Cle Elum River
Cle Elum River north of Cle Elum Lake
Location
Country	United States
State	Washington
Region	Kittitas County
City	Cle Elum
Physical characteristics
Source	Cascade Range
• coordinates	47°35′19″N 121°10′1″W / 47.58861°N 121.16694°W / 47.58861; -121.16694[1]
• elevation	6,115 ft (1,864 m)[2]
Mouth	Yakima River
• coordinates	47°10′37″N 120°59′49″W / 47.17694°N 120.99694°W / 47.17694; -120.99694[1]
• elevation	1,990 ft (610 m)[2]
Length	28 mi (45 km)[3]
Discharge
• location	Roslyn, Washington
• average	945 cuft/s [4]
Basin features
Tributaries
• right	Waptus River, Cooper River

The Cle Elum River is a tributary of the Yakima River, approximately 28 miles (45 km) long in the U.S. state of Washington. A Northern Pacific Railway station at the future site of the city of Cle Elum, Washington was named Clealum after the Kittitas name Tie-el-Lum, meaning "swift water", referring to the Cle Elum River. In 1908, Clealum was altered to Cle Elum. This spelling came to be used for the river as well.^[5] Some maps in the 1850s also have the river labeled as Samahma River.^[6]

Course

The river originates in the Cascade Range near Mount Daniel and flows generally south, through Hyas Lake. The river is joined by many tributary streams including Waptus River and Cooper River draining from Cooper Lake, after which it enters Cle Elum Lake. Although a natural lake, Cle Elum Lake's water level and discharge is controlled by Cle Elum Dam, a 165-foot (50 m) high earthfill structure built in 1933. The dam and lake are managed for irrigation purposes by the United States Bureau of Reclamation as part of the Yakima Project.^[7] Below the dam, Cle Elum River continues south to join the Yakima River on the west side of the city of Cle Elum.