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The Buffalo River is one of the few remaining unpolluted, free-flowing
rivers in the lower 48 states offering both swift-running and placid stretches.
The Buffalo National River encompasses 135 miles of the 150-mile long river.
It begins as a trickle in the Boston Mountains 15 miles above the park boundary.
Following what is likely an ancient riverbed, the Buffalo cuts its way through
massive limestone bluffs traveling eastward through the Ozarks and into
the White River. The national river has three designated wilderness areas
within its boundaries.
The Buffalo National River Hydrologic Data System is operated and maintained
by the National Park Service to collect rainfall and river level data from
stations located in the Buffalo National River drainage watershed. The stations
report data using radio transmitters to a computer base station in Harrison,
Arkansas. Data values are transmitted on timed intervals and when the measured
data changes by a significant amount. The data from these stations are presented
in rainfall reports, river level reports, watershed maps, station charts,
and river level hydrograph plots.
The river originates high in the Boston Mountains. Over its course, the
Buffalo drops steadily to its confluence with the White River. The gradient
is steep and the water is faster along the upper river, leveling and slowing
as the river runs its course. Relatively long, quiet stretches characterize
the lower two thirds of the Buffalo. The meaning of the Buffalo River today
is not difficult to discern. It is reflected in the faces of people accepting
the river's recreational challenges. It rises in the spirits of people immersed
in this landscape's beauty.
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