 900 feet ( 120 and 270 m ) wide . Cypress
Rocky Mountains
The Rocky Mountains are commonly defined as stretching from the Liard River in British Columbia south to the Rio Grande in New Mexico . Other mountain ranges continue beyond those two rivers , including the Selwyn Mountains in Yukon , the Brooks Range in Alaska , and the Sierra Madre in Mexico , but those are not part of the Rockies , though they are part of the American Cordillera . The United States definition of the Rockies includes the Cabinet and Salish Mountains of Idaho and Montana . Their counterparts north of the Kootenai River , the Columbia Mountains , are considered a separate system in Canada , lying to the west of the huge Rocky Mountain Trench . This runs the length of British Columbia from its beginnings in the middle Flathead River valley in western Montana to the south bank of the Liard River . The Rockies vary in width from 70 to 300 miles ( 110 to 480 kilometers ) . Also west of the Rocky Mountain Trench , farther north and facing the Muskwa Range across the trench , are the Stikine Ranges and Omineca Mountains of the Interior Mountains system of British Columbia . A small area east of Prince George , British Columbia on the eastern side of the Trench , the McGregor Plateau , resembles the Rockies but is considered part of the Interior Plateau . The
Hudson River
The Narrows were most likely formed about 6,000 years ago at the end of the last ice age . Previously , Staten Island and Long Island were connected , preventing the Hudson River from terminating via the Narrows . At that time , the Hudson River emptied into the Atlantic Ocean through a more westerly course through parts of present - day northern New Jersey , along the eastern side of the Watchung Mountains to Bound Brook , New Jersey and then on into the Atlantic Ocean via Raritan Bay . A buildup of water in the Upper New York Bay eventually allowed the Hudson River to break through previous land mass that was connecting Staten Island and Brooklyn to form the Narrows as it exists today . This allowed the Hudson River to find a shorter route to the Atlantic Ocean via its present course between New Jersey and New York City .
Blackstone River
The original Native American name for the river was the `` Kittacuck '' , which meant `` the great tidal river '' . The `` Kittacuck '' , or Blackstone , was plentiful with salmon and lamprey in pre-colonial and colonial times .
Mississippi River
From its origin at Lake Itasca to St. Louis , Missouri , the waterway 's flow is moderated by 43 dams . Fourteen of these dams are located above Minneapolis in the headwaters region and serve multiple purposes , including power generation and recreation . The remaining 29 dams , beginning in downtown Minneapolis , all contain locks and were constructed to improve commercial navigation of the upper river . Taken as a whole , these 43 dams significantly shape the geography and influence the ecology of the upper river . Beginning just below Saint Paul , Minnesota , and continuing throughout the upper and lower river , the Mississippi is further controlled by thousands of wing dikes that moderate the river 's flow in order to maintain an open navigation channel and prevent the river from eroding its banks .
Catawba River
The Catawba River ( named after the Native American tribes that first settled on the banks ) originates in Western North Carolina and the name of the river changes to the Wateree River in South Carolina . The river is approximately 220 miles ( 350 km ) long . It rises in the Appalachian Mountains and drains into Piedmont , and is impounded through a series of reservoirs for flood control and hydroelectricity . The river is named after the Catawba tribe of Native Americans . In their Siouan language , they identified as the Kawahcatawbas , `` the people of the river '' .
