Donner und Blitzen River
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| Donner und Blitzen River | |
|---|---|
| Origin | south and west of Steens Mountain |
| Mouth | Harney Lake |
| Length | approx. 60 mi (100 km) |
| Source elevation | 6480 ft (1975 m) |
| Mouth elevation | 4080 ft (1244 m) |
| Avg. discharge | May: 384 ft3/s (11 m3/s) September: 42 ft3/s (1 m3/s)[1] |
| Basin area | 200 square miles (518 km²)[1] |
The Donner und Blitzen River is a river on the eastern Oregon high desert which drains a relatively arid basin, the southern portion of Harney Basin, from roughly 20 to 80 miles (30 to 130 km) SSE of Burns including Malheur National Wildlife Refuge. Though much of its course is marsh, it offers scenic glaciated canyons, unique ecosystems, and exceptional wild trout fisheries.[2]
It arises as an intermittent stream on the lower slopes west of Steens Mountain at the 6480 ft (1975 m) level at , roughly 80 miles (160 km) SSE of Burns and 11 miles (18 km) northwest of Alvord Lake. Numerous nearby springs create its tributaries including South Fork Blitzen River, Little Blitzen River, Big Indian Creek, Little Indian Creek, Fish Creek, Mud Creek, and Ankle Creek. It collects these and runs north or northwest descending rapidly to the plateau floor then turns northward to Malheur Lake which has no outlet. It does not pass through any cities, though it comes within two miles of Frenchglen.
72.7 mi (117 km) of rivers in its basin were designated Wild on October 28, 1988 and another 14.8 mi (23.8 km) were added October 30, 2000.[3] The Oregon DEQ lists seven temperature impairments on the river system.[4] The maximum recorded flow of 4270 ft3/s (120 m3/s) occurred on April 26, 1978 and was extrapolated from a calibrated value of 1900 ft3/s (100 m3/s). The minimum recorded flow 4.2 ft3/s (0.1 m3/s) occurred December 9, 1972 caused by widespread freezing.[5]
[edit] References
- ^ a b Surface Water Monthly Statistics. USGS. Retrieved on August 28, 2006.
- ^ Wild and Scenic Rivers System. National Park System (2005-01-07). Retrieved on August 28, 2006.
- ^ Wild and Scenic River System (2005-01-07). Retrieved on August 28, 2006.
- ^ Total Maximum Daily Loads (Section 303(d) List Fact Sheet) for Watershed Donner und Blitzen. United States Environmental Protection Agency (1998). Retrieved on August 28, 2006.
- ^ National Water Systems Information Interface. USGS. Retrieved on August 28, 2006.
- Little Blitzen River and Bridge Creek Remote Sensing Survey (PDF). Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (2000-02-11). Retrieved on August 28, 2006.
[edit] See also
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