Canadian River

Canadian River, also South Canadian, unnavigable river, southwestern United States, 1,460 km (906 mi) long. The Canadian River is formed in northeastern New Mexico by the union of several branches from the southern Rocky Mountains. The river flows south through New Mexico and then turns east, crossing the Texas Panhandle into Oklahoma. Following a meandering course, it finally joins the Arkansas River. The river's only major tributary is the North Canadian River, 1260 km (784 mi) long, which runs almost parallel to the Canadian River in Oklahoma. The tributary joins the Canadian River at Eufaula in eastern Oklahoma to form the Eufaula Reservoir. In northeastern New Mexico, a semiarid region, the Canadian River provides an important water source at the Conchas Dam, a flood-control and irrigation project.