Oyster
The Pacific oyster prospered in Pendrell Sound , where the surface water is typically warm enough for spawning in the summer . Over the following years , spat spread out sporadically and populated adjacent areas . Eventually , possibly following adaptation to the local conditions , the Pacific oyster spread up and down the coast and now is the basis of the North American west coast oyster industry . Pendrell Sound is now a reserve that supplies spat for cultivation . Near the mouth of the Great Wicomico River in the Chesapeake Bay , five - year - old artificial reefs now harbor more than 180 million native Crassostrea virginica . That is far lower than in the late 1880s , when the bay 's population was in the billions , and watermen harvested about 910,000 m ( 25,000,000 imp bsh ) annually . The 2009 harvest was less than 7,300 m ( 200,000 imp bsh ) . Researchers claim the keys to the project were :
Mississippi River
The Upper Mississippi River is joined by the Minnesota River at Fort Snelling in the Twin Cities ; the St. Croix River near Prescott , Wisconsin ; the Cannon River near Red Wing , Minnesota ; the Zumbro River at Wabasha , Minnesota ; the Black , La Crosse , and Root rivers in La Crosse , Wisconsin ; the Wisconsin River at Prairie du Chien , Wisconsin ; the Rock River at the Quad Cities ; the Iowa River near Wapello , Iowa ; the Skunk River south of Burlington , Iowa ; and the Des Moines River at Keokuk , Iowa . Other major tributaries of the Upper Mississippi include the Crow River in Minnesota , the Chippewa River in Wisconsin , the Maquoketa River and the Wapsipinicon River in Iowa , and the Illinois River in Illinois .
Blackstone River
The river is named after William Blackstone ( original spelling William Blaxton ) who arrived in Weymouth , Massachusetts in 1623 , and became the first European settler of present - day Boston in 1625 . He relocated again , to Rhode Island in 1635 and built his home on the river , in what would become Cumberland . With the Providence River , the Blackstone was the northeastern border of Dutch claims for New Netherland from Adriaen Block 's charting of Narragansett Bay in 1614 through the Hartford Treaty of 1650 .
Snake River
Downriver of the Hells Canyon is the Lower Snake River Project , authorized by the Rivers and Harbors Act of 1945 , which was created by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to create a navigable channel on the Snake River from its mouth to the beginning of Hells Canyon . These dams are , in downstream order : Lower Granite Lock and Dam , Little Goose Lock and Dam , Lower Monumental Lock and Dam , and Ice Harbor Lock and Dam . Dredging work was also done throughout the length of the navigation channel to facilitate ship passage . These dams form a cascade of reservoirs with no stretches of free - flowing river in between . Immediately below Ice Harbor Dam is Lake Wallula , formed by the construction of the McNary Dam on the Columbia River . ( McNary Dam is not part of the Lower Snake River Project . ) Above Lower Granite Dam , the river channel from Lewiston to Johnson Bar , just below Hells Canyon , is also maintained for jet - boats as this section is too rugged for ships . These dams have been proposed for removal , and if they were to be removed , it would be the largest dam removal project ever undertaken in the United States . The removal has been proposed on the grounds that it would restore salmon runs to the lower Snake River and the Clearwater River and other smaller tributaries . Idaho 's Snake river once teemed with sockeye salmon . However , there are almost no wild sockeye salmon left in the river due to a number of factors .
Snake River
The Snake River was once one of the most important rivers for the spawning of anadromous fish -- which are hatched in the headwaters of rivers , live in the ocean for most of their lives , and return to the river to spawn -- in the United States . The river supported species including chinook salmon , coho salmon , and sockeye salmon , as well as steelhead , white sturgeon , and Pacific lamprey . It is known that before the construction of dams on the river , there were three major chinook salmon runs in the Snake River ; in the spring , summer and fall , totaling about 120,000 fish , and the sockeye salmon run was about 150,000 . The historical barrier to fish migration on the Snake River was Shoshone Falls , a waterfall that occurs as the Snake River passes through the Snake River Plain . Reaches
Mississippi River
The Corps now actively creates and maintains spillways and floodways to divert periodic water surges into backwater channels and lakes , as well as route part of the Mississippi 's flow into the Atchafalaya Basin and from there to the Gulf of Mexico , bypassing Baton Rouge and New Orleans . The main structures are the Birds Point - New Madrid Floodway in Missouri ; the Old River Control Structure and the Morganza Spillway in Louisiana , which direct excess water down the west and east sides ( respectively ) of the Atchafalaya River ; and the Bonnet Carré Spillway , also in Louisiana , which directs floodwaters to Lake Pontchartrain ( see diagram ) . Some experts blame urban sprawl for increases in both the risk and frequency of flooding on the Mississippi River .
