■■■■■ GB ixzS Ofl D DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR :ed states geological survey GEORGE OTIS SMITH, DIRECTOR Water-supply Paper 363 QUALITY OF THE SURFACE WATERS OF OREGON BY WALTON VAN" WINKLE Prepared in cooperation with THE STATE OF OREGON John H. Lewis State Engineer Monograph WASHINGTON GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 1914 Class ( •> r> I "2. 7^, Bonk .^7^ Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2011 with funding from The Library of Congress http://www.archive.org/details/qualityofsurfaceOOvanw r DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SUKVEY GEORGE OTIS SMITH, DIRECTOR Water- Supply Paper 363 3 QUALITY OF THE SURFACE WATERS OF OREGON BY WALTON VAN WINKLE Prepared in cooperation with THE STATE OF OREGON John H. Lewis, State Engineer WASHINGTON GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 1914 0. GF D. CCT 3 1814 CONTENTS. Page. Outline of investigation 7 Previous work 8 Value of information regarding the quality of surface waters 9 Acknowledgments 9 Natural features of Oregon 10 Topography 10 Hydrography 11 Rivers 11 Lakes 11 Swamps 13 Floods 13 Geology 13 Rocks. 13 Soils 15 Climate , 16 Economic features 16 Population 16 Agriculture 17 Lumbering and manufacturing 17 Constituents of natural waters 18 Water for domestic use 19 Water for boilers 19 Corrosion 19 Formation of scale 20 Foaming 22 Water for use in factories 22 Industries chiefly affected 22 Breweries 22 Paper mills 23 Wool-scouring, bleaching, and dyeing works 24 Laundries 24 Tanneries 25 Slaughterhouses 25 Purification of water , 25 Slow sand filtration 25 R,apid sand filtration 26 Sterilization 28 Softening 29 Methods of analysis 30 River water 30 Highly mineralized waters 32 Interpretation of the results of analysis 34 Industrial interpretation 34 Geochemical interpretation 36 3 4 CONTENTS. Page. .San Francisco Bay drainage basin 38 Goose Lake 38 General features 38 Character of the water 38 North Pacific coast drainage basins 39 Klamath River 39 General features 39 Character of the water 40 Crater Lake 42 General features 42 Character of the water 42 Rogue River 43 General features 43 Character of the water 44 L'mpqua River 46 General features 46 Character of the water 46 Siletz River 48 General features 48 Character of the water 49 Columbia River drainage basin 51 General features 51 Snake River 52 General features • 52 Character of the water 53 Owyhee River 55 General features 55 Character of the water 55 Malheur River 57 General features 57 Character of the water 57 Powder River 58 General features 58 ( 'haracter of the water 59 Grande Ronde River 61 General features 61 Character of the water 61 Wallowa River 63 General features 63 Character of the water 63 Umatilla River 66 General features 66 Character of the water 66 John Day River 71 General features 71 Character of the water 71 Deschutes River - - 74 General features 74 Character of the water 75 Crooked River 78 General feat ures 78 Character of the water 79 White River 81 CONTENTS. 5 North Pacific coast drainage basins— Continued. Columbia River drainage basin — Continued. page. Sandy River 82 General features 82 Character of the water 82 Bull Run River 85 General features 85 Character of the water 85 Willamette River 87 General features 87 Character of the water 88 McKenzie River 91 General features 91 Character of the water 91 Santiam River 93 General features 93 Character of the water 93 Breitenbush Hot Springs 93 Clackamas River 95 General features 95 Character of the water 97 Columbia River at Cascade Locks ■ 97 General features 97 Character of the water 97 The Great Basin 103 Outline of geologic history 103 Harney Basin 104 General features 104 Character of the water 105 Donner und Blitzen River 107 General features 107 Character of the water 107 Silvies River 107 General features : 107 Character of the water 109 Warner Lake Basin 109 General features 109 Outlet of Quaternary Lake Warner 110 Salt deposits in the basin 112 Character of the water 113 Alkali Lake Basin 114 Christmas Lake Basin - 115 General features. 115 Character of the water 116 Chewaucan Basin 117 General features .' 117 Character of the water H9 General characteristics of the surface waters 123 Conditions influencing quality 123 Average chemical composition 124 Geochemical character 127 Denudation 128 Industrial value 130 Value for irrigation 131 Summary 132 Index 133 ILLUSTRATIONS. Page. Plate I. Map of Oregon showing location of sampling stations II. A, Large spring in Pelican Bay, Upper Klamath Lake; B, Water- gouged sections and beach shown on profile of rock near Fort Rock . 40 Figure 1. Diagram showing relative content of suspended and dissolved matter in Oregon River waters 125 GEOLOGICAL SURVEY WATER-SUPPLY PAPER 363 PLATE I • Sampling station MAP OF OREGON SHOWING LOCATION OF SAMPLING STATIONS. U- S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY ATER-SUPPLY PAPER 363 PLATE I I2