Klamath Basin
Encyclopedia
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
s of Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
and California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
drained by the Klamath River
Klamath River
The Klamath River is an American river that flows southwest through Oregon and northern California, cutting through the Cascade Range to empty into the Pacific Ocean. The river drains an extensive watershed of almost that stretches from the high desert country of the Great Basin to the temperate...
. It contains most of Klamath County
Klamath County, Oregon
-National protected areas:* Bear Valley National Wildlife Refuge* Crater Lake National Park * Deschutes National Forest * Fremont National Forest * Klamath Marsh National Wildlife Refuge* Lower Klamath National Wildlife Refuge...
and parts of Lake
Lake County, Oregon
Lake County is a county in the high desert south central region of the U.S. state of Oregon, so named for the many lakes found within its boundaries, including Lake Abert, Hart Lake Reservoir, and Goose Lake. While Lake is among Oregon's largest counties, it is sparsely populated with 7,895...
and Jackson
Jackson County, Oregon
-National protected areas:* Cascade–Siskiyou National Monument* Crater Lake National Park * Klamath National Forest * Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest * Umpqua National Forest -Demographics:...
counties in Oregon, and parts of Del Norte
Del Norte County, California
Del Norte County is a county located at the far northwest corner of the U.S. state of California on the Pacific adjacent to the Oregon border. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 28,610. The county seat is Crescent City, the county's only incorporated city. Del Norte is the abbreviated...
, Humboldt
Humboldt County, California
Humboldt County is a county in the U.S. state of California, located on the far North Coast 200 miles north of San Francisco. According to 2010 Census Data, the county’s population was 134,623...
, Modoc
Modoc County, California
Modoc County is a county located in the far northeast corner of the U.S. state of California, bounded by the state of Oregon to the north and the state of Nevada to the east. As of the 2010 census, its population was 9,686, up from 9,449 at the 2000 census. The current county seat is Alturas, the...
, Siskiyou
Siskiyou County, California
Siskiyou County is a county located in the far northernmost part of the U.S. state of California, in the Shasta Cascade region on the Oregon border. Yreka is the county seat. Because of its substantial natural beauty, outdoor recreation opportunities, and Gold Rush era history, it is an important...
, and Trinity
Trinity County, California
Trinity County is a large, rugged and mountainous, heavily forested county located in the northwestern portion of the U.S. state of California, along the Trinity River and within the Salmon/Klamath Mountains. It covers an area of over two million acres , and as of the 2010 census its population...
counties in California. The 15751 mi2 drainage basin
Drainage basin
A drainage basin is an extent or an area of land where surface water from rain and melting snow or ice converges to a single point, usually the exit of the basin, where the waters join another waterbody, such as a river, lake, reservoir, estuary, wetland, sea, or ocean...
is 35% in Oregon and 65% in California. In Oregon, the watershed typically lies east of the Cascade Range, while California contains most of the river's segment that passes through the mountains. In the Oregon-far northern California segment of the river, the watershed is semi-desert at lower elevations and dry alpine
Alpine climate
Alpine climate is the average weather for a region above the tree line. This climate is also referred to as mountain climate or highland climate....
in the upper elevations. In the western part of the basin, in California, however, the climate is more of temperate rainforest, and the Trinity River watershed consists of a more typical alpine climate.
Distribution of subwatersheds
The drainage basins of the WilliamsonWilliamson River (Oregon)
The Williamson River of south-central Oregon in the United States is about long. It drains about east of the Cascade Range. Together with its principal tributary, the Sprague River, it provides over half the inflow to Upper Klamath Lake, the largest freshwater lake in Oregon...
and Sprague Rivers, in Oregon, are to the north and northeast of Upper Klamath Lake. Together, the two watersheds cover 3069 mi2, or 19.4% of the Klamath River watershed. The basin of the Lost River
Lost River (California)
Lost River begins and ends in a closed basin in northern California and southwestern Oregon in the United States. The river, long, flows in an arc from Clear Lake Reservoir in Modoc County, California, through Klamath County, Oregon to Tule Lake in Siskiyou County...