Mississippi River
The Middle Mississippi is relatively free - flowing . From St. Louis to the Ohio River confluence , the Middle Mississippi falls 220 feet ( 67 m ) over 180 miles ( 290 km ) for an average rate of 1.2 feet per mile ( 23 cm / km ) . At its confluence with the Ohio River , the Middle Mississippi is 315 feet ( 96 m ) above sea level . Apart from the Missouri and Meramec rivers of Missouri and the Kaskaskia River of Illinois , no major tributaries enter the Middle Mississippi River . Lower
Delaware River
The West Branch of the Delaware River ( also called the Mohawk Branch ) spans approximately 90 miles ( 140 km ) from the northern Catskill Mountains to where it joins in confluence with the Delaware River 's East Branch at Hancock , New York . The last 6 miles ( 9.7 km ) forms part of the boundary between New York and Pennsylvania .
Blackstone River
Below is a list of all crossings over the Blackstone River . The list starts at the headwaters and goes downstream .
Yadkin River
In 1987 , the NC General Assembly established the Yadkin River State Trail as a blueway which follows the river for 130 miles . The paddle trail is a part of North Carolina State Trails Program , which is a section of the NC Division of Parks and Recreation . A system of launch points and camping locations were created along the river for the trail .
Yadkin River
All but W. Kerr Scott generate hydroelectric power , and High Rock , Tuckertown , Badin , and Falls are managed by Alcoa under contract with the US Government , under FERC oversight . The contract with FERC expired in April 2008 , and as of February 2011 , was under review after the N.C. Division of Water Quality revoked their water - quality certificate that the company needs to continue operating its power - generating dams along the river . The governor of North Carolina , Bev Perdue , and other North Carolina politicians have made it a priority to recapture the Yadkin River water rights , an action that will require a vote in the United States Congress .
St. Croix River (Wisconsin–Minnesota)
The upper portion of river -- originally called the north branch of the St. Croix River -- was known to the Ojibwa as Manoominikeshiinh - ziibi ( Ricing - Rail River ) . Downstream of its confluence with the Namekagon , the Ojibwa renamed the river as Gichi - ziibi ( Big River ) or Okijii - ziibi ( Pipestem River )
St. Johns River
Starting in Indian River County and meeting the Atlantic Ocean at Duval County , the St. Johns is Florida 's primary commercial and recreational waterway . It flows north from its headwaters , originating in the direction of the Lake Wales Ridge , which is only slightly elevated at 30 feet ( 9.1 m ) above sea level . Because of this low elevation drop , the river has a long backwater . It ebbs and flows with tides that pass through the barrier islands and up the channel . Uniquely , it shares the same regional terrain as the parallel Kissimmee River , although the Kissimmee flows south .
St. Johns River
The river is at its narrowest and most unpredictable in this basin . Channel flows are not apparent and are usually unmarked . The most efficient way to travel on this part of the river is by airboat . Approximately 3,500 lakes lie within the overall St. Johns watershed ; all are shallow , with maximum depths between 3 and 10 feet ( 1 and 3 m ) . The river flows into many of the lakes , which further confuses navigation . Eight larger lakes and five smaller ones lie in the upper basin ; one of the first is named Lake Hell ' n Blazes ( sometimes polished to read as Lake Helen or Hellen Blazes ) , referencing oaths yelled by boatmen and fishermen in the early 19th century , frustrated when trying to navigate through floating islands of macrophytes , or muck and weeds , as the islands changed location with the creeping flow . Lakes Washington , Winder , and Poinsett -- named for Joel Roberts Poinsett , a diplomat who brought the poinsettia to the United States -- are located further along this stretch of the river . The northernmost points of the upper basin contain the Tosohatchee Wildlife Management Area , created in 1977 to assist with filtration of waters flowing into the larger St. Johns . Cypress
Ottawa
With the draining of the Champlain Sea around ten thousand years ago , the Ottawa Valley became habitable . Local populations used the area for wild edible harvesting , hunting , fishing , trade , travel , and camps for over 6500 years . The Ottawa river valley has archaeological sites with arrow heads , pottery , and stone tools . Three major rivers meet within Ottawa , making it an important trade and travel area for thousands of years . The Algonquins called the Ottawa River Kichi Sibi or Kichissippi meaning `` Great River '' or `` Grand River '' . Camp
Mississippi River
The source of the Upper Mississippi branch is traditionally accepted as Lake Itasca , 1,475 feet ( 450 m ) above sea level in Itasca State Park in Clearwater County , Minnesota . The name `` Itasca '' was chosen to designate the `` true head '' of the Mississippi River as a combination of the last four letters of the Latin word for truth ( veritas ) and the first two letters of the Latin word for head ( caput ) . However , the lake is in turn fed by a number of smaller streams .
