| Pecatonica River | |
|---|---|
 The Pecatonica River in the Pecatonica River Woods State Natural Area in Iowa County, Wisconsin | |
 Map of the Pecatonica River watershed | |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | |
| • location | Iowa County northwest ofCobb, Wisconsin |
| • coordinates | 42°58′44″N90°20′37″W / 42.9788889°N 90.3436111°W /42.9788889; -90.3436111 (Pecatonica River origin) |
| • elevation | 1,188 ft (362 m) |
| Mouth | |
• location | Confluence with the Rock River atRockton, Illinois |
• coordinates | 42°27′00″N89°04′30″W / 42.45°N 89.075°W /42.45; -89.075 (Pecatonica River mouth) |
• elevation | 712 ft (217 m) |
| Length | 194 mi (312 km) |
| Discharge | |
| • location | Shirland, Illinois |
| • average | 2,011 cu/ft. per sec.[1] |
| Basin features | |
| Progression | Pecatonica River → Rock → Mississippi → Gulf of Mexico |
| GNIS ID | 415503 |
ThePecatonica River is a tributary of theRock River, 194 miles (312 km) long,[2] in southernWisconsin and northernIllinois in theUnited States.
The word Pecatonica is an anglicization of twoAlgonquian language words:Bekaa (orPekaa in some dialects), which means "slow", andniba, which means "water", forming the conjunctionBekaaniba or "Slow Water".
It rises in the hills of southwest Wisconsin, in southwestIowa County, 2 miles (3 km) west ofCobb. It flows south, then southeast, pastCalamine andDarlington. In southeastLafayette County it receives theEast Branch Pecatonica River, approximately 8 miles (13 km) north of the state line. It flows south-southeast into Illinois, pastFreeport, where it turns east, then east-northeast, receiving theSugar River nearShirland in northernWinnebago County, 5 miles (8 km) south of the state line. It joins the Rock atRockton, approximately 15 miles (24 km) north ofRockford.
The Winnebago County Forest Preserve District owns and operates six preserve along the river in Winnebago County. The river is the chief attraction of the 1,048-acre (424 ha)Pecatonica Wetlands Forest Preserve and the 221-acre (89 ha) Crooked River Forest Preserve offU.S. Highway 20 nearPecatonica, Illinois. These forest preserves containoxbow, wetlands, and bottomland forest. The river also flows past the 466-acre (189 ha) Pecatonica River Forest Preserve offIllinois Route 70 near Pecatonica. The forest preserve contains a bottomland forest and has been designated anIllinois Nature Preserve. The 15-acre (6.1 ha) Trask Bridge Forest Preserve and the 6-acre (2.4 ha) Two Rivers Forest Preserve at the confluence of theSugar River and Pecatonica River provide public boat launches, picnic areas, and fishing opportunities. At the mouth of the Pecatonica is the 281-acre (114 ha) Macktown Forest Preserve onIllinois Route 75 near Rockton, the site of theghost town of Macktown or Pe-Katonic.
The Natural Land Institute ofRockford, Illinois owns and operates two privately owned preserves in Winnebago County. The 142-acre (57 ha) Pecatonica Woodlands Preserve contains bottomland forest, oxbow pond, wetland, and sedge meadow habitats. The 721-acre (292 ha) Nygren Wetland Preserve, located at the confluence of the Pecatonica River and theRock River, has been restored from farmland to prairie, oak savanna, wetland, and oxbow pond.
The river is the focus of the 110-acre (45 ha) Pecatonica River Woods State Natural Area nearMineral Point in Iowa County, owned by theWisconsin Department of Natural Resources and designated as a natural area in 1992. The Pecatonica River Woods SNA was listed on the basis of possessing a diverse range of forest ecosystems, from southern dry, throughmesic, tofloodplain. The 52-acre (21 ha) Weir White Oaks State Natural Area, a privately owned preserve managed by the Wisconsin DNR, contains high-quality old growth upland forest and was designated a state natural area in 2002.
The 120-acre (49 ha) Blackhawk Memorial Park is owned and operated by Lafayette County.
The Pecatonica River has flooded seven times since May 2017. Flood cleanup cost the city ofFreeport, Illinois more than $1.5 million.[3] The March 2019 flood crest of 22.4 feet atMartintown, Wisconsin set a new record.[4] The Pecatonica Riverflooded again in October 2019, along with other Chicago area rivers including the Fox River and the Rock River.[5]
AUSGS monitoring station is located at Freeport.[6]
Download coordinates as:
