How are waterways defined?

[Rock knocker]

The Coast Guard, or the EPA?

Everything in the USA , including your lawn, eventually drains into a navigable waterway and the ocean (except those that feed Death Valley or The Great Basin).

And Wyomings Red Desert Basin

 

[Garandman]

Being from GA, I thought you would understand. It's a classic Yankee-vs-Southerner thang. What they call a river, we call a creek. What they call a creek, we call a ditch.

Not so fast. A small stream called a creek in parts of the south is often called a brook in New England, but not always. They are also called runs or races here, but might be called kills or rills in the mid Atlantic. As mentioned, bayous run the gamut. Rivers in New England are usually larger flows but may run hundreds of miles like the Connecticut or much less: the Neponset River that flows iinto Boston Harbor iss 22.

The shortest river in the US is debated but is often referenced as the Roe River in Montana, 200 feet.

In New England lakes are usually larger than ponds and officially over 10 acres. But Moose Pond in Maine is 2,700 acres....

 

[Gem99ultra]

Slash Pine - Great info on waterway rights and uses. Although not directly related to the naming question, the info is definitely appreciated.