Colony of Virginia
In the peace treaty of October 1646 , the new weroance , Necotowance , and the subtribes formerly in the Confederacy , each became tributaries to the King of England . At the same time , a racial frontier was delineated between Indian and English settlements , with members of each group forbidden to cross to the other side except by special pass obtained at one of the newly erected border forts . The extent of the Virginia colony open to patent by English colonists was defined as : All the land between the Blackwater and York rivers , and up to the navigable point of each of the major rivers - which were connected by a straight line running directly from modern Franklin on the Blackwater , northwesterly to the Appomattoc village beside Fort Henry , and continuing in the same direction to the Monocan village above the falls of the James , where Fort Charles was built , then turning sharp right , to Fort Royal on the York ( Pamunkey ) river . Necotowance thus ceded the English vast tracts of still - uncolonized land , much of it between the James and Blackwater . English settlements on the peninsula north of the York and below the Poropotank were also allowed , as they had already been there since 1640 .
River Mersey
Most of the conurbation on both sides of the estuary is known as Merseyside . The estuary narrows between Liverpool and Birkenhead , where it is constricted to a width of 0.7 miles ( 1.1 km ) , between Albert Dock in Liverpool and the Woodside ferry terminal in Birkenhead . On the Liverpool side , Liverpool Docks stretch for over 7.5 miles ( 12.1 km ) , the largest enclosed interconnected dock system in the world . American author Herman Melville described Liverpool Docks as being comparable to the pyramids in the vast scale of their construction . The docks were built out into the river bed . The Mersey Docks and Harbour Board used granite from a quarry it owned in Scotland for construction of the quays . Birkenhead grew quickly in the 19th century following the introduction of steamships , the earliest being the wooden paddle steamer Elizabeth in 1815 . Docks were developed along with a shipbuilding industry , flour milling and soap manufacture on the river 's Cheshire bank .
Delaware River
The Delaware River is a major river on the Atlantic coast of the United States . It drains an area of 14,119 square miles ( 36,570 km ) in five U.S. states -- New York , New Jersey , Pennsylvania , Maryland and Delaware . Rising in two branches in New York state 's Catskill Mountains , the river flows 419 miles ( 674 km ) into Delaware Bay where its waters enter the Atlantic Ocean near Cape May in New Jersey and Cape Henlopen in Delaware . Not including Delaware Bay , the river 's length including its two branches is 388 miles ( 624 km ) . The Delaware River is one of nineteen `` Great Waters '' recognized by the America 's Great Waters Coalition .
Colony of Virginia
The founder of the new colony was the Virginia Company , with the first two settlements in Jamestown on the north bank of the James River and Popham Colony on the Kennebec River in modern - day Maine , both in 1607 . The Popham colony quickly failed due to a famine , disease , and conflict with local Native American tribes in the first two years . Jamestown occupied land belonging to the Powhatan Confederacy , and was also at the brink of failure before the arrival of a new group of settlers and supplies by ship in 1610 . Tobacco became Virginia 's first profitable export , the production of which had a significant impact on the society and settlement patterns .