Sandy River (Columbia River)
| Sandy River | ||
 |
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| Data | ||
| Water code | US : 1167864 | |
| location | Oregon , United States | |
| River system | Columbia River | |
| Drain over | Columbia River → Pacific Ocean | |
| origin | on the slopes of Mount Hood 45 ° 22 ′ 32 ″ N , 121 ° 43 ′ 45 ″ W. |
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| Source height | 1820 m | |
| muzzle | at Troutdale (Oregon) in the Columbia River Coordinates: 45 ° 34 ′ 5 " N , 122 ° 24 ′ 3" W 45 ° 34 ′ 5 " N , 122 ° 24 ′ 3" W |
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| Mouth height | 3 m | |
| Height difference | 1817 m | |
| Bottom slope | 20 ‰ | |
| length | 90 km | |
| Small towns | Troutdale | |
The Sandy River is a 90-kilometer tributary of the Columbia River in the US state of Oregon . Because of its proximity to the metropolis of Portland , the Sandy River was used for irrigation and electricity production from 1912 to 2007. Since the Marmot Dam was blown up in 2007 and the Little Sandy Dam was demolished, it has regained its natural course. The bridge over the Sandy River is considered the beginning of the Historic Columbia River Highway .
course
The Sandy River rises on the slopes of Mount Hood . Its sources are the Reid and Sandy Glacier at over 1,800 meters above sea level. The river flows westward until it turns north 15 miles past the town of Welches and flows into the Columbia River about 14 miles east of Portland almost at sea level. Its main tributaries are the 35-kilometer-long Bull Run River , which also has its source at Mount Hood and is dammed for drinking water to Bull Run Lake , the 19-kilometer-long Zigzag River , which has its source near the Timberline Lodge , and the 55-kilometer-long Salmon River classified as a National Wild and Scenic River for its entire length .
After the Sandy River has left the steep slopes of Mount Hood behind, it flows through debris flows of hard basalt rock on which it has deposited loose gravel and gravel. As it flows over these loose deposits, the water is greatly enriched with oxygen, making it an ideal spawning area for salmon and rainbow trout . Due to this abundance of fish, the Sandy River is an excellent fly fishing area. Rainbow trout are found in the river all year round, king salmon over half of the year and silver salmon in September and October.
history
Geologists estimate that a river flowed through the region 20 million years ago and has washed out canyons over 200 meters deep. The first white explorers in the region were a boat crew from HMS Chatham under George Vancouver , who went up the Columbia River in late October 1792. The commander of the expedition, Lieutenant William Robert Broughton named Mount Hood after the English Admiral Samuel Hood . On November 3, 1805, the Lewis and Clark Expedition named the river the Quicksand River because of its quicksand . Nevertheless, they thought it was a handsome, navigable river, which is why on their return trip from the Pacific Sergeant Nathaniel Pryor explored the river upstream in a canoe. After nine kilometers he had to turn back due to the rapids and assumed that the river comes from Mount Hood. The name of the river was abbreviated to Sandy River in the 19th century.
From 1912, two dams were built to generate electricity, which severely impaired salmon migration. Although fish ladders were built on the dams in the 1950s, the river's fish population sank to just 10-25% of the 1890s. In 2007 and 2008 the two dams were removed.
Protected Areas and State Parks
Two sections of the river with a total length of 35 miles are protected as National Wild and Scenic River, and it is considered the Oregon Scenic Waterway .
The Sandy River Gorge Preserve protects nine kilometers of the pristine river course with canyons and bank terraces lined with jungle. The reserve was established in 1970 when the Diack family donated 63 hectares of land to the Nature Conservancy . After further donations and acquisitions, the protected area now covers 176 hectares.
At the lower reaches of the river on the north bank is the Dabney State Recreation Area and near the mouth at Troutdale is the Lewis and Clark State Recreation Site .
Web links
- Sandy River Gorge Preserve website
- Sandy River (Columbia River) in the Geographic Names Information System of the United States Geological Survey
Individual evidence
- ^ Wild and Scenic Rivers Act. (PDF; 154 kB) Accessed April 12, 2011 .
- ↑ Flyfishusa.com: Sandy River. (No longer available online.) Archived from the original on April 16, 2011 ; Retrieved April 12, 2011 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Jan Bannan: Oregon State Parks: A Complete Recreation Guide. Mountaineer Books, 2nd edition 2002, ISBN 978-0-89886-794-7 , p. 188
- ↑ Portland General Electric: Sandy River. Archived from the original on February 13, 2015 ; Retrieved June 24, 2011 .
- ^ Wild and Scenic Rivers Act. (PDF; 154 kB) Retrieved April 8, 2011 .
