The Caney River is a 180 miles (289.7 km) river

River

A river is a natural watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, a lake, a sea, or another river. In a few cases, a river simply flows into the ground or dries up completely before reaching another body of water. Small rivers may also be called by several other names, including...

 in southern Kansas

Kansas

Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...

 and northeastern Oklahoma

Oklahoma

Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...

. The river is a tributary

Tributary

A tributary or affluent is a stream or river that flows into a main stem river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean...

 of the Verdigris River

Verdigris River

The Verdigris River is a tributary of the Arkansas River in southeastern Kansas and northeastern Oklahoma in the United States. It is about long...

, and is usually a flatwater stream.

The Caney forms in Elk County, Kansas

Elk County, Kansas

Elk County is a county located in Southeast Kansas, in the Central United States. As of the 2010 census, the county population was 2,882...

, then moves south into Oklahoma near Elgin, Kansas

Elgin, Kansas

Elgin is a city in Chautauqua County, Kansas, United States, on the state line with Oklahoma. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 89.-Geography:Elgin is located at...

. It then flows south through Osage County

Osage County, Oklahoma

Osage County is a county in the northern part of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. Coterminous with the Osage Indian Reservation, it is the home of the federally recognized Osage Nation. As of the 2010 census, the population was 47,472 a 6.8 percent increase from 2000, when the population was 44,437...

, where it is dammed near Bowring

Bowring, Oklahoma

Bowring is a small community in Osage County, Oklahoma. The post office was established November 12, 1923. It is said to have been named from the combination of the names of two local ranchers, Mart Bowhan and Richard Woodring.-Climate:-Sources:...

 to form Hulah Lake. Downstream of the dam, the river flows into Washington County

Washington County, Oklahoma

Washington County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. It is, in total area, the smallest county in Oklahoma, adjacent to the largest county in Oklahoma, Osage County. It is the second smallest county, by land only size, i.e., not including water. As of 2000, the population was...

 through the center of Bartlesville

Bartlesville, Oklahoma

Bartlesville is a city in Osage and Washington counties in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The population was 43,070 at the 2010 census. Bartlesville is located forty-seven miles north of Tulsa and very close to Oklahoma's northern border with Kansas. It is the county seat of Washington County, in...

, where it separates the city's downtown from its residential east side. Just south of Bartlesville, the river turns southeast and flows into Rogers County

Rogers County, Oklahoma

Rogers County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. As of 2010, the population was 86,905. Its county seat is Claremore. The county was originally created in 1906 and named Cooweescoowee...

, where it joins the Verdigris River

Verdigris River

The Verdigris River is a tributary of the Arkansas River in southeastern Kansas and northeastern Oklahoma in the United States. It is about long...

 between Collinsville

Collinsville, Oklahoma

Collinsville is a city in Rogers and Tulsa counties in the U.S. state of Oklahoma, and a part of the Tulsa, Oklahoma Metropolitan Statistical Area. It was named for Dr. A. H. Collins, an engineer and surveyor who first surveyed the land that became this community...

 and Claremore

Claremore, Oklahoma

Claremore is a city and the county seat of Rogers County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 18,581 at the 2010 census, a 17.1 percent increase from 15,873 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Tulsa Metropolitan Area and home to Rogers State University...

.

The dam at Hulah Lake is operated by the United States Army Corps of Engineers

United States Army Corps of Engineers

The United States Army Corps of Engineers is a federal agency and a major Army command made up of some 38,000 civilian and military personnel, making it the world's largest public engineering, design and construction management agency...

. In October 1986 the Corps was forced to open floodgate

Floodgate

Floodgates are adjustable gates used to control water flow in flood barriers, reservoir, river, stream, or levee systems. They may be designed to set spillway crest heights in dams, to adjust flow rates in sluices and canals, or they may be designed to stop water flow entirely as part of a levee or...

s at the dam due to above-average rainfall in the Great Plains

Great Plains

The Great Plains are a broad expanse of flat land, much of it covered in prairie, steppe and grassland, which lies west of the Mississippi River and east of the Rocky Mountains in the United States and Canada. This area covers parts of the U.S...

. The resulting 500-year flood split Bartlesville virtually in half for several days and caused more than US$30 million in property damage.

External links

• US Geological Survey Real-time Water Data for Caney River near Ramona, Oklahoma
  Ramona, Oklahoma
  Ramona is a town in Washington County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 564 at the 2000 census. The town began as Bon-Ton, but changed its name to Ramona in 1899 in honor of the Helen Hunt Jackson novel of the same name...