Susquehanna River

The Susquehanna River is a river in the northeastern United States. At approximately 410 mi long, it is the longest river on the American East Coast. The West Branch, which rises in western Pennsylvania, is sometimes regarded as the principal tributary, joining the North Branch near Sunbury in central Pennsylvania.

At Athens in northern Pennsylvania, just across the New York state line, it receives the Chemung from the northwest and makes a right angle curve between Sayre and Towanda to cut through the Endless Mountains in the Allegheny Plateau. It receives the Juniata River from the northwest at Duncannon, then passes through its last water gap, through Blue Mountain Pennsylvania, just northwest of Harrisburg.It flows southeast across rural south central Pennsylvania.

The environmental group American Rivers named the Susquehanna "America's Most Endangered River for 2005" due to the excessive pollution it receives. Local legend claims that the name of the river comes from an Indian phrase meaning "mile wide, foot deep," referring to the Susquehanna's unusual dimensions, but while the word is Algonquian, it simply means "muddy water."

In 1979 the river was the scene of the most serious nuclear power accident in U.S. history at Three Mile Island southeast of Harrisburg. The Susquehanna River is the 16th largest river in the United States.