Course , May 2006 The source of the White River is in the
Boston Mountains of northwest
Arkansas, in the
Ozark–St. Francis National Forest southeast of
Fayetteville. The river flows northwards from its source to loop through southwest
Missouri before heading southeast through Arkansas to its mouth on the
Mississippi River. On entering the
Mississippi River Valley region near
Batesville, Arkansas, the river becomes navigable to shallow-draft vessels, and its speed decreases considerably. The final serves as the last segment of the
McClellan-Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System; this part of the channel is deeper than the rest of the river.
Discharge Despite being much shorter than the
Arkansas River, it carries nearly as much water—normally more than , and occasionally more than during periods of flooding.
Flood management and reservoir creation In the 20th century, large sections of the White River were modified via
dam construction to form a series of artificial reservoirs for the purpose of flood control, as well as
hydroelectric power generation, water distribution and management, and recreation. The first of these encountered from the headwaters is
Beaver Lake in northwest Arkansas, followed by
Table Rock Lake and
Lake Taneycomo in southern Missouri, and finally
Bull Shoals Lake as the river loops southward into northern Arkansas. Downstream of
Bull Shoals Dam, the White River returns to its natural riparian state as it heads southeast through the eastern Ozark-St. Francis National Forest.
Ozark Power and Water Company In 1910, Congress authorized construction of a
hydroelectric dam on the White River by the newly formed Ozark Power and Water Company. Completed in 1913 at a cost of $2.3 million, confined a section of the White River to create
Lake Taneycomo. The project brought electricity to a rural area of the
Ozark Mountains south of
Springfield, Missouri with rural electrification programs in the 1940s expanding service to the surrounding region. Recreation on Taneycomo drew tourism to
Rockaway Beach and
Branson. The Ozark Power and Electric Company operated independently until 1927 when it merged with
Empire District Electric Company in 1927, who own and operate Powersite to this day.
Bull Shoals Dam near
Mountain Home, Arkansas was constructed from 1947 to 1951 at a cost of $86 million and is the 5th largest concrete dam in the United States. It confines
Bull Shoals Lake, the largest It confines
Table Rock Lake, the second largest on the White and a popular tourist destination as part of the
Branson area.
Beaver Dam near
Eureka Springs, Arkansas was built between 1960 and 1966 for $46 million. It confines
Beaver Lake, the most upstream dam and reservoir on the river. A total of eight dams impound the upper White River, six in Arkansas and two in Missouri. The
White River National Wildlife Refuge lies along the lower part of the river.
Major tributaries The tributaries of the White River include
Cache River,
Bayou des Arc,
Little Red River,
Black River,
North Fork River,
Crooked Creek,
Buffalo River,
Kings River,
James River, and
Roaring River.
Settlements Arkansas •
Augusta •
Batesville •
Calico Rock •
Newport Missouri •
Branson •
Hollister •
Rockaway Beach ==Angling==