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Tualatin River

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The Tualatin River is a tributary of the Willamette River in Oregon in the United States. The river is about 83 miles (134 km) long, and it drains a fertile farming region called the Tualatin Valley southwest and west of Portland at the northwest corner of the Willamette Valley . There are approximately 500,000 people residing on 15 percent of the land in the river's watershed.

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33-842: The Tualatin River arises near Windy Point on the eastern side of the Northern Oregon Coast Range . It begins in the Tillamook State Forest in Washington County and flows about 83 miles (134 km) to the Willamette River near West Linn in Clackamas County. Along the way, it falls from about 2,000 feet (610 m) above sea level to about 60 feet (18 m), most of that occurring in its first 15 miles (24 km). From

66-574: A few. Arthropods and molluscs found include collembolans, spiders, beetles, slugs, millipedes, weevils, and various centipedes. Animals that inhabit the Northern Coast range are the rough-skinned newt , chipmunks, bears, rabbits, white-footed deer mice, Columbian black tail deer and others. Birds include chickadees , red-breasted nuthatches , kinglets , Western pileated woodpeckers , Oregon Canada jays , California creepers , and Sitka red crossbills among others. The range begins at

99-420: A freeway. West of that interchange, the street name changes to Farmington Road, the eastern part of which is not a state highway, and comes a block parallel with Oregon Route 8 in front of Beaverton High School . The portion of OR 10 from downtown Beaverton to the intersection with Oregon Route 219 was once known as Oregon Route 208 . OR 8 and 10 do not intersect, but it is not uncommon for commuters to use

132-467: A pedestrian bridge between Tigard and Durham on the left (north) and Tualatin on the right. Durham City Park is on the left bank, and Tualatin Park is on the right. The stream passes under another Portland & Western Railroad bridge, then under Southwest Boones Ferry Road and then under Interstate 5 , the latter at about RM 8 (RK 13), and enters Clackamas County. Shortly thereafter,

165-820: Is heavy, varying from 60 to 180 inches (1,500 to 4,600 mm). All mountains over 3,000 feet (910 m) in elevation in the Northern Coast Range. The following rivers have their headwaters in the Northern Oregon Coast Range: Oregon Route 10 Oregon Route 10 is an Oregon state highway which serves Portland and some of its western suburbs . OR 10 begins as Naito Parkway in Downtown Portland starting where Naito Parkway interchanges with U.S. Route 26 . It heads south out of downtown, multiplexed with Oregon Route 99W . After passing under

198-636: Is on the left, under Southwest Pete's Mountain Road, by Willamette Park, also on the left, and enters the Willamette River at West Linn , about 28 miles (45 km) from the larger river's confluence with the Columbia River.the mouth is five miles away from oswego lake. the closest tributary to the mouth is the fanno creek. The highest flow ever recorded in the river was 26,400 cubic feet per second (750 m/s) on February 10, 1996, at

231-411: Is subducting beneath North America tectonic plate. Also, weathering and erosion of the region is a major factor in shaping the landscape. Heavy rainfall and landslides have worked to alter the mountains. The range is part of a broad, plunging structural arch of sedimentary and Tertiary volcanic strata that is being uplifted. Eocene and Miocene sections form the flanks of the uplifted sections. Some of

264-624: Is the northern section of the Oregon Coast Range , in the Pacific Coast Ranges physiographic region , located in the northwest portion of the state of Oregon , United States. This section of the mountain range, part of the Pacific Coast Ranges, contains peaks as high as 3,710 feet (1,131 m) for Rogers Peak . Forests in these mountains are considered to be some of the most productive timber land in

297-507: The Beaverton-Hillsdale Highway , highway number 40, a surface street with frequent traffic signals. The highway continues west into Washington County . In the community of Raleigh Hills , OR 10 intersects with Oregon Route 210 (locally known as Scholls Ferry Road), which heads southwest towards Progress , Tigard , and Scholls . OR 10 continues west into Beaverton , where it interchanges with Oregon Route 217 ,

330-667: The Columbia River , with some mountainous features on the north side of the river, and continues south roughly 100 miles (160 km) to the Salmon River where Oregon Route 18 traverses the range from the Willamette Valley to the Oregon Coast . The width of the range varies but is roughly 35 miles (56 km). The climate of the range is moderate because of marine influences, and annual precipitation

