River in NW USA and SW Canada; rises in the Rocky Mts in E British Columbia, flows into Washington state, USA, and enters the Pacific at Cape Disappointment, SW of Vancouver, Washington; length 1953 km/1214 mi; many rapids and falls; major gorge through the Cascade range; source of irrigation and hydroelectric power.
| Columbia River | |
|---|---|
| Columbia River Basin, showing major dams and tributaries | |
| Origin | Columbia Lake |
| Mouth | Pacific Ocean |
| Basin countries | United States, Canada |
| Length | 1,232 miles (2,044 km) |
| Source elevation | 810 m (2,657 ft) |
| Mouth elevation | sea level |
| Avg. discharge | 262,000 ft³/s |
| Basin area | 258,000 mi² (415,211 km²) |
The Columbia River (French: fleuve Columbia) is a river situated in British Columbia and the Pacific Northwest of the United States. The mean total flow is 262,000 ft
Geography
Columbia Lake forms the Columbia's headwaters in the Canadian Rockies of southern British Columbia.
The river then flows through the east-central portion of Washington State. The river goes into the Pacific Ocean at Ilwaco, Washington and Astoria, Oregon forming the Columbia Bar. Water draining from the lake forms the Pend Oreille River, which flows across the Idaho panhandle to Washington's northeastern corner where it meets the northern Canadian fork.
The river then runs south-southwest through the Columbia Plateau, changing to a southeasterly direction near the confluence of the Wenatchee River in central Washington. The river continues southeast, past The Gorge Amphitheatre (a prominent concert venue in the Northwest), and then past the Hanford Nuclear Reservation just before it reaches the Snake River. This part of the river is called the Hanford Reach and is the only part of the river in the United States that is free-flowing, unimpeded by dams and not a tidal estuary.
Near the town of Hood River, Oregon, the river begins cutting through the Cascade Mountains at the entrance to the Columbia River Gorge.
The river continues west with one small north-northwesterly-directed stretch near Portland;
Major tributaries
For a more complete list See Tributaries of the Columbia River| Tributary | Discharge* |
|---|---|
| Snake River | 56,900 |
| Willamette River | 35,660 |
| Kootenai River | 30,650 |
| Pend Oreille River | 27,820 |
| Cowlitz River | 9,200 |
| Spokane River | 6,700 |
| Deschutes River | 6,000 |
| Lewis River | 4,800 |
| Yakima River | 3,540 |
| Wenatchee River | 3,220 |
| Okanogan River | 3,050 |
| Kettle River | 2,930 |
| Sandy River | 2,260 |
Missoula Floods
The Columbia River and its drainage basin has experienced some of the world's greatest known floods.
History
In 1775, Bruno de Heceta became the first European to sight the mouth of the Columbia River, naming it Bahía de la Asunción. On May 11, 1792, Captain Robert Gray became the first European to sail into the Columbia River.
French explorers called the Columbia River "the river of storms," ouragan, which is a possible origin of the name "Oregon."
Lewis and Clark's overland expedition explored the vast, unmapped lands west of the Missouri River. On the last stretch of their expedition they traveled down the Columbia River to the Pacific Ocean. Because of its access to the Columbia river, Fort Vancouver's influence reached from Alaska to California and from the Rocky Mountains to the Hawaiian Islands.
On February 13, 1980, $5,800 (in bundles of $20 bills) was found by a family on a picnic five miles northwest of Vancouver, Washington on the banks of the Columbia River.
On July 1, 2003, Christopher Swain of Portland, Oregon, became the first person to swim the Columbia River's entire length.
Hydroelectric dams
The mainstream of the Columbia River has 11 dams and 8 locks.
Although the dams provide clean, renewable energy, they drastically alter the landscape and ecosystem of the river. At one time the Columbia was one of the top salmon producing river systems in the world. Previously active fishing sites, like Celilo Falls in the eastern Columbia River Gorge highlight the relative decline in fishing along the Columbia during the last century.
Water quality is also an important factor in the survival of other wildlife and plants that grow in the Columbia River Basin. The states, tribes and federal government are all engaged in efforts to restore and improve the water, land and air quality of the Columbia River Basin and have committed to work together to enhance and accomplish critical ecosystem restoration efforts. Several First Nations have a historical and continuing presence on the Columbia River, most notably the "Sinixt" or "Lakes" First People
From the Woody Guthrie song "Roll on, Columbia":
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