Abiqua Creek

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article may require cleanup to meet Wikipedia's quality standards. Please improve this article if you can. (November 2006)

Abiqua Creek is a tributary of the Pudding River in the U.S. state of Oregon.

Flowing roughly thirty miles from its headwaters high in the foothills of the Cascade mountains in northwestern Oregon, to the confluence in the fertile farmland of the Willamette Valley. The creek heads in the Abiqua Basin, a heavily logged area roughly five miles (8 km) NNE of Silver Falls State Park and flows northwest cutting a sizable canyon through the foothills. Ridges on the north and south side of the canyon separate its watershed from Silver Creek in the south, and Butte Creek in the north. High in the upper reaches the rushing mountain stream plunges over 100 feet (30 m) to form the Abiqua Falls.

In its middle reach the stream is followed closely by North Abiqua road, meaning the canyon is fairly populated, but it also provides public access. The stream carries a fair volume of water for most of the year, however during the peak of the summer season its flows drop to between 15 to 40 ft³/s (0.4 to 1.1 m³/s). However, there are many deep pools easily accessed by the road which are extremely popular on summer evenings.

The Abiqua is also fairly well known in the local area as an early and late season trout stream. Native cuttroat and Rainbows thrive in the waters of the upper and middle reaches. The creek also features a respectable steelhead run, however, the streams salmon run is very small though a remnant does exist. The lower valley reach of the stream features warmer summertime water temperatures and poorer water quality, and has virtually no trout fishery. This stretch of the creek is mainly populated by Northern Pikeminnow and Carp.

As the stream leaves the foothills towards its confluence with the Pudding River, it passes between the small towns of Silverton and Mt. Angel, where it is crossed by the Oregon Route 214 bridge. During periods of heavy rainfall the stream does flood occasionally closing briefly Old Mt. Angel Highway and several secondary roads.

Another note is that the water supply for the city of Silverton is taken from Abiqua Creek, in the foothills roughly ten miles from the confluence at Abiqua Dam.

[edit] References

This article does not cite any references or sources. (January 2007) Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed.