The Delaware River is a 94 miles (151.3 km) river located in the northeastern part of the state of Kansas

Kansas

Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...

. The Delaware River basin drains 1117 square miles (2,893 km²) from the outflow of the Perry Lake

Perry Lake (Kansas)

Perry Lake is a US Army Corps of Engineers operated reservoir in northeast Kansas. Its primary purposes are flood control, water reserve for nearby areas and regional recreation. The lake is approximately 11,000 acres and is 891.5 ft at full multi-purpose pool...

 reservoir. The river has been classified as a Category 1 watershed

Drainage basin

A drainage basin is an extent or an area of land where surface water from rain and melting snow or ice converges to a single point, usually the exit of the basin, where the waters join another waterbody, such as a river, lake, reservoir, estuary, wetland, sea, or ocean...

 by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, meaning that the watershed is in need of immediate restoration and protection. The river is one of the major tributaries of the Kansas River

Kansas River

The Kansas River is a river in northeastern Kansas in the United States. It is the southwestern-most part of the Missouri River drainage, which is in turn the northwestern-most portion of the extensive Mississippi River drainage. Its name come from the Kanza people who once inhabited the area...

.

Course

The Delaware River rises west of Sabetha, Kansas

Sabetha, Kansas

Sabetha is a city in Brown and Nemaha counties in the U.S. state of Kansas. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 2,571.- History :The town's settlement began circa 1854, with a name reportedly derived from the word Sabbath, the day the first settler arrived.On the evening of June 13,...

 in Nemaha County

Nemaha County, Kansas

Nemaha County is a county located in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of Kansas. As of the 2010 census, the county population was 10,178. The county seat is Seneca.- History :...

. The river's course is generally southeast through the counties of Nemaha, Brown

Brown County, Kansas

Brown County is a county located in Northeast Kansas, in the Central United States. As of the 2010 census, the county population was 9,984. Its county seat and most populous city is Hiawatha...

, Jackson

Jackson County, Kansas

Jackson County is a county located in Northeast Kansas, in the Central United States. As of the 2010 census, the county population was 13,462. Its county seat and most populous city is Holton...

, Atchison

Atchison County, Kansas

Atchison County is a county located in Northeast Kansas, in the Central United States. As of the 2010 census, the county population was 16,924. Its county seat and most populous city is Atchison. The county is named in honor of David Rice Atchison, a United States Senator from Missouri...

, and Jefferson

Jefferson County, Kansas

Jefferson County is a county located in Northeast Kansas, in the Central United States. As of the 2010 census, the county population was 19,126. Its county seat is Oskaloosa, and its most populous city is Valley Falls...

 in northeast Kansas. The Delaware passes through The Kickapoo Nation Reservation and is an important river for the tribe. Some of its main tributaries include Grasshopper Creek, Muddy Creek, Elk Creek, Straight Creek, Cedar Creek and Rock Creek. The Delaware's course takes it through rich farmland and this gives the river's water a very muddy appearance. Just south of Valley Falls

Valley Falls

Valley Falls may refer to a place in the United States:* Valley Falls, Kansas* Valley Falls, New York* Valley Falls, Rhode Island* Valley Falls, South Carolina...

 the river enters Perry Lake, a man made reservoir to control flooding. It then enters the Kansas River just north of Lecompton, Kansas

Lecompton, Kansas

Lecompton is a city in Douglas County, Kansas, United States. It is part of the Lawrence, Kansas Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 608 at the 2000 census. Lecompton played a major historical role in pre-Civil War America as the Territorial capital of Kansas from 1855 to 1861...

. Some cities within 10 miles (16.1 km) of the river include, Sabetha, Fairview

Fairview, Kansas

Fairview is a city in Brown County, Kansas, United States. The population was 271 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Fairview is located at . According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all of it land....

, Powhattan

Powhattan, Kansas

Powhattan is a city in Brown County, Kansas, United States. The population was 91 at the 2000 census. The city was named for the father of Pocahontas and was originally a stagecoach station named Locknane.-Geography:...

, Horton

Horton, Kansas

Horton is a city in Brown County, Kansas, United States. The population was 1,967 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Horton is located at...

, Whiting

Whiting, Kansas

Whiting is a city in Jackson County, Kansas, United States. The population was 206 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Topeka, Kansas Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:Whiting is located at ....

, Muscotah

Muscotah, Kansas

Muscotah is a city in Atchison County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 176. Muscotah was named for the Kickapoo Native American word for "prairie"-History:...

, Holton

Holton, Kansas

Holton is a city in and the county seat of Jackson County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 3,329. It is part of the Topeka, Kansas Metropolitan Statistical Area.-History:...

, Valley Falls

Valley Falls, Kansas

Valley Falls is a city in Jefferson County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 1,192. Valley Falls is part of the Topeka, Kansas Metropolitan Statistical Area.-History:...

, Ozawkie

Ozawkie, Kansas

Ozawkie is a city in Jefferson County, Kansas, United States. It is part of the Topeka, Kansas Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 645...

, Perry

Perry, Kansas

Perry is a city in Jefferson County, Kansas, United States. The population was 901 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Topeka, Kansas Metropolitan Statistical Area.-History:...

, and Lecompton, Kansas.

Recreation

The river forms Perry Reservoir, which is a major regional lake for boating, swimming, camping, fishing and other activities. The river is also great for fishing, and some of the dominant fish of the river include channel catfish, flathead catfish, carp, longnose gar, drum, sauger, crappie, and white bass.