Piute Wash facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Piute Wash |
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| Country | United States |
| State | Nevada, California |
| Region | (southeast)-Mojave Desert |
| District | Searchlight, NV-N Needles, CA & Mohave Valley, AZ-SE |
| City | Cal-Nev-Ari, NV |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Length | 45 mi (72 km), (N-to-S, then E-(8 mi)) |
The Piute Wash is a dry streambed, also called a wash, located in southeastern Nevada and northeastern San Bernardino County, California. It usually only has water after heavy rain. This wash flows south from the Piute Valley. You can find the wash and valley northwest of Needles, California.
The Piute Wash and its surrounding area, called a watershed, collect water from the eastern side of the Piute Range. The main wash also gathers water from parts of the Newberry Mountains. The wash runs along the eastern edge of the Piute Valley. As it moves southeast, it goes around the western side of the Dead Mountains. Then, it travels along the southwest and southern edges of the Dead Mountains. From there, it drops sharply down to the Colorado River in California, right next to Needles. I-40 also goes downhill quickly in this area towards Needles.
The Piute Valley and the wash generally run from north to south. The mountains on both its west and east sides also run in this direction. The wash makes a sharp turn to the east for about 8 miles before it reaches the Colorado River.
Where the Wash Flows
The southern parts of the Piute Wash also receive some water from streams that flow north from the Sacramento Mountains. To the west of the Piute Valley's western border, another wash called the Sacramento Wash (in Clark County, Nevada) flows south. This wash then turns east to join the Piute Wash.
Piute Wash Watershed
The Piute Wash watershed is the area of land where all the water drains into the Piute Wash. This area is located west of the Colorado River and Lake Mohave. Some smaller streams from the Newberry and Dead Mountains drain into a different area called the Havasu-Mohave Lakes Watershed.
North of the Piute Wash watershed, near Searchlight, is the Eldorado Valley. This valley is a "closed basin," which means water flows into it but doesn't flow out to a river or ocean. Instead, the water collects and forms a dry lake when it evaporates.
The town of Cal-Nev-Ari, Nevada is located in the northern part of the Piute Valley. The lowest point of the Piute Wash, where it meets the Colorado River just north of Needles, is about 488 feet (149 meters) above sea level.
