Fir Creek is a tributary, about long, of the Bull Run River in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sover ...

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 ...

. Part of the system that provides drinking water to the city of

Portland Portland most commonly refers to: * Portland, Oregon, the largest city in the state of Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States * Portland, Maine, the largest city in the state of Maine, in the New England region of the northeas ...

, it flows generally northwest through a protected part of the

Mount Hood National Forest The Mount Hood National Forest is a U.S. National Forest in the U.S. state of Oregon, located east of the city of Portland and the northern Willamette River valley. The Forest extends south from the Columbia River Gorge across more than of fore ...

in Clackamas and Multnomah counties. It joins the Bull Run River at the upper end of Bull Run Reservoir 1, about from the larger stream's confluence with the Sandy River.

Course

The creek arises in the Mount Hood National Forest in northern Clackamas County near its border with Multnomah County. The stream flows north, crossing the border almost immediately and entering Multnomah County. Turning west, it receives an unnamed tributary from the right before turning gradually northwest. It passes under Forest Road 1211 and by a

United States Geological Survey The United States Geological Survey (USGS), formerly simply known as the Geological Survey, is a scientific agency of the United States government. The scientists of the USGS study the landscape of the United States, its natural resources, ...

(USGS)

stream gauge A stream gauge, streamgage or stream gauging station is a location used by hydrologists or environmental scientists to monitor and test terrestrial bodies of water. Hydrometric measurements of water level surface elevation ("stage") and/or volu ...

from 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 ...

. The creek joins the main stem Bull Run River near the upper end of Bull Run Reservoir 1, about from where the river joins the Sandy River.

Discharge

Since 1975 the USGS has monitored the flow of Fir Creek at a stream gauge from the mouth. The average flow between then and 2009 was . This is from a drainage area of about . The maximum flow recorded during this period was on November 25, 1999. The minimum was on September 5–7, 2003. Stated watershed size includes only that part of the watershed above

river mile A river mile is a measure of distance in miles along a river from its mouth. River mile numbers begin at zero and increase further upstream. The corresponding metric unit using kilometers is the river kilometer. They are analogous to vehicle road ...

0.6 (river kilometer 1.0).

Watershed

The Bull Run River watershed, which includes Fir Creek, drains .Portland Water Bureau, "Landscape Conditions", p. 52 The basin, which is the main source of Portland's drinking water, is largely restricted to uses related to water collection, storage, treatment, and forest management. The Fir Creek basin of about amounts to about 4 percent of the total Bull Run River watershed, which is managed by the

Portland Water Bureau The Portland Water Bureau is the municipal water department for the city of Portland in the U.S. state of Oregon. The bureau manages a water supply that comes mainly from the Bull Run River in the foothills of the Cascade Range east of the city a ...

and the

United States Forest Service The United States Forest Service (USFS) is an agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture that administers the nation's 154 national forests and 20 national grasslands. The Forest Service manages of land. Major divisions of the agency inc ...

References

Works cited

*Portland Water Bureau (2007)
"Landscape Conditions"
Chapter 4 of ''Current Habitat Conditions in the Habitat Conservation Plan Area''. Portland, Oregon: Portland Water Bureau. Retrieved March 9, 2010.

External links