High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! The Kanawha River (pronounced kuh-NAW or less often ka-NA-wah and earlier, kuh-NOIE) is a tributary of the Ohio River, approximately 97 mi (156 km) long, in the U.S. state of West Virginia. The largest inland waterway in West Virginia, it has formed a significant industrial region of the state since the middle of the 19th century.