thanks for the prompt feedback, anstett and RobA. again i find more invaluable information i had not ever thought about. the three smaller lakes are indeed simply catch basins (i read the river police post before working on this one). however, i did forget about the lake outflow of harmony. also, i had no idea about the delta growing "outward." but again, it does indeed make sense thanks to the sediment slowing up the flow. thanks a lot guys