Tumalo Creek

Tumalo Creek
Below Tumalo Falls
Name origin: Perhaps from the Klamath word for wild plum [1]
Country United States
State Oregon
County Deschutes
Source confluence of Middle and North forks of Tumalo Creek
 - location Deschutes National Forest near Mount Bachelor, Cascade Range
 - elevation 5,597 ft (1,706 m) [2]
 - coordinates 44°02′49″N 121°35′55″W / 44.04694°N 121.59861°W / 44.04694; -121.59861 [3]
Mouth Deschutes River
 - location north of Bend, upstream of Tumalo State Park
 - elevation 3,245 ft (989 m) [3]
 - coordinates 44°06′57″N 121°20′22″W / 44.11583°N 121.33944°W / 44.11583; -121.33944Coordinates: 44°06′57″N 121°20′22″W / 44.11583°N 121.33944°W / 44.11583; -121.33944 [3]
Length 20 mi (32.2 km) [4]
Basin 59 sq mi (153 km2) [5]
Discharge
 - average 75 cu ft/s (2 m3/s) [6]
 - max 250 cu ft/s (7 m3/s)
Location of the mouth of Tumalo Creek in Oregon

Tumalo Creek is a tributary, about 20 miles (32 km) long,[4] of the Deschutes River, located in Deschutes County in Central Oregon, United States. It rises in the Cascade Range at 44°02′49″N 121°35′55″W / 44.04706°N 121.598647°W / 44.04706; -121.598647 (Tumalo Creek source), where Middle Fork Tumalo Creek and North Fork Tumalo Creek meet, and forms several waterfalls, including the 97-foot (30 m) Tumalo Falls. Its mouth is on the Deschutes at 44°06′57″N 121°20′22″W / 44.1159506°N 121.3394783°W / 44.1159506; -121.3394783.[7]

It is home to several species of trout, including the Columbia River redband trout. It is the primary drinking water source for the city of Bend.[8] The lower reaches of the creek are often emptied for irrigation, drained by a tunnel flume at 44°05′45″N 121°21′35″W / 44.09589°N 121.35966°W / 44.09589; -121.35966 (Tumalo Creek tunnel flume) and Tumalo Canal at 44°05′45″N 121°21′35″W / 44.09591°N 121.35970°W / 44.09591; -121.35970 (Tumalo Canal source).

The 1979 Bridge Creek Fire and related salvage logging increased erosion and damaged habitats in and near Tumalo Creek. Since 2003, a network of government agencies and volunteer groups have been working to restore fish and wildlife habitat along a 3-mile (5 km) stretch of the stream.[9]

See also

References

  1. McArthur, Lewis A.; Lewis L. McArthur (2003) [1928]. Oregon Geographic Names (7th ed.). Portland, Oregon: Oregon Historical Society Press. p. 973. ISBN 0-87595-277-1.
  2. Source elevation derived from Google Earth search using GNIS source coordinates.
  3. 1 2 3 "Tumalo Creek". Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). United States Geological Survey. November 28, 1980. Retrieved April 30, 2012.
  4. 1 2 Sheehan, Madelynne Diness (2005). Fishing in Oregon (10th ed.). Scappoose, Oregon: Flying Pencil Publications. p. 249. ISBN 0-916473-15-5.
  5. United States Forest Service. "Tumalo Creek Bridge to Bridge Restoration Environmental Assessment" (PDF). University of Oregon. p. 4. Retrieved April 30, 2012.
  6. "Tumalo Creek". Deschutes River Conservancy. Retrieved April 30, 2012.
  7. "Tumalo Creek". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey. 28 November 1980. Retrieved August 28, 2011.
  8. Lindsey, Ethan (June 10, 2009). "Bend considers building a hydroelectric project on Tumalo Creek". OPB News. Portland, Oregon. Retrieved August 28, 2011.
  9. "Tumalo Creek Restoration Project". Upper Deschutes Watershed Council. Retrieved April 30, 2012.
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