Alsea River

Alsea River
Upper Alsea Bay
Location of the mouth of the Alsea River in Oregon
Etymology	Alsea tribe of Native Americans[2]
Location
Country	United States
State	Oregon
County	Benton County, Lincoln County
Physical characteristics
Source
• location	Lane County, Oregon
• coordinates	44°22′34″N 123°36′09″W / 44.37611°N 123.60250°W / 44.37611; -123.60250[1]
• elevation	278 ft (85 m)[3]
Mouth	Alsea Bay, Pacific Ocean
• location	Waldport, Lincoln County, Oregon
• coordinates	44°25′21″N 124°04′51″W / 44.42250°N 124.08083°W / 44.42250; -124.08083[1]
• elevation	0 ft (0 m)[1]
Length	48.5 mi (78.1 km)[4]
Basin size	466 sq mi (1,210 km2)[5]
Discharge
• location	near Tidewater, Oregon, 21 miles (34 km) from mouth[6][7]
• average	1,459 cu ft/s (41.3 m3/s)[6][7]
• minimum	45 cu ft/s (1.3 m3/s)
• maximum	41,800 cu ft/s (1,180 m3/s)

The Alsea River flows 48.5 miles (78.1 km) from Alsea, an unincorporated community in the coastal mountains of the U.S. state of Oregon, to the Pacific Ocean near the city of Waldport. It begins at the confluence of the North Fork Alsea River and the South Fork Alsea River and ends in Alsea Bay, a wide estuary at Waldport.^[4] The river flows generally west-northwest in a winding course through the mountains of southern Benton and Lincoln counties, passing near the unincorporated community of Tidewater and through the Siuslaw National Forest. Its drainage basin extends into Lane County, along the headwaters of the South Fork Alsea River.

The Alsea River supports runs of chinook and coho salmon, as well as steelhead and coastal cutthroat trout. The Alsea River Fish Hatchery is along one of its tributaries, the North Fork Alsea River.