Sevier River (Utah)

The Sevier River (pronounced "severe") is a 400-mile (640 km)-long river in the Great Basin of southwestern Utah in the United States. Originating west of Bryce Canyon National Park, the river flows north through a chain of high farming valleys and steep canyons along the west side of the Sevier Plateau before turning southwest and terminating in the endorheic basin of Sevier Lake in the Sevier Desert. It is used extensively for irrigation along its course, with the consequence that Sevier Lake is usually dry. The Sevier River drainage basin of 11,574 square miles (29,980 km2) covers more than 13 percent of Utah and includes parts of ten counties, of which the river flows through seven. The name of the river is derived from the Spanish Río Severo, "violent river". The Sevier is the longest river entirely within the state of Utah.