The Willamette River Basin flows north 180 miles to the Columbia River which takes the
waters to the Pacific Ocean. The Willamette River Basin is composed of 11sub-basins, four
of which have a portion located within Lane County boundaries. Thirty percent of the
Willamette River Basin is inside Lane County boundaries, including its southern most
headwaters. The four sub-basins in Lane
County are divided into watersheds. In the image above the sub-basins are listed
clockwise from top:
Upper Willamette Sub-basin
McKenzie Sub-basin
Middle Fork Willamette Sub-basin
Coast Fork Willamette Sub-basin
UPPER WILLAMETTE SUB-BASIN
The Upper Willamette sub-basin is composed of six watersheds. The two watersheds
within Lane County boundaries are the Long Tom River and Muddy Creek watersheds.
Several of the Upper Willamette watersheds have watershed councils including the Long Tom Watershed Council.
McKENZIE SUB-BASIN
The McKenzie sub-basin is composed of eight watersheds. All of the watersheds
are within Lane County boundaries with only small portions of the Upper McKenzie River,
Blue River, Lower McKenzie River, and Mohawk River watersheds crossing the county line to
the north. The McKenzie River is the water source for Eugene and Springfield.
The pure waters originate along the western slopes of the Three Sisters Wilderness.
Although technically a sub-basin, the McKenzie River has its own watershed council.
The McKenzie Watershed Council was
developed in 1993 with the overall objective being, "To maintain and enhance the
quality of the McKenzie Watershed for water quality, recreation, fish and wildlife habitat
and human habitat." The Mohawk River also has its own watershed council.
MIDDLE FORK WILLAMETTE SUB-BASIN
The Middle Fork Willamette sub-basin is composed of
thirteen watersheds. Like the McKenzie sub-basin the Middle Fork Willamette
watersheds are almost entirely within Lane County except for the southern most portion of
the Upper Middle Fork Willamette River and Hill Creek Reservoir watersheds. The
source of the Middle Fork Willamette River is Waldo Lake which is one of the purest lakes
in the world. This section of the Willamette River Basin is managed by the Middle
Fork Willamette Watershed Council.
COAST FORK WILLAMETTE SUB-BASIN
The Coast Fork Willamette sub-basin is composed of five watersheds. The Coast Fork
Willamette sub-basin is entirely within Lane County boundary's.
Sources:
For the Sake of the Salmon, www.4sos.org/home.html
Hulse, David et. al., Willamette River Basin A Planning Atlas, University of
Oregon, 1998
Lane Council of Governments, 125 E. 8th Ave., Eugene, OR 97401 (541) 682-4283
McKenzie Watershed Council Homepage, www.pond.net/~mwc
Reed, Jim. Advanced Cartography, Spring 1998, University of Oregon
State Service Center for GIS (SSCGIS), Salem, OR 97310 www.sscgis.state.or.us
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