Ashland Creek is a tributary of Bear Creek in the U.S. state of

Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...

. It joins Bear Creek near Ashland, from the larger stream's confluence with the Rogue River. The

main stem In hydrology, a mainstem (or trunk) is "the primary downstream segment of a river, as contrasted to its tributaries". Water enters the mainstem from the river's drainage basin, the land area through which the mainstem and its tributaries flow.. A ...

of Ashland Creek begins at Reeder Reservoir, an artificial impoundment of about that provides municipal water to the city of Ashland. Two tributaries (forks) of the main stem feed the reservoir. Arising on the flanks of

Mount Ashland Mount Ashland is the highest peak in the Siskiyou Mountains of southern Oregon. It was named for the city of Ashland, located north of the mountain. The Siskiyou Mountains are a subrange of the Klamath Mountains in northwestern California and ...

, East Fork Ashland Creek is long, and West Fork Ashland Creek is long. The forks flow generally north through the

Rogue River – Siskiyou National Forest A rogue is a person or entity that flouts accepted norms of behavior. Rogue or rogues may also refer to: Companies * Rogue Ales, a microbrewery in Newport, Oregon * Rogue Arts, a film production company * Rogue Entertainment, a software com ...

to the reservoir. Below the reservoir, the main stem continues north through a canyon, then through a channel confined by urban development and into the broad

alluvial Alluvium (from Latin ''alluvius'', from ''alluere'' 'to wash against') is loose clay, silt, sand, or gravel that has been deposited by running water in a stream bed, on a floodplain, in an alluvial fan or beach, or in similar settings. Alluv ...

valley of Bear Creek. The stream gradient averages about 9 percent on the upper reaches and 3 percent within the city.

Watershed

Elevations within the Ashland Creek watershed vary from about at the

mouth In animal anatomy, the mouth, also known as the oral cavity, or in Latin cavum oris, is the opening through which many animals take in food and issue vocal sounds. It is also the cavity lying at the upper end of the alimentary canal, bounded on ...

to about in the mountains. The watershed covers about or 20,000 acres. In 2001, this included (rounded to the nearest hundred) of forests; of city development; of rural development; of farms, and smaller allotments for other uses. About of roads crisscrossed the watershed.

Floods

Erosion along the tributaries and upper reaches coupled with rain-on-snow events contribute to sediment transport and floods along Ashland Creek. About of sediment per year accumulates in Reeder Reservoir, but a flood in 1974 deposited quickly, forcing the city to temporarily shut down the municipal water supply. In addition to moving sediment, heavy flows block the creek with woody debris, creating dams that, upon breaking, cause flood surges. Five significant floods, the last in 1997, damaged property in Ashland during the second half of the 20th century. The 1997 rain-on-snow event caused many streams in the Bear Creek watershed to reach

100-year flood A 100-year flood is a flood event that has a 1 in 100 chance (1% probability) of being equaled or exceeded in any given year. The 100-year flood is also referred to as the 1% flood, since its annual exceedance probability is 1%.Holmes, R.R., Jr. ...

levels, resulting in $4.5 million in damages.

References

External links

Bear Creek Watershed Council

Television video clip of the 1997 flood
{{authority control Rivers of Jackson County, Oregon Rivers of Oregon

Watershed

Floods

See also

References

External links