Bull Run Watershed
The Bull Run Watershed is the watershed of the Bull Run River in the U.S. state of Oregon. It is a sub-watershed of the Lower Columbia-Sandy Watershed. Bull Run serves as the primary source of water for the City of Portland, Oregon, and the city's wholesale customers. The Watershed serves approximatly 800,000 people annually. It is located in the Mount Hood National Forest, within Multnomah, Clackamas and Hood River counties.
The watershed drainage is about 102 square miles (264 km²) in area, and is separated from Mount Hood by a ridge. It typically receives 80-170 inches (2 to 4 m) of rainfall per year.
The watershed is reserved solely for producing drinking water. It includes reservoirs, which store water for use during the city's dry summer months. The quality of its water is so high that the city does not filter the water.
The watershed is part of the Bull Run Watershed Management Unit, a 147 square mile (380 km²) administrative unit of the Mt. Hood National Forest. The Management Unit is co-managed by the U.S. Forest Service and the City of Portland. In addition to the Bull Run Watershed, the Management Unit also contains the Little Sandy Watershed, which was added to the unit in 2003.
Human access to the unit is restricted by federal law (16 USC Sec. 482b) and is generally limited to the government employees or tours arranged by the Portland Water Bureau. One notable exception is access via the Pacific Crest Trail which traverses the eastern portion of the watershed for several miles.
External links
- Bull Run watershed from the Portland Water Bureau website
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