Owyhee River
| Owyhee River | ||
 Owyhee River |
||
| Data | ||
| Water code | US : 1147319 | |
| location | Idaho , Nevada , Oregon (USA) | |
| River system | Columbia River | |
| Drain over | Snake River → Columbia River → Pacific Ocean | |
| source | in Elko County, Nevada, 41 ° 30′17 ″ N , 115 ° 44′30 ″ W. |
|
| muzzle | in Owyhee County, Idaho in the Snake River Coordinates: 43 ° 48 ′ 46 " N , 117 ° 1 ′ 32" W 43 ° 48 ′ 46 " N , 117 ° 1 ′ 32" W |
|
| Mouth height |
666 m
|
|
| length | 557 km | |
| Catchment area | 28,617 km² | |
| Drain |
MQ MHQ |
28 m³ / s 1416 m³ / s |
| Left tributaries | South Fork Owyhee River , West Little Owyhee River | |
| Right tributaries | North Fork Owyhee River | |
| Reservoirs flowed through | Wild Horse Reservoir , Lake Owyhee | |
| National Wild and Scenic River | ||
 Owyhee Canyon |
||
| Middle Fork Owyhee River | ||
| Water code | US : 1124113 | |
| location | Idaho , Oregon (USA) | |
| River system | Columbia River | |
| Drain over | North Fork Owyhee River → Owyhee River → Snake River → Columbia River → Pacific Ocean | |
| source | in Owyhee County, Idaho, 42 ° 26 ′ 40 ″ N , 116 ° 52 ′ 40 ″ W |
|
| muzzle | at "Three Forks" in the North Fork Owyhee River , 500 m from its confluence with the Owyhee River 42 ° 32 ′ 37 ″ N , 117 ° 9 ′ 40 ″ W |
|
| Mouth height |
1208 m
|
|
| North Fork Owyhee River | ||
| Water code | US : 374200 | |
| location | Idaho , Oregon (USA) | |
| River system | Columbia River | |
| Drain over | Owyhee River → Snake River → Columbia River → Pacific Ocean | |
| source | in Owyhee County (Idaho) 42 ° 40 '59 " N , 116 ° 47' 25" W |
|
| muzzle |
Owyhee River at "Three Forks" 42 ° 32 ′ 39 ″ N , 117 ° 10 ′ 10 ″ W |
|
| Mouth height |
1205 m
|
|
| Left tributaries | Middle Fork Owyhee River | |
| National Wild and Scenic River | ||
| South Fork Owyhee River | ||
| Water code | US : 375151 | |
| location | Nevada , Idaho (USA) | |
| River system | Columbia River | |
| Drain over | Owyhee River → Snake River → Columbia River → Pacific Ocean | |
| source | in Elko County, Nevada, 41 ° 13 ′ 40 ″ N , 116 ° 9 ′ 39 ″ W |
|
| muzzle |
Owyhee River , Owyhee County, Idaho, 42 ° 15 ′ 55 ″ N , 116 ° 53 ′ 17 ″ W |
|
| Mouth height |
1300 m
|
|
| Left tributaries | Little Owyhee River | |
| National Wild and Scenic River | ||
The Owyhee River is a left tributary of the Snake River in northern Nevada , southwest Idaho, and southeast Oregon in the United States .
The river has a length of 557 km. The catchment area of the Owyhee River covers 28,617 km². The mean discharge is 28 m³ / s. A maximum discharge of 1416 m³ / s was measured in 1993. The minimum discharge was measured in 1954 and was 1 m³ / s.
The Owyhee River drains a remote, sparsely populated area that is located on an arid plateau on the northern edge of the Great Basin . It has its origin in northeastern Nevada, from where it flows in a predominantly northerly direction to the border with Oregon and Idaho and reaches the Snake River. The Owyhee and its tributaries cut through the Owyhee Plateau . The deep gorges are framed by vertical walls, some of which reach heights of over 300 m.
River course
The Owyhee River has its source in northeastern Nevada, in northern northern Elko County , about 80 km north of Elko . It flows north along the east side of the Bull Run Mountains of Nevada . It then flows through the Wild Horse Reservoir and turns to the northeast. The Owyhee River later passes the Humboldt National Forest , as well as Mountain City and Owyhee on the Duck Valley Indian Reservation . It now reaches southwest Idaho and flows about 80 km northwest through Owyhee County .