363-663: The Portland Aerial Tram , Naito Parkway ends at an interchange with Barbur Boulevard; the two routes continue south out of Portland on Barbur. OR 10 separates from OR 99W a few miles south of downtown, and proceeds along Capitol Highway through the Portland neighborhood of Hillsdale . Along here, it is a surface street, which cuts through the southern part of Portland's West Hills . It separates from Capitol Highway in Hillsdale, which continues unnumbered, and becomes

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396-595: The Siuslaw National Forest and Tillamook State Forest , and large sections of the range were burned in forest fires during the 1930s and 1940s as part of the Tillamook Burn . In the forested areas trees include Sitka spruce , western redcedar , Douglas fir , and western hemlock . Other plants that grow in the region are huckleberry , salmonberry , thimbleberry , salal , vine maple , sword and bracken ferns and Oregon grape to name

429-506: The unincorporated community of Cherry Grove , 68 miles (109 km) from the mouth, the river falls only about 220 feet (67 m) in meanders that trend generally east across the relatively flat Tualatin Valley . From its source, the river flows south for about 1 mile (1.6 km) before turning east to parallel to Blind Cabin Ridge, which is to the river's right . Shortly thereafter,

462-525: The "Quality River". The valley of the Tualatin was an important early farming region in the settlement of Oregon. The building of Canyon Road , a plank road to the Tualatin Valley from Portland , in 1856 is considered by historians to be one of the main reasons for Portland's rise as the dominant city in the region. The valley contains many natural wetlands , some of which have been designated

495-577: The Tualatin River National Wildlife Refuge, and others are protected at Jackson Bottom Wetlands Preserve. The drainage area of the river is approximately 712 square miles (1,840 km) with 27 creeks feeding into the Tualatin. Its watershed is 15 percent urbanized, 35 percent agricultural, and 50 percent forested. The river drops 1,800 feet (550 m) in elevation during its first 12 miles (19 km) and then only an additional 250 feet (76 m) for

528-657: The West Linn gage. The lowest flow ever recorded at this gage was 0.20 cubic feet per second (0.0057 m/s) between July 30 and August 2, 1966. This flow does not include the estimated flow of 3,600 cubic feet per second (100 m/s) from the river through the Lake Oswego Canal. The Tualatin River was named by the local Native American band, the Atafalati , that lived in the Tualatin Valley. The name translated as sluggish or lazy. Early settlers called it

561-584: The city of Cornelius to the left and the unincorporated community of Blooming to the right, and passes under Golf Course Road about 52 miles (84 km) from the mouth. Dairy Creek enters from the left at about RM 45 (RK 72) as the river approaches Hillsboro , which is to the river's left. Wandering through Jackson Bottom and the Jackson Bottom Wetlands Preserve , the river passes under Oregon Route 219 (Southwest Hillsboro Highway), and soon receives Jackson Slough from

594-475: The city of Gaston , which is to the right. Turning north near Gaston and meandering roughly parallel to Route 47 to the west (left), the river receives Wapato Creek, which flows through the former Wapato Lake , from the right and Scoggins Creek , which drains Henry Hagg Lake , from the left at RM 60 (RK 97). Soon, O'Neill Creek enters from the left, and shortly thereafter, the river passes under Southwest Spring Hill Road, then receives Dilley Creek from

627-784: The frontage road for the OR 217 interchange or another surface street to change between the routes. As Farmington Road, OR 10 leaves Beaverton and cuts across half-developed suburbia to Farmington and its intersection with OR 219. This final section comprises the Farmington Highway , highway number 142. Milepoints are as reported by ODOT and do not necessarily reflect current mileage. Z indicates overlapping mileage due to construction longer than established route, and – indicates negative mileage behind established beginning point. Segments that are locally maintained may be omitted. For routes traversing multiple named state highways, each milepoint

660-417: The left at about RM 57.5 (RK 92.5). At this point, the unincorporated community of Dilley is on the left. At Dilley, the stream meanders east away from the highway and soon receives Carpenter Creek from the left and then Gales Creek . Along this stretch of the river, the city of Forest Grove is north (left) of the river. Meandering generally east, the river passes under Southwest Fern Hill Road, by

693-399: The left before the river passes under Southwest Stafford Road near the unincorporated area of Wankers Corner and flows past the unincorporated community of Shadowood . In its final 5 miles (8 km), the river receives Wilson Creek from the right, passes under Interstate 205 and then under Southwest Borland Road, and receives Fields Creek from the left. It flows by Swift Shore Park, which