, the largest subwatershed by area, lies to the southeast of Upper Klamath Lake and to the east of Lower Klamath Lake. This covers 3009 mi2 or 19.1% of the Klamath River watershed - nearly as much as the Williamson and Sprague. Proceeding west, the adjoining Butte Creek
Butte Creek (California)
Butte Creek is tributary to the Sacramento River, joining the river in the vicinity of Colusa, California, USA. About in length, it runs through much of Butte County, California...
, Shasta
Shasta River
The Shasta River is a tributary of the Klamath River, approximately long, in northern California in the United States. It drains the Shasta Valley on the west and north sides of Mount Shasta in the Cascade Range....
, Scott and Salmon River
Salmon River (California)
The Salmon River is a tributary to the Klamath River in western Siskiyou County, California.The river has its origins in the high mountains of the Trinity Alps, Russian Mountains, and Marble Mountains...
watersheds have 603 mi2, 795 mi2, 813 mi2, and 750 mi2, respectively. These account for 4.3%, 5%, 5.2%. and 5% of the Klamath River watershed, respectively, or 19.5% of the watershed if put together.
Further southwest, the watershed of the Trinity River
Trinity River (California)
The Trinity River is the longest tributary of the Klamath River, approximately long, in northwestern California in the United States. It drains an area of the Coast Ranges, including the southern Klamath Mountains, northwest of the Sacramento Valley...
, the second largest subwatershed of the Klamath, has 2965 mi2 or 19% of the watershed. The watershed of the South Fork Trinity River
South Fork Trinity River
The South Fork Trinity River is a major tributary of the Trinity River, in the northern part of the U.S. state of California.It is part of the Klamath River drainage basin. It flows generally northwest from its source in the Klamath Mountains, draining about of mountainous terrain...
is 980 mi2 - 33% of the Trinity watershed or 6% of the Klamath watershed. The primary tributaries of the Klamath together account for 77% of the total Klamath watershed - the remaining land area is drained by smaller tributaries such as Jenny Creek, Fall Creek and Blue Creek.
Major bodies of water
Tule Lake
Tule Lake is an intermittent lake covering an area of , long and across, in northeastern Siskiyou County and northwestern Modoc County in California, along the border with Oregon.-Geography:Tule Lake is fed by the Lost River...
were one interconnected freshwater marsh that totaled 195 mi2 - more than twice the present-day dimensions of Upper Klamath Lake, and larger than Lake Tahoe
Lake Tahoe
Lake Tahoe is a large freshwater lake in the Sierra Nevada of the United States. At a surface elevation of , it is located along the border between California and Nevada, west of Carson City. Lake Tahoe is the largest alpine lake in North America. Its depth is , making it the USA's second-deepest...
in central California. This interconnected wetland still supports up to 3.7 million migrating birds per year. In wet years, the two lakes would connect to Upper Klamath Lake, forming one huge body of water. These lakes occupy the basin that was prehistorically occupied by Lake Modoc, a 1100 mi2 freshwater lake that covered the entire Upper Klamath Basin, or 7% of the watershed - an area three times larger than the massive Salton Sea
Salton Sea
The Salton Sea is a shallow, saline, endorheic rift lake located directly on the San Andreas Fault, predominantly in California's Imperial Valley. The lake occupies the lowest elevations of the Salton Sink in the Colorado Desert of Imperial and Riverside counties in Southern California. Like Death...
in southern California. This lake existed up to 11,000 years ago at the end of the most recent ice age
Ice age
An ice age or, more precisely, glacial age, is a generic geological period of long-term reduction in the temperature of the Earth's surface and atmosphere, resulting in the presence or expansion of continental ice sheets, polar ice sheets and alpine glaciers...
. Today, Upper Klamath Lake encompasses just 0.6% of the Klamath watershed.
There are also several entirely artificial bodies of water in the watershed - including Lake Ewauna
Lake Ewauna
Lake Ewauna is a lake in Klamath Falls, Oregon, United States. It is the headwaters of the Klamath River. Fed by Link River from Upper Klamath Lake and controlled by the release of water from Keno Dam downstream, Lake Ewauna stays at a constant level throughout the year.At just over 6,500 feet ...
