Umatilla River Basin – Streamflow, Reservoir & Canal Gages

About the Umatilla River Basin

The Umatilla Basin, as defined by the Oregon Water Resources Department, covers the Umatilla River and its neighbors in northeast Oregon: the Umatilla River, which rises in the Blue Mountains and flows west through the Umatilla Indian Reservation, Pendleton and Hermiston to the Columbia River at Umatilla; Willow Creek, which reaches the Columbia from Heppner; and the Oregon headwaters of the Walla Walla River above Milton-Freewater. Upstream flows are high with winter rain and spring snowmelt, while summer flows on the lower river and its tributaries are shaped by irrigation. The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation’s Umatilla Project stores water in McKay Reservoir and the off-stream Cold Springs Reservoir, and the Umatilla Basin Project exchanges deliver Columbia River water to irrigation districts so that Umatilla River water can stay in the river for restored runs of salmon and steelhead. River Flow Planner covers 45 gages here: USGS records on the Umatilla River near Gibbon (since 1933) and near Umatilla (since 1903), Meacham Creek and Willow Creek at Heppner; the Oregon Water Resources Department’s gages at Pendleton and Yoakum, on McKay, Birch, Butter and Rhea creeks and the Walla Walla River; reservoir levels at McKay, Cold Springs and Willow Creek Lake; and the canals of the lower Umatilla valley.

What River Flow Planner shows for each gage

Each gage page turns the agency’s full daily record into planning tools for fishing, rafting, kayaking, swimming, boating, irrigation and in-stream work:

• Summary hydrograph of typical flows, river stages or lake levels through the year
• Percent of time flows fall within a range you choose
• Likely range of flows on future dates you pick
• How a recent period compares with normal, plus a year-by-year spaghetti plot
• Flood frequency statistics for USGS gages with peak-flow records
• CSV downloads and links to current real-time data and short-term forecasts

Umatilla River

The Umatilla River from the Umatilla Indian Reservation through Pendleton, Echo and Hermiston to the Columbia River at Umatilla, listed upstream to downstream.

Umatilla Tributaries

Meacham, McKay, Birch and Butter creeks, including McKay Creek above and below McKay Reservoir.

Walla Walla River

The Oregon part of the Walla Walla River above and at Milton-Freewater, with the Little Walla Walla River diversion channel.

Willow & Rhea Creeks

Willow Creek above and below Willow Creek Dam at Heppner, its Balm Fork tributary, and Rhea Creek.

Lake & Reservoir Levels

Water-surface elevations of McKay and Cold Springs reservoirs (U.S. Bureau of Reclamation Umatilla Project) and Willow Creek Lake (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers).

Canals & Diversions

Irrigation canals, Columbia River exchange canals and pump plant, and diversion ditches of the Umatilla Project, the lower Umatilla irrigation districts and the Milton-Freewater area.

Other basins

Rogue River Basin · Klamath River Basin · Deschutes River Basin · North Coast Basin · Mid Coast Basin · Umpqua River Basin · South Coast Basin · Willamette River Basin · Sandy River Basin · Hood River Basin · John Day River Basin · Grande Ronde River Basin · Powder River Basin · Malheur River Basin · Owyhee River Basin · Malheur Lake Basin · Goose & Summer Lakes Basin