Sandy River (Oregon)

Sandy River
Sandy River and Mount Hood
Sandy River (Oregon) is located in Oregon
Sandy River (Oregon)
Location of the mouth of the Sandy River in Oregon
EtymologyNamed Quicksand River in 1805 by Lewis and Clark because of "emence quantitys of sand" at the mouth; apparently shortened to Sandy River locally by 1845–50[2]
Location
CountryUnited States
StateOregon
CountyClackamas County, Multnomah County
Physical characteristics
SourceMount Hood
 • locationClackamas County, Oregon
 • coordinates45°22′32″N 121°43′45″W / 45.37556°N 121.72917°W / 45.37556; -121.72917[1]
 • elevation5,225 ft (1,593 m)[3]
MouthColumbia River
 • location
near Troutdale, Multnomah County, Oregon
 • coordinates
45°34′05″N 122°24′03″W / 45.56806°N 122.40083°W / 45.56806; -122.40083[1]
 • elevation
10 ft (3.0 m)[1]
Length57 mi (92 km)[4]
Basin size508 sq mi (1,320 km2)[5]
Discharge 
 • locationnear Dodge Park, 18.4 miles (29.6 km) from mouth[6][7]
 • average2,300 cu ft/s (65 m3/s)[6][7]
 • minimum45 cu ft/s (1.3 m3/s)
 • maximum84,400 cu ft/s (2,390 m3/s)
TypeWild, Scenic, Recreational
DesignatedOctober 28, 1988

The Sandy River is a 56-mile (90 km) tributary of the Columbia River in northwestern Oregon in the United States. The Sandy joins the Columbia about 14 miles (23 km) upstream of Portland.

Sandy River headwaters
  1. ^ a b c "Sandy River". Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). United States Geological Survey (USGS). November 28, 1980. Retrieved December 15, 2009.
  2. ^ McArthur, Lewis A.; McArthur, Lewis L. (2003). Oregon Geographic Names, Seventh Edition. Portland, Oregon: Oregon Historical Society Press. pp. 846–47. ISBN 0-87595-277-1.
  3. ^ Source elevation derived from Google Earth search using GNIS source coordinates.
  4. ^ Palmer, Tim (2014). Field Guide to Oregon Rivers. Corvallis: Oregon State University Press. p. 16. ISBN 978-0-87071-627-0.
  5. ^ Taylor, Barbara (December 1998). "Salmon and Steelhead Runs and Related Events of the Sandy River Basin - A Historical Perspective" (PDF). Portland General Electric. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 27, 2015. Retrieved October 6, 2009.
  6. ^ a b "USGS 14142500 Sandy River Below Bull Run River, near Bull Run, OR". United States Geological Survey. 2008. Retrieved May 5, 2008.
  7. ^ a b Average discharge rate was calculated by adding average annual discharge rates for 10 calendar years, 1994–2003, from USGS records and dividing by 10.