Deschutes River (Columbia River)

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Deschutes River
Benham Falls on the Deschutes River

Benham Falls on the Deschutes River

Data
Water code US :  1140916
location Oregon (USA)
River system Columbia River
Drain over Columbia River  → Pacific Ocean
origin Lava Lake
43 ° 54 ′ 33 ″  N , 121 ° 45 ′ 40 ″  W.
Source height 1477  m
muzzle at Biggs Junction in the Columbia River Coordinates: 45 ° 38 ′ 7 "  N , 120 ° 54 ′ 52"  W 45 ° 38 ′ 7 "  N , 120 ° 54 ′ 52"  W.
Mouth height 50  m
Height difference 1427 m
Bottom slope 3.5 ‰
length 406 km
Catchment area 27,200 km²
Left tributaries Warm Springs River , Metolius River , Whychus Creek
Right tributaries Crooked River , Little Deschutes River
Reservoirs flowed through Crane Prairie Reservoir , Wickiup Reservoir , Lake Billy Chinook , Lake Simtustus
Medium-sized cities Bend , Redmond
National Wild and Scenic River

The Deschutes River is a river in the US state of Oregon . The name of the river comes from French-Canadian fur traders who called the river in French Rivière des Chutes in the 19th century , which means "River of the waterfalls".

The origin of the river is the 1447 meters high Lava Lake in the eastern foothills of the Cascade Mountains . The Deschutes River flows north until it joins the Columbia River at Biggs Junction . The river is 406 kilometers long and has a catchment area of ​​27,200 km. In its course it flows through narrow canyons and over numerous rapids and waterfalls 1397 meters down into the valley. The largest waterfalls are the Benham Falls south of Bend , a rapids in which the river descends 29 meters, including eight meters as a waterfall. Its constant water flow is unusual, due to the porous rock of the lava fields through which it flows south and west of Bend . The lava fields soak up the meltwater in the spring like a sponge and release it evenly throughout the year.

The Deschutes is an important habitat for king salmon , rainbow trout , bull trout and lampreys . For the Native Americans it was an important source of food, today the river is important for fishing and tourism. The water of the Deschutes River is also used for agricultural irrigation. The three dams of the Pelton Round Butte Project, built between 1957 and 1964, impound the river to Lake Billy Chinook and Lake Simtustus . The dams are mainly used to generate energy, the power plants of the three dams together produce around 1.5 billion kWh of electricity annually. On the shores of Lake Billy Chinook is The Cove Palisades State Park , one of Oregon's most-visited state parks. The Deschutes River Conservancy is a non-profit organization founded in 1996 whose mission is to restore the natural course of the river and improve the water quality of the Deschutes River.

Two river sections with a total length of 274 km are designated as National Wild and Scenic River . In the middle reaches the valley of the river is designated as Crooked River National Grassland .

Web links

Commons : Deschutes River  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Deschutes River in the Geographic Names Information System of the United States Geological Survey
  2. ↑ northwestwaterfallsurvey. Retrieved April 15, 2011 .
  3. ^ National Wild & Scenic Rivers - Deschutes River