Clackamas River
River
Clackamas River Bridge at Oregon City
Name origin: Clackamas tribe
Country	United States
State	Oregon
County	Marion and Clackamas
Source	Olallie Butte
- location	Cascade Range, Marion County, Oregon
- elevation	6,500 ft (1,981 m) [1]
- coordinates	44°49′17″N 121°47′47″W / 44.82139, -121.79639 [2]
Mouth	Willamette River
- location	Oregon City and Gladstone, Multnomah County, Oregon
- elevation	10 ft (3 m) [2]
- coordinates	45°22′21″N 122°36′31″W / 45.3725, -122.60861 [2]
Length	85 mi (137 km) [3]
Basin	940 sq mi (2,435 km²) [4]

The Clackamas River is a tributary, about 85 miles (137 km) long, of the Willamette River in northwestern Oregon in the United States. A geographic coordinate system enables every location on the Earth to be specified in three coordinates using mainly a spherical coordinate system. The Clackamas Indians were a tribe of American Indians of the American state of Oregon. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Oregon ( is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. Marion County is a county located in the US state of Oregon. It was originally named the Champooick District, after Champoeg Clackamas County (ˈklækəmɪs is a county located in the US Olallie Butte is a steep-sided Shield volcano in the Cascade Range of northern Oregon. Marion County is a county located in the US state of Oregon. It was originally named the Champooick District, after Champoeg Oregon ( is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. A foot (plural feet or foot; symbol or abbreviation ft or sometimes &prime – the prime symbol) is a non-SI unit The metre or meter is a unit of Length. It is the basic unit of Length in the Metric system and in the International The Willamette River (pronounced) is a Tributary of the Columbia River. Oregon City was the first city in the United States west of the Rocky Mountains to be incorporated Gladstone is a city located in Clackamas County Oregon, United States. Multnomah County (məltˈnoʊmə is one of 36 counties in the U Oregon ( is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. A foot (plural feet or foot; symbol or abbreviation ft or sometimes &prime – the prime symbol) is a non-SI unit The metre or meter is a unit of Length. It is the basic unit of Length in the Metric system and in the International A mile is a unit of Length, usually used to measure Distance, in a number of different systems including Imperial units United States The kilometre ( American spelling: kilometer) symbol km is a unit of Length in the Metric system, equal to one thousand The square mile is an imperial and US unit of Area equal the area of a square of one statute mile. Square Kilometre ( US spelling square kilometer) symbol km2, is a decimal multiple of the SI unit of The Willamette River (pronounced) is a Tributary of the Columbia River. Oregon ( is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The river drains an area of about 940 square miles (2,435 km²). In its upper reaches, it passes through mostly forested, rugged mountainous terrain, while in its lower third, it passes through agricultural and urban areas.

It rises in eastern Marion County, about 55 miles (89 km) east-southeast of Salem. Marion County is a county located in the US state of Oregon. It was originally named the Champooick District, after Champoeg Salem (ˈseɪləm is the Capital of the US state of Oregon, and the County seat of Marion County. The headwaters are in the Mount Hood National Forest in the Cascades, on the slopes of Olallie Butte at an elevation of about 6,000 feet (1,829 m), approximately 10 miles (16 km) north of Mt. Jefferson. The Mount Hood National Forest is located 20 miles (32 km east of the city of Portland Oregon, and the northern Willamette River valley Olallie Butte is a steep-sided Shield volcano in the Cascade Range of northern Oregon. For other mountains named Mount Jefferson see Mount Jefferson It flows briefly north, then northwest through the mountains, passing through North Fork Reservoir, then Estacada and emerging from the mountains southeast of Portland. Estacada (ˌɛstəˈkeɪdə is a city in Clackamas County, Oregon, roughly 30 miles southeast of Portland. Portland is a city located in the Northwestern United States, near the Confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers It joins the Willamette near Oregon City, and forms the boundary between Oregon City and Gladstone. Oregon City was the first city in the United States west of the Rocky Mountains to be incorporated Gladstone is a city located in Clackamas County Oregon, United States.

