Yakima River
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Yakima River | |
|---|---|
 State Route 10 winds past the Yakima River (©2004 Mountains to Sound Greenway Trust)
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| Country | United States |
| State | Washington |
| Major cities | Cle Elum, Ellensburg, Yakima, Sunnyside, Richland |
| Length | 214 mi (344 km) [1] |
| Watershed | 6,150 sq mi (15,928 km²) [1] |
| Discharge at | Mabton |
| - average | 3,311 cu ft/s (94 m³/s) [2] |
| - maximum | 49,500 cu ft/s (1,402 m³/s) |
| - minimum | 320 cu ft/s (9 m³/s) |
| Source | Keechelus Lake |
| - location | Kittitas County, Washington |
| - coordinates | [3] |
| - elevation | 2,520 ft (768 m) [4] |
| Mouth | Columbia River |
| - location | Richland, Benton County, Washington |
| - coordinates | [3] |
| - elevation | 344 ft (105 m) [5] |
| Major tributaries | |
| - left | Cle Elum River, Teanaway River |
| - right | Naches River |
 Map of the Yakima River watershed
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The Yakima River is a tributary of the Columbia River in south central and eastern Washington State, named for the indigenous Yakama people. The river rises in the Cascade Range at an elevation of 2,449 feet (746 m) at Keechelus Dam on Keechelus Lake near Snoqualmie Pass, northwest of Cle Elum. The river flows through that town, skirts Ellensburg, passes the city of Yakima, and continues southeast to Richland, where it flows into the Columbia River at an elevation of 340 feet (104 m). The length of the river from headwaters to mouth is 214 miles (344 km), with an average drop of 9.85 feet per mile (1.87 m/km).
[edit] Yakima Valley
The Yakima River Basin consists of approximately 6,150 square miles (15,930 km²) located in south central Washington State. It is bounded by the Cascade Mountains on the west, the Wenatchee Mountains on the north, Rattlesnake Mountain and the Rattlesnake Hills on the east, and the Horse Heaven Hills to the south. The basin encompasses areas designated by the Washington Department of Ecology as the Upper Yakima Water Resource Inventory Areas (WRIAs) 38 and 39 and the Lower Yakima WRIA 37. The dividing line between these northern and southern sections is the confluence of the Naches and Yakima Rivers.
The Yakima River provides irrigation for the dry but fertile land in the valley, and irrigated agriculture is the economic base. Agricultural land totals 1,000 square miles (2,600 km²), including irrigated pastures, orchards, grapes, hops, and field crops. A significant portion of Washington apples and cherries are grown in the valley, as well as most of the United States's hops. In recent decades, the wine industry has grown rapidly in the area. It is the location of the Yakima Valley AVA, a designated American Viticultural Area.
Major landowners in the valley include federal and state agencies and the Yakama Indian Nation. Private ownership accounts for 1,246,818 acres (5,045.69 km²). The United States Forest Service manages 892,509 acres (3,611.86 km²), and the Yakama Nation owns 889,786 acres (3,600.84 km²) within the basin.[1] Forested areas in the northern and western portions of the basin occupy approximately 2,200 square miles (5,700 km²) and are used for recreation, wildlife habitat, timber harvest, grazing, and tribal cultural activities. Range lands comprise about 2,900 square miles (7,500 km²) and are used for military training, grazing, wildlife habitat, and tribal cultural activities.
Major population centers include the cities of Yakima and Richland. Population growth for the 1990s was projected at 7.9% in Kittitas County, 19.7% in Yakima County, and 22.7% in Benton County. While much of the growth in Benton and Yakima counties has been in and around the incorporated areas, most of the growth in Kittitas County has been in unincorporated areas.
In addition to irrigated agriculture, the major economic driving forces include timber harvest and processing, cattle, and outdoor recreation. With the significant reduction in timber harvesting on federal lands and the implementation of the Northwest Forest Plan to protect the endangered Northern Spotted Owl, the timber economy has been greatly eroded in recent years. The proximity to high population areas of the Puget Sound has caused a rapid increase in the demand for outdoor recreational experiences in the basin.[6]
The Yakima River has been listed as one of the most polluted rivers in the county.[citation needed] This is largely due to the massive amounts of run off from agriculture and dairy farms in the lower stretches of the river. One year of peculiarly bad flooding, dead cows and other livestock could be seen floating downriver.[citation needed] This pollution is at its peak when it reaches Benton City, Washington, thereby making Benton City (when flooded) nearly impossible to live in due to the dead livestock and fecal matter amassed along the banks of the Yakima River.[citation needed]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ a b c Yakima Subbasin Plan, Northwest Power and Conservation Council.
- ^ http://pubs.usgs.gov/wdr/2005/wdr-wa-05-1/ Water Resources Data-Washington Water Year 2005.
- ^ a b USGS GNIS: Yakima River, USGS GNIS.
- ^ Google Earth elevation for GNIS source coordinates.
- ^ Google Earth elevation for GNIS mouth coordinates.
- ^ United States EPA Performance Plan