, J.C. Boyle Reservoir, Copco Reservoir, and Iron Gate Reservoir on the main Klamath. Lake Ewauna, also called Keno Reservoir, is 3.8 mi2 in size, and is about 20 miles (32.2 km) long. The J.C. Boyle Reservoir is much smaller, with a surface area of 0.65 mi2. Copco Reservoir is about 5.4 miles (8.7 km) long and is 1 mi2 in area. Iron Gate Reservoir covers 1.4 mi2 and is about 6.8 miles (10.9 km) long. Together, the four lower mainstem reservoirs total just 6.85 mi2, or 0.04% of the Klamath River watershed.
Trinity Lake
Trinity Lake
Trinity Lake, previously called Clair Engle Lake, is a lake on the Trinity River formed by the Trinity Dam and located in Trinity County, California, The dam was built by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. The lake has a capacity of , making it one of the largest reservoirs in California. The lake's...
, on the mainstem of the Trinity River, is the largest tributary reservoir in the Klamath River watershed. At 25 mi2 in size, it is larger than all four mainstem Klamath reservoirs combined (excluding Upper Klamath Lake).
Watershed
The Klamath Basin watershedDrainage basin
A drainage basin is an extent or an area of land where surface water from rain and melting snow or ice converges to a single point, usually the exit of the basin, where the waters join another waterbody, such as a river, lake, reservoir, estuary, wetland, sea, or ocean...
includes:
These three rivers are located above (north) of the Klamath Lake basin:
- Sprague River, Oregon
- Williamson RiverWilliamson River (Oregon)The Williamson River of south-central Oregon in the United States is about long. It drains about east of the Cascade Range. Together with its principal tributary, the Sprague River, it provides over half the inflow to Upper Klamath Lake, the largest freshwater lake in Oregon...
, Oregon - Sycan RiverSycan RiverThe Sycan River is a tributary, about long, of the Sprague River in the U.S. state of Oregon. The headwaters are in highlands in the Fremont National Forest south of Summer Lake. The river runs northwest into the Sycan Marsh in southern Lake County, from which it flows generally southwest to join...
, Oregon
These features are inside or near the Klamath Lake basin:
- Upper Klamath LakeUpper Klamath LakeUpper Klamath Lake is a large, shallow freshwater lake east of the Cascade Range in south central Oregon in the United States. The largest freshwater body in Oregon, it is approximately 20 mi long and 8 mi wide and extends northwest from the city of Klamath Falls...
, Oregon - Link RiverLink RiverThe Link River is a short river connecting Upper Klamath Lake to Lake Ewauna in the city of Klamath Falls in the U.S. state of Oregon. Draining a basin of , the river begins at the southern end of Klamath Lake and flows a short distance to the Link River Dam and continues to the head of Lake Ewauna...
, Oregon - Agency Lake, Oregon
- Lost RiverLost River (California)Lost River begins and ends in a closed basin in northern California and southwestern Oregon in the United States. The river, long, flows in an arc from Clear Lake Reservoir in Modoc County, California, through Klamath County, Oregon to Tule Lake in Siskiyou County...
, Oregon, California - Clear Lake ReservoirClear Lake ReservoirClear Lake Reservoir is a reservoir in northwestern Modoc County, California in the Modoc National Forest about northwest of Alturas. It is formed by Clear Lake Dam on the Lost River and has a capacity of...
, California - Tule LakeTule LakeTule Lake is an intermittent lake covering an area of , long and across, in northeastern Siskiyou County and northwestern Modoc County in California, along the border with Oregon.-Geography:Tule Lake is fed by the Lost River...
, California - Lower Klamath LakeLower Klamath LakeLower Klamath Lake is a lake in Siskiyou County, California, that currently serves to hold overflow water for irrigation. At one time it was connected to Upper Klamath Lake....
, California
These are the major downstream tributaries of the Klamath River:
- Butte Creek, California, Oregon
- Shasta RiverShasta RiverThe Shasta River is a tributary of the Klamath River, approximately long, in northern California in the United States. It drains the Shasta Valley on the west and north sides of Mount Shasta in the Cascade Range....
, California - Scott RiverScott RiverThe Scott River is a river in Siskiyou County, California, United States. It is a tributary of the Klamath River, one of the largest rivers in California....
, California - Salmon RiverSalmon River (California)The Salmon River is a tributary to the Klamath River in western Siskiyou County, California.The river has its origins in the high mountains of the Trinity Alps, Russian Mountains, and Marble Mountains...