The river supports runs of Coho, Spring and Fall Chinook, and Summer and Winter steelhead. The Coho salmon, Oncorhynchus kisutch, (from the Russian кижуч kizhuch) is a Species of Anadromous Fish The rainbow trout ( Oncorhynchus mykiss) is a species of Salmonid native to tributaries of the Pacific Ocean in Asia and North America It is a popular destination for recreational fishing and whitewater rafting. Rafting or whitewater rafting is a challenging recreational activity utilizing a Raft to navigate a River or other bodies of water It also provides hydroelectric power and drinking water for some of the Portland metropolitan area. Hydroelectricity is electricity generated by Hydropower, ie the production of power through use of the gravitational force of falling water

Regulation of the river began in 1905 with the Cazadero Dam. In 1912, the River Mill Dam intercepted wood and coarse sediment. Later dams at North Fork, Oak Grove, Stone Creek, and Timothy Lake also intercepted wood sediment on the lower river.

Contamination

Clackamas River flowing through Milo McIver State Park in Clackamas County

In March 2008, the United States Geological Survey released a report entitled "Pesticide Occurrence and Distribution in the Lower Clackamas River Basin, Oregon, 2000–2005. Milo McIver State Park is a state park in the US state of Oregon. Clackamas County (ˈklækəmɪs is a county located in the US The United States Geological Survey ( USGS) is a scientific agency of the United States government. " It details pesticide pollution in the lower mainstem Clackamas River, its tributaries, and in pre- and post-treatment drinking water.

The study concluded that "Given their frequent and widespread occurrence, especially during storms, pesticides have the potential to affect aquatic life and the quality of drinking water derived from the lower river," and laid out areas for further study. ^[5]

Wild and scenic

Whitewater on the Clackamas River as seen from Highway 224 between Fish Creek and Big Cliff

Forty-seven miles (76 km) of the Clackamas River, from Big Springs to Big Cliff, are federally protected as part of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System (NWSRS). National Wild and Scenic River is a designation for certain Protected areas in the United States. Of these, 20 miles (32 km) are designated as "scenic" and 27 miles (43 km) as "recreational". The protected portion of the Clackamas features five categories of resources that are considered to be "outstandingly remarkable", defined by the NWSRS as having "importance to the region or nation". ^[6] The five are opportunities for recreation such as white water rafting near the Portland metropolitan area; anadromous fish habitat supporting wild late winter coho, spring chinook, and winter steelhead; habitat for the federally threatened bald eagle and northern spotted owl and potential habitat for the threatened peregrine falcon; the forests of old-growth Douglas-fir along its banks; and historic importance. Rafting or whitewater rafting is a challenging recreational activity utilizing a Raft to navigate a River or other bodies of water Many types of fish undertake migrations on a regular basis on time scales ranging from daily to annual and with distances ranging from a few meters to thousands of kilometers The Coho salmon, Oncorhynchus kisutch, (from the Russian кижуч kizhuch) is a Species of Anadromous Fish The rainbow trout ( Oncorhynchus mykiss) is a species of Salmonid native to tributaries of the Pacific Ocean in Asia and North America The Bald Eagle ( Haliaeetus leucocephalus) is a Bird of prey found in North America that is most recognizable as the national bird and The Northern Spotted Owl, Strix occidentalis caurina, is one of three Spotted Owl subspecies The Peregrine Falcon ( Falco peregrinus) also known simply as the Peregrine, and historically as the "Duck Hawk" in North America is a Ancient Woodland Old growth forest, (also termed primary forest, ancient forest, virgin forest, primeval forest, frontier Douglas-fir is the common name applied to coniferous Trees of the Genus Pseudotsuga in the family Pinaceae. ^[6] Fourteen miles (23 km) of a tributary, the Roaring River, from its headwaters to its confluence with the Clackamas River, are also designated wild and scenic. ^[7]

References

See also

• List of Oregon rivers
• List of National Wild and Scenic Rivers

External links

• Clackamas River Basin Council
• Student Watershed Research Project (SWRP): Clackamas River watershed map
• "Tests find some pesticides in lower Clackamas River" by Scott Learn, The Oregonian, March 17, 2008