The
Eel River (
Cahto:
Taanchow) is a major river, about long, of northwestern
California in the
United States. The river and its tributaries form the third largest
watershed entirely in California, draining a rugged area of in five counties. The river flows generally northward through the
Coast Ranges west of the
Sacramento Valley, emptying into the
Pacific Ocean about downstream from
Fortuna and just south of
Humboldt Bay. The river provides groundwater recharge, recreation, and industrial, agricultural and municipal water supply.