, California - Trinity RiverTrinity River (California)The Trinity River is the longest tributary of the Klamath River, approximately long, in northwestern California in the United States. It drains an area of the Coast Ranges, including the southern Klamath Mountains, northwest of the Sacramento Valley...
, California
Communities
Communities in the Klamath Basin include:- Bly, OregonBly, OregonBly is an unincorporated community in Klamath County, Oregon, United States. It is about east of Klamath Falls. , the population was 486.- History :...
- Beatty, OregonBeatty, OregonBeatty is an unincorporated community in Klamath County, Oregon, United States. Beatty is located on Oregon Route 140 at the confluence of the Sycan and Sprague Rivers and is 30 miles east of Klamath Falls....
- Bonanza, OregonBonanza, OregonBonanza is a city in Klamath County, Oregon, United States near Klamath Falls. The population was 415 at the 2010 census.-History:Bonanza is an agricultural community with large areas of alfalfa, cattle, and dairy farm use. It is home to Bonanza High School, and the Lost River runs near downtown...
- Chiloquin, OregonChiloquin, OregonChiloquin is a city in Klamath County, Oregon, United States. Chiloquin was the pioneer version of a Klamath family name Chaloquin, which was the name of a Klamath chief who was alive at the time of the treaty of 1864...
- Klamath Falls, OregonKlamath Falls, OregonKlamath Falls is a city in Klamath County, Oregon, United States. Originally called Linkville when George Nurse founded the town in 1867, after the Link River on whose falls this city sat, although no falls currently exist; the name was changed to Klamath Falls in 1892...
- Weaverville, CaliforniaWeaverville, CaliforniaWeaverville is a census-designated place and the county seat of Trinity County, California. The population was 3,600 at the 2010 census, up from 3,554 at the 2000 census.-History:Founded in 1850, Weaverville is a historic California Gold Rush town...
- Yreka, CaliforniaYreka, CaliforniaYreka is the county seat of Siskiyou County, California, United States. The population was 7,765 at the 2010 census, up from 7,290 at the 2000 census.- History:...
See also
- Crater LakeCrater LakeCrater Lake is a caldera lake located in the south-central region of the U.S. state of Oregon. It is the main feature of Crater Lake National Park and famous for its deep blue color and water clarity. The lake partly fills a nearly deep caldera that was formed around 7,700 years agoby the...
- Klamath Basin National Wildlife Refuges ComplexKlamath Basin National Wildlife Refuges ComplexThe Klamath Basin National Wildlife Refuge Complex is a wildlife preserve operated by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service located in the Klamath Basin of southern Oregon and northern California near Klamath Falls, Oregon...
- Klamath National ForestKlamath National ForestKlamath National Forest is a national forest, in the Klamath Mountains, located in Siskiyou County in northern California, but with a tiny extension into southern Jackson County in Oregon. The forest contains continuous stands of ponderosa pine, Jeffrey pine, Douglas fir, red fir, white fir and...
- Klamath Reclamation Project
- Modoc National ForestModoc National ForestModoc National Forest is a national forest in northeastern California, covering parts of Modoc , Lassen , and Siskiyou counties. Most of the forest was covered by an immense lava flow millions of years ago. The eastern part of the forest east of Alturas contains a spur of the Cascade Range to...
- Shasta-Trinity National ForestShasta-Trinity National ForestThe Shasta-Trinity National Forest is a federally designated forest in northern California, USA. It is the largest National Forest in California and is managed by the United States Forest Service. The 2.2-million acre forest encompasses five wilderness areas, hundreds of mountain lakes and of...
External links
- Klamath Waters Digital Library from Oregon Institute of TechnologyOregon Institute of TechnologyOregon Institute of Technology, also known as Oregon Tech or OIT, is an accredited university in the Oregon University System, and the only public institute of technology in the northwest United States. Located in Klamath Falls, Oregon, it provides undergraduate and graduate degrees in many...
- Map of Klamath Basin from The Wilderness SocietyThe Wilderness Society (United States)The Wilderness Society is an American organization that is dedicated to protecting America's wilderness. It was formed in 1935 and currently has over 300,000 members and supporters.-Founding:The society was incorporated on January 21, 1935...