GEO 101 CSUGC River Trinity the Longest River Discussion Responses

Please respond:POST1:The  five Great Lakes, Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario are a  chain of deep freshwater lakes that border Canada and United States.   These lakes are one of the Earth’s greatest features with a combined  area of 94,250 square miles which is the world’s largest surface of  fresh water, amounting to 18 percent of the world’s supply.  The lakes  connect to each other from Lake Superior into Lake Huron with an off  shoot into Lake Michigan.  Lake Huron empties into Lake Erie and  continues into Lake Ontario eventually leading to the St. Lawrence River  eastward to the Gulf of St. Lawrence into the Atlantic Ocean.  My  apologies for the geography lesson, let us  backtrack to Lake Erie and a  very well-known river, the Niagara River.Lake Erie and Lake Ontario are connected by the meandering Niagara  River which has an aggregate basin of 260,000 square miles.   The  Niagara flows in a northerly direction for approximately 35 miles and is  a physical boundary between the United States and Canada.  The river  has an aggressive flow and steep gradient flow of 326 feet, making it  one of the best sources of hydroelectric power in North America.Both countries use the waters from the Niagara River for drinking,  recreation, fishing, industrial, municipal effluents, and hydro-power  generation.  An interesting fact about the hydro-power generation is  contained in a treaty between  Canada and the U.S. dated 1950, referred  to as the “1950 Niagara Treaty.”  (Niagara Parks, 2020).  The treaty  regulates the flow over the Niagara Falls stating that it cannot be less  than 2,832 cubic meters per second during April 1st to September 31st.   In addition, the flow shall not fall below 1,416 cu m/s.The river’s name originates from the Onguiaahra tribe.  The French  explorers gave the Indians the name “neutral” because of their  disposition as peacekeepers between the Huron and the Iroquois tribes.   The translation of the Indian name means Thunder of Waters.  During the  early years, the river was of great importance to the fur trade.Of course, the Niagara River is home to one of the seven wonders of  the world, Niagara Falls.  Niagara Falls is a major tourist attraction  on both sides of the border, with many daredevils having tried to barrel  ride the falls or aerialists, such as the Flying Wallendas.  In 2012,  Nik Wallenda was the first man to complete an aerial walk across the  falls.  On a personal note and not trying to be biased,  the Canadian side of  the falls is extremely breathtaking.  It is a favorite among  honeymooners, including my husband and I.  We honeymooned there and have  returned several times over the years, and a special weekend for our  25th.  POST2:The Trinity RiverThe Trinity River in Dallas, Texas and  surrounding areas is a meandering river. This river runs 710 miles and  is considered the largest river in the area. Its name came about in  1690, by Alonso de Leon, and explorer that led expeditions from Mexico  and South Texas. Alonso de Leon called the Trinity River La Santisima  Trinidad, which means the most Holy Trinity. Trinity River rises into 3 branches: East  fork, Elm fork, County which flows 78 miles south. The East fork runs  through Collin, Rockwall, Dallas, and Kaufman Counties were it meets the  West fork in the Southwestern part of Kaufman County. The Wlm fork  rises through Montaque County and runs southeast 85 miles through Cooke  and Denton counties. The West fork rises in ArcherCounty and moves  southeast 180 miles through Jack, Wise, Tarrant counties. The Clear fork  of the Trinity runs through Parker northwest 45 miles until it joins  the West fork along with cental Tarrant county near Ft. Worth. The  Trinity River is the longest river that runs throughout Texas. The most  disastrous flood on record was in 1908, there were much damaged  reported, and reservoirs have been put into place to control flooding in  many other areas. During the Colonial Period of Texas,  settlers used the Trinity River to bring supplies, dry goods to the  early settlers. Cotton, sugar, and other goods that were produced in  Dallas, and surrounding areas used the Trinity to transport their goods  to other areas. Also during this time, there were slaughterhouses along  the banks of the Trinity River, and with the rapid population in Dallas,  the river has a history of quality water challenges. I live in Kaufman  county, and when I drive by the Trinity River, I can smell sewage but  people are fishing down those banks every chance they get.