Russian River (California)
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Categories: California wine | Regions of California | Rivers of Mendocino County, California | Rivers of the San Francisco Bay Area | Mendocino County, California | Rivers of Sonoma County, California
The Russian River is a river in the Northern California counties of Mendocino and Sonoma.
CourseThe Russian River springs from the Laughlin Range about 5 mi (8 km) east of Willits in Mendocino County. It flows generally southward to Redwood Valley, then parallels U.S. Route 101 past Calpella, to join the East Fork Russian River just below Lake Mendocino. From there the Russian River flows south, past Ukiah and Hopland, and crosses into Sonoma County just north of Cloverdale. Closely paralleled by U.S. Route 101, it descends into the Alexander Valley, where it is joined by Big Sulphur Creek. It flows south past Cloverdale, Asti, and Geyserville. East of Healdsburg, Maacama Creek joins the Russian River. After a series of sweeping bends, the river and flows under U.S. Route 101 and receives water from Lake Sonoma via Dry Creek. The river then turns westward and joins Mark West Creek north of Forestville. The river passes Rio Dell, Rio Nido, and Guerneville, where it meets State Route 116. Paralleled by State Route 116, it continues past Guernewood Park, Monte Rio, and Duncans Mills before flowing under State Route 1 and emptying into the Pacific Ocean between Jenner and Goat Rock Beach. Its mouth is about 60 mi (100 km) north of the San Francisco Bay's Golden Gate. The lower Russian River is a popular spring, summer, and fall destination for tourists as the river is very safe then for swimming and boating, with a gentle current. The river is dangerous in the winter, with swift current and muddy water. HistoryThe river takes its name from the Russian trappers who explored the river in the early 19th century, and established their Fort Ross trade colony 10 mi (16 km) northwest of its mouth. They called it the Slavyanka River. The redwoods that lined its banks drew loggers to the river in the late 19th century. According to the USGS, variant names of the Russian River include: Misallaako, Rio Ruso, Shabaikai, Slavianka, and Slavyanka.[2] River modificationsA portion of the Eel River is diverted to headwaters of the Russian River in Potter Valley. The Sonoma County Water Agency draws drinking water from the Russian River for sale to over 540,000 residents of Sonoma County, Mendocino County, and northern Marin County.[5] Santa Rosa's Laguna Wastewater Treatment Plant treats sewage from several communities to tertiary standards and returns some of it to the river by way of the Laguna de Santa Rosa. Russian River ValleyIts banks are lined with vineyards, and an area of the Russian River Valley was approved as an American Viticultural Area in 1983 and enlarged in 2006[6]. The Russian River Valley AVA is a sub-district of the Sonoma County AVA. It produces award-winning Chardonnay and pinot noir wines in addition to other wine varietals, and is home to many small and several large commercial wineries. See also
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