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726-507: The left, then Davis Creek from the right at RM 40 (RK 64). Passing under Minter Bridge Road about 41 miles (66 km) from the mouth, and then Rood Bridge Road, the river wanders by the Meriwether National Golf Course which is on its right and The Reserve Vineyards & Golf Club , which is to the left, and receives Rock Creek, Gordon Creek, and Butternut Creek, all from the left. Flowing south from

759-513: The mountainous formations. Other sedimentary rock in the area formed more recently, around 20 million years ago. It is hypothesized that portions of the northern section of the range were islands during parts of the Eocene era. Other portions of the mountains consist of marine sedimentary rock. The entire coast range sits on a convergent tectonic margin interacting with the Juan de Fuca Plate that

792-400: The oldest rocks are submarine tholeiitic basalts from the Eocene era. The basalt came from the basalt flows that covered much of Oregon and originated from volcanoes in the central portion of the state. Other rocks include sandstone, mudstone, and siltstone. It was during the middle Miocene period that the range was uplifted in the broad, northeast-plunging arch. Portions of the range are in

825-540: The remaining 71 miles (114 km) of its course. This creates a slow river for the majority of the course, creating problems with pollution. Pollution reached a point that in 1989 local agencies were forced to begin cleaning up the river after the Tualatin failed water quality standards outlined in the Clean Water Act of 1972 . It was the first river in the state to fail overall pollution limits. Northern Oregon Coast Range The Northern Oregon Coast Range

858-558: The right, then passes under Oregon Route 99W (Southwest Pacific Highway) at King City . The river continues by Avalon Park, which is on its left, flows through Cook Park in Tigard , which is on its left, and forms the north boundary of the Tualatin Country Club, which is on the right. Immediately thereafter, the river receives Fanno Creek from the left just after passing under a Portland & Western Railroad bridge and

891-613: The river passes Browns Ferry Park, which is on the river's right, and then Canal Acres Park, on the left. At the east end of the park, Saum Creek enters from the right, and the Oswego Canal, which carries water from the Tualatin River to Oswego Lake in Lake Oswego , is on the left. Beyond the canal entrance, the river passes River Run Park, which is on the left. Soon Athey Creek enters from the right and Pecan Creek from

924-423: The river along its left bank from the reservoir to the unincorporated community of Cherry Grove. Over the next stretch, the river runs roughly parallel to Hagerty Ridge, which is on the right. About 2 miles (3 km) further downstream, the river goes over Lee Falls and, shortly thereafter, Little Lee Falls before reaching Cherry Grove, which is on the river's left at the west end of Patton Valley. At Cherry Grove,

957-427: The river passes under Roaring Creek Road, receives Roaring Creek from the right, passes under Bruce Road and Southwest S Road, and receives Hering Creek from the left. Thereafter, it flows under Northwest Mount Richmond Road and receives Mercer Creek from the left about 65 miles (105 km) from the river's mouth. Below this, Black Jack Creek enters from the left, and the river passes under Oregon Route 47 and flows by

990-441: The river plunges over the 40-foot (12 m) Ki-a-Kuts Falls , then receives Maple Creek from the left and then Sunday Creek, also from the left, at river mile (RM) 76.7 (RK 123.4). Lee Creek enters from the left and Patten Creek from the right before the river reaches Hillsboro Reservoir and then Haines Falls at about RM 73 (RK 117). Hillsboro Reservoir Road and Southwest Lee Falls Road run roughly parallel to

1023-574: The unincorporated community of Scholls , where it receives McFee Creek from the right before passing under Scholls Bridge and Oregon Route 210 . Entering the Tualatin River National Wildlife Refuge at about RM 25 (RK 40). Leaving the wildlife refuge about 4 miles (6 km) later, the rivers meanders around the unincorporated community of Bull Mountain , which is on its left (north), passes under Roy Rogers Road, receives Chicken Creek and Rock Creek from

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1056-452: The vicinity of the golf course, the river runs roughly parallel to River Road, which is on its left. It passes under Harris Bridge, which carries Oregon Route 10 and Oregon Route 208 (Southwest Farmington Road) at the unincorporated community of Farmington . Further downstream, it receives Christensen and Burris creeks from the right and continues south until turning east again at about RM 30 (RK 48). Shortly thereafter, it flows by

1089-548: The world. The Central Oregon Coast Range is directly south of this section with the Southern Oregon Coast Range beyond the central range. The origins of these mountains began approximately 40 million years ago during the Eocene age. During this time-period, sandstone and siltstone formed in the area. Additionally, igneous rocks and basalt flows combined with basaltic sandstone to create many of

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