The Laurel River is a 42-mile (68 km)[2] tributary of the Cumberland River in southeast Kentucky in the United States. The river drains a rural region in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, in parts of Whitley and Laurel Counties.[3] The town of Corbin is located on the river about 15 miles (24 km) east of its mouth on the Cumberland, and near the confluence with a major tributary, the Little Laurel River.

Laurel River
Physical characteristics
Mouth
• location	Cumberland River
• elevation	722 ft (220 m)
Length	42 mi (68 km)
Basin size	291 sq mi (750 km2)
Discharge
• location	Corbin, Kentucky
• average	338 cu/ft. per sec.[1]
Basin features
Progression	Cumberland—Ohio—Mississippi

The river is impounded near its mouth by Laurel River Dam, which forms Laurel River Lake. Completed in 1974 by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the dam and reservoir serve mainly for flood control, although some hydroelectricity is also produced.

The river was likely named for thick growth of laurel along its banks.[4]

See also

• List of rivers of Kentucky

References

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