Elk River (Minnesota)

General data
- Name: Elk River (Minnesota)
- Water system: Mississippi River
- Water type: River
- Progression: Mississippi River -> Gulf of Mexico -> Atlantic Ocean -> Planet Earth
- Climates: Temperate
- Continents: North America
- Countries: United States of America
Description
The Elk River is an 84.0-mile-long (135.2 km) river in east-central Minnesota in the United States.It is a tributary of the Mississippi River, draining a watershed of 630 square miles (1,600 km2). The Elk River rises in northern Benton County, Minnesota and initially flows generally southward. In Sherburne County the river turns southeastward, paralleling the Mississippi River for the remainder of its course, past the communities of Becker and Big Lake. It joins the Mississippi at the city of Elk River, after passing through Orono Lake, which is formed by a municipal hydroelectric dam At Big Lake, the river measures approximately 285 cubic feet per second