Bull Run River (Oregon)

Bull Run River (Oregon)

The Bull Run River is a 21. 9-mile tributary of the Sandy River in the U.S. state of Oregon. The river is impounded by two artificial storage reservoirs as well as the lake. It is the primary source of drinking water for the city of Portland, Oregon.

About Bull Run River (Oregon) in brief

Summary Bull Run River (Oregon)The Bull Run River is a 21. 9-mile tributary of the Sandy River in the U.S. state of Oregon. The river, impounded by two artificial storage reservoirs as well as the lake, is the primary source of drinking water for the city of Portland, Oregon. Erosion-resistant basalt underlies much of the watershed, and streams passing over it are relatively free of sediments. However, turbidity increases when unstable soils sandwiched between layers of basalt and other volcanic rocks are disturbed and wash into the river during rainstorms. About 6 miles of the lower river is open to fishing and boating, and the land at the confluence of the Bull Run and Sandy rivers has been a public park since the early 20th century. About 22 percent of the protected zone was logged during the second half of the 20th century, and erosion increased. For a time in 1996, Portland had to shut down theBull Run supply because of turbidity and switch to water from wells. Annual precipitation ranges from 80 inches near the water supply intake to as much as 170 inches near the headwaters. More than 250 wildlife species, including the protected northern spotted owl, inhabit this forest. In the late 19th century, an unincorporated community, Bull Run, became established near the river in conjunction with a hydroelectric project and a related railroad line. The city of Bull Run is on the uninc incorporated Bull Run community on the river’s south bank.

The Bull Run Watershed Management Unit is a restricted area meant to protect the river and its tributaries from contamination. It is located in the Mount Hood Wilderness and includes Bull Run Lake, a natural body of water modified slightly by the Portland Water Bureau, near Hiyo Mountain in the Cascade Range. It also includes Camp Creek, Camp Creek Reservoir, and Bull Run Reservoir. The River exits the reservoir via a spillway 11 miles from the river mouth. It re-enters Clackamas County and receives Camp Creek from the left, and receives South Fork Bull River from the right, then Deer, Cougar, and Bear creeks, all from theRight. It then turns northwest, passes under an unnamed road and under Southeast Bull Run Road, and then receives the Little Sandy River at about RM 2. The river flows by a stream gauge at river mile  20. 9 or river kilometer  30. 6, and passes under Forest Road 1025 and Forest Road10 before receiving Blazed Alder Creek and Falls Creek, both from theright. Then the river turns southwest and passes another stream gauge just before entering Bull Run river Reservoir 1 at RM 15. Also entering the reservoir are Fir Creek from left, North Fork Bull Run rivers from the Right, then Log Creek and Fall Creek, and Deer,. Cougar,. and Bear Creeks from right. The river exits the Reservoir at about 6.6.