Willow Creek (Columbia River)
| Willow Creek | |
Willow Creek Lake, an impoundment of Willow Creek, with the city of Heppner below it
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| Country | United States |
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| State | Oregon |
| Counties | Morrow and Gilliam |
| Source | Arbuckle Mountain |
| - location | Blue Mountains, Morrow County, Oregon |
| - elevation | 4,351 ft (1,326 m) |
| - coordinates | 45°09′56″N 119°20′29″W / 45.16556°N 119.34139°W |
| Mouth | Columbia River |
| - location | upstream of Arlington, Gilliam County, Oregon |
| - elevation | 269 ft (82 m) |
| - coordinates | 45°48′21″N 120°00′24″W / 45.80583°N 120.00667°WCoordinates: 45°48′21″N 120°00′24″W / 45.80583°N 120.00667°W |
| Length | 79 mi (127 km) |
| Basin | 880 sq mi (2,279 km2) |
| Discharge | for river mile 4 (river kilometer 6) |
| - average | 31.3 cu ft/s (0.9 m3/s) |
| - max | 16,900 cu ft/s (478.6 m3/s) (January 14, 1974) |
| - min | 0 cu ft/s (0.0 m3/s) (Often) |
  Location of the mouth of Willow Creek in Oregon
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 The Willow Creek watershed
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Willow Creek is a 79-mile (127 km) long tributary of the Columbia River, located in the U.S. state of Oregon. It drains 880 square miles (2,279 km2) of Morrow and Gilliam counties. Arising in the Blue Mountains, it flows generally northwest to its confluence with the Columbia River upstream of Arlington.
Willow Creek's headwaters are located near Arbuckle Mountain in the Blue Mountains, southeast of Heppner. It flows north, then west, receiving the North Fork on the and Skinners Fork on the . Willow Creek Lake is formed by the 160-foot (49 m) tall Willow Creek Dam just upstream of Heppner at river mile (RM) 52.4, or river kilometer (RK) 84.3. Willow Creek flows northwest through Heppner, receiving Hinton Creek on the right. About 10 miles (16 km) later, the creek travels through Lexington. Soon after, Rhea Creek enters on the left, and Willow Creek passes through the communities of Ione and Morgan. Turning north, it crosses into Gilliam County, flowing beneath Highway 74 and Interstate 84/Highway 30 just before its mouth. Willow Creek flows into the Columbia River approximately 253 miles (407 km) above its confluence with the Pacific Ocean.
Willow Creek drains 880 square miles (2,279 km2) of the Columbia Plateau region of Oregon. Ninety percent is privately owned, nine percent is owned by U.S. federal agencies such as the United States Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, and United States Department of Defense, and one percent is owned by the state of Oregon. About 60 percent of the watershed is either forested, rangeland, or shrubland, 39 percent is cropland, and 1 percent is urban. The highest elevation in the watershed is 5,583 feet (1,702 m) near Willow Creek's headwaters, while the lowest is 269 feet (82 m) at its mouth. Temperatures range from below 0 °F (−18 °C) to over 110 °F (43 °C), while the average is about 50 °F (10 °C). The average precipitation ranges from 8 inches (203 mm) in the lower regions to 34 inches (864 mm) in the mountains.
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Wikipedia