Fairview Creek (original) (raw)

River in Oregon, United States

Fairview Creek
Fairview Lake
Columbia Slough watershed, including Fairview Creek
Fairview Creek is located in OregonFairview CreekLocation of the mouth of Fairview Creek in Oregon
Location
Country United States
State Oregon
County Multnomah
Physical characteristics
Source northeast side of Grant Butte
• location Gresham, Multnomah County, Oregon
• coordinates 45°30′02″N 122°27′37″W / 45.50056°N 122.46028°W / 45.50056; -122.46028[1]
• elevation 278 ft (85 m)[2]
Mouth Fairview Lake (Oregon)
• location Fairview, Multnomah County, Oregon
• coordinates 45°33′01″N 122°26′34″W / 45.55028°N 122.44278°W / 45.55028; -122.44278[1]
• elevation 10 ft (3.0 m)[1]
Length 5 mi (8.0 km)[3]
Discharge
• location Gresham, 3.5 miles (5.6 km) from the mouth[4]
• average 5.78 cu ft/s (0.164 m3/s)[4]
• minimum 0.24 cu ft/s (0.0068 m3/s)
• maximum 119 cu ft/s (3.4 m3/s)

Fairview Creek is a 5-mile (8.0 km) tributary of the Columbia Slough in the U.S. state of Oregon.[3] The creek forms in a wetland near Grant Butte in Gresham and flows north for 5 miles (8.0 km) to Fairview Lake in Fairview.[3] Grant Butte, rising to 602 feet (183 m) above sea level, is one of eight dormant volcanic formations near Gresham.[5] Fairview Creek begins northeast of the butte at an elevation of 278 feet (85 m) and falls to an elevation of 10 feet (3.0 m) at the lake.[2][1]

The creek is a former tributary of the Columbia River, which it reached by flowing north through wetlands in the Columbia's floodplain. In the early 20th century, an artificial channel diverted the water from these wetlands to the Columbia Slough, a tributary of the Willamette River.[3] In 1960, water managers built a dam to create Fairview Lake for water storage and recreation. The lake covers about 100 acres (40 ha) and is 5 feet (1.5 m) to 6 feet (1.8 m) deep. Fairview Creek has two named tributaries, No Name Creek, and Clear Creek. A smaller stream, Osburn Creek, also flows into Fairview Lake, which empties through a weir and culvert system on the west side of the lake into the upper slough.[3]

In 2002, the City of Gresham adopted a plan for a 5.2-mile (8.4 km) hiking and biking trail to run partly along the creek.[5] The trail was designed to provide a north-south connection between the Springwater Corridor Trail along Johnson Creek to the south and the 40-Mile Loop trail along the Columbia River.[5] As of 2008, a 1.24-mile (2.00 km) segment of the trail between Northeast Halsey Street and Northeast Burnside Road was open to the public.[6] Unfinished segments between Northeast Halsey and the Springwater Corridor are expected to be ready by autumn 2009. If so, at that point 3.49 miles (5.62 km) of the trail will be open to the public.[6]

Bureau of Environmental Services (BES) (2005). Columbia Slough: Current Characterization Documents, "Chapter 5, Streamflow and Hydrology Characterization" (pdf). Portland, Oregon: City of Portland. Retrieved on 2008-12-14.

  1. ^ a b c d "Fairview Creek". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. November 28, 1980. Retrieved December 7, 2008.
  2. ^ a b Source elevation derived from Google Earth search using GNIS source coordinates.
  3. ^ a b c d e Bureau of Environmental Services. "Chapter 5, Streamflow and Hydrology Characterization", p. 8
  4. ^ a b "Water-data report 2007: 14211814 Fairview Creek at Glisan Street, near Gresham, OR" (PDF). United States Geological Survey. Retrieved November 28, 2008.
  5. ^ a b c "Gresham/Fairview Trail Master Plan" (PDF). City of Gresham. 2002. Archived from the original (pdf) on February 12, 2007. Retrieved December 7, 2008.
  6. ^ a b "Gresham/Fairview Trail Master Plan". City of Gresham. 2008. Archived from the original on August 7, 2015. Retrieved December 7, 2008.