Kupigruak Channel is one of two main distributaries in the Colville River Delta located about halfway between Utqiagvik at Point Barrow to the west and Kaktovik on Barter Island to the east, about 52 miles (84 km) west-northwest of Deadhorse and 18 miles (29 km) north-northwest of Nuiqsut, Alaska. The Colville River starts at an elevation of 2,017 feet (615 m) at the confluence of Thunder and Storm creeks in the De Long Mountains of the western Brooks Range and flows generally east-northeast for 350 miles (565 km) through the Arctic Coastal Plain draining a watershed of 14,826,000 acres (5,999,869 ha) to Harrison Bay in the Beaufort Sea of the Arctic Ocean. The river was named in 1837 by Peter W. Dease and Thomas Simpson for Andrew Colvile of the Hudson’s Bay Company. The Iñupiat name for the lower river is ‘Kupik’ meaning ‘big river’ which is the origin of the name Kupigruak Channel.

The triangular Colville River Delta covers an area of 148,263 acres (60,000 ha) and includes 34 major distributary channels. The largest distributary is the Nechelik Channel, which flows through the community of Nuiqsut. The delta is formed by Holocene and Late Pleistocene alluvium which developed flood plains and low terraces of silt and sand. The thickness of these deposits has not
been determined, but they may not be thicker than 50 feet (15 m), which is the approximate depth of the thalweg of the Nechelik Channel. The river valley contains developed and undeveloped petroleum and natural gas deposits. In 2015, construction was completed by ConocoPhillips on a bridge spanning the Colville River north of Nuiqsut. The bridge provides access to petroleum resources further west such as the Willow Prospect in the National Petroleum Reserve Alaska.

Fishing is an important activity for Nuiqsut residents due to its proximity to the Colville River with its large resident fish populations. Fish are eaten fresh or frozen; however, salmon may be split and dried. Because of the important role of fish as a large and stable food source, and as a fresh food source during the winter months, fish may be shared at holiday feasts and given to relatives, friends, and community elders. Fish are also part of traditional bartering networks that exist among communities of the Arctic Coastal Plain. The river supports 20 species of fish and approximately half of these are taken by Nuiqsut residents primarily during the summer and fall. Broad whitefish is the primary species harvested during the summer and is the only anadromous species harvested in July. All five species of Pacific salmon have been reported in the Colville River. The Kupigruak Channel is the most important fall fishing area with the Arctic cisco and least cisco comprising most of the fish caught. Read more here and here. Explore more of Kupigruak Channel and Colville River Delta here: