Columbia River Ranks Third in Contiguous U.S. by Average Discharge, Highlighting Western Waterways
The Columbia River has been identified as the third-largest river in the contiguous United States by average discharge, flowing at an impressive 262,000–273,000 cubic feet per second. This places it behind only the Mississippi and Ohio rivers in terms of water volume. A recent visualization from the Pacific Institute, which redraws U.S. rivers based on their water flow rather than geographical length, dramatically alters the familiar map of the country's waterways. While the Mississippi system dominates the central and eastern U.S., the Columbia stands out as the primary water-rich river in the West. Its extensive tributary network also extends into Canada, underscoring its significance as a major international waterway. This re-evaluation of river sizes by discharge highlights a crucial distinction between a river's length and the actual volume of water it carries, with some longer rivers carrying significantly less water than shorter, more voluminous ones. 