The South Fork Owyhee River flows south to the Owyhee River about 15 km east of the Oregon border. The South Fork's largest tributary is the Little Owyhee River .
The Owyhee River crosses the Oregon border in southern Malheur County . It flows mainly in a northerly direction and has a zigzag course.
Now the West Little Owyhee River meets the river coming from the south. Then the North Fork Owyhee River reaches the Owyhee River at "Three Forks" coming from the east. The Middle Fork Owyhee River flows into it about 500 m before the mouth of the North Fork from the south.
The Owyhee River flows through Owyhee Canyon between Big Grassy Mountain and Whitehouse Butte . It continues to flow north, past Burns Junction to the east and the Mahogany Mountains to the west . This is where the following tributaries meet the Owyhee River: Jordan Creek , Rattlesnake Creek, and Crooked Creek .
The Owyhee River eventually reaches the Snake River from the west on the Oregon-Idaho border, about 8 km south of Nyssa and 3 km south of the mouth of the Boise River . In the last stretch of the river, below the Owyhee Dam, the Owyhee River leaves the Owyhee Plateau and reaches the Snake River Plain .
Interventions in the river course
In northern Malheur County, about 30 km above its confluence with the Snake River, the Owyhee River is dammed up by the Owyhee Dam to form the serpentine and about 84 km long Lake Owyhee . The dam was built by the US Bureau of Reclamation with the aim of irrigating the region on the Snake River that was used for growing potatoes. Lake Owyhee State Park and the scenic Leslie Gulch are on the east bank of the reservoir. Since the Owyhee Dam was completed in 1933, anadromous fish like salmon have disappeared from the Owyhee River basin.
history
The Owyhee River basin was formerly inhabited by the Shoshone and Bannock Indians.
The name of the river is derived from the earlier spelling of "Hawaii". It was named after three Hawaiian trappers who worked for the North West Company and were tasked with exploring the river. However, they did not return and went missing. The name of the river and the region was called "Owyhee" in memory of them.
Protected areas
In 1984, 107 km of river stretch was designated the Owyhee Wild and Scenic River . This includes the section of the Owyhee River, which lies downstream from Owyhee Dam and leads through deep gorges. These form the habitat for puma , bobcat , mule deer , Californian bighorn sheep and a variety of birds of prey. North Fork Owyhee River and South Fork Owyhee River are also designated National Wild and Scenic Rivers .
The Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009 declared an area of 1,308 km² on the Owyhee River, which is located in Idaho, to be a wilderness zone. This includes the following wilderness zones:
- North Fork Owyhee Wilderness (175 km²)
- Owyhee River Wilderness (1081 km²)
- Pole Creek Wilderness (50 km²)
Individual evidence
- ^ Owyhee River in the Geographic Names Information System of the United States Geological Survey
- ↑ a b U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data. The National Map , accessed May 3, 2011
- ^ A b Middle Fork Owyhee River in the Geographic Names Information System of the United States Geological Survey
- ↑ a b North Fork Owyhee River in the Geographic Names Information System of the United States Geological Survey
- ^ South Fork Owyhee River in the Geographic Names Information System of the United States Geological Survey
- ↑ a b c d Owyhee Subbasin Plan ( Memento of the original from December 16, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (PDF file; 12.78 MB), Northwest Power and Conservation Council
- ↑ Little Owyhee River in the Geographic Names Information System of the United States Geological Survey
- ↑ West Little Owyhee River in the Geographic Names Information System of the United States Geological Survey
- ↑ National Wild & Scenic Rivers - Owyhee River ( Memento of the original from March 9, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ National Wild & Scenic Rivers - North Fork of the Owyhee River ( Memento of the original from March 8, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ National Wild & Scenic Rivers - South Fork of the Owyhee River ( Memento of the original from October 15, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Owyhee Initiative ( Memento of the original from July 25, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
Web links
- National Wild and Scenic River System: Owyhee River
- Middle Owyhee video , Oregon Field Guide