Skokomish River

Delta of the Skokomish River on Hood Canal

U.S. Highway 101 north of Shelton on December 3, 2007. The waters of the Skokomish River is approximately 120 cm high on the roadway

Geography

The Skokomish River has its origin at the southeast corner of the Olympic Mountains in Washington's Mason County. It flows in a southeasterly direction, and finally ends at Union in the Hood Canal, a Puget Sound belonging to the fjord. Lake Cushman and Lake Kokanee are two lakes on the northern arm of the Skokomish River, the. Since 1925 by the Cushman Dam No. 1, or since 1930 by the Cushman Dam No. 2 be dammed. The water of this arm is derived almost entirely for energy and then flows directly to the Hood Canal. The southern arm of Northern hits only 12 km later, about 14 km upstream of the estuary.

History

Prior to the establishment of the Cushman Hydroelectric Projects of the Skokomish River salmon was Washington's largest river. Like most rivers in the Pacific Northwest, the river carries the name of the Indian tribe who lived on its banks. The name of the Skokomish is derived from the Salishan: skokom ish = " bold " " people " or " strong" " people ". The meaning is the same in the Chinook jargon.

The course of the South Fork Skokomish River was heavily used for rafts until the area was declared in the late 1980s to the National Forest.

Hydrographic

The United States Geological Survey operates a total of five levels in the catchment area of ​​the Skokomish River; one of which is located below the confluence of the two arms, one on the South Fork and the other in the course of the North Forks.

The catchment area of the river is at the lowest level, about 8.5 km upstream of the estuary, 588 km ². However, of 256 km ² contribute regularly only when the water is not to generate energy through hydroelectric power at Cushman Dam No. 2 is derived directly to Hood Canal. The level is located around 6 km below the confluence of the two arms of the bridge of U.S. Highway 101

At this level, the average annual runoff was 1944-2006 approximately 34.3 m³ / s, with the highest runoff on November 23, 1990 s observed with 1040 m³ / and the lowest value of 2.8 m³ / s on 27 and October 28, and was measured between 6 and 9 November 1987.

Flooding

The Skokomish River is one of flutanfälligsten watercourses in Washington and is considered one of the first rivers, which overflows its banks when it comes to heavy rain. The combination of the previously extensively operated forestry, damming the North Forks and the typical occurring in the winter rains are the main causes for the periodic flooding. From late autumn to early spring, the storms usually come from the southwest and download due to the topography of the Olympic Haůbinsel from the most rainfall in the catchment area of the Skokomish River.

Since in 1996 the river U.S. Highway 101 and Washington State Route 106 flooded and thus in sections a team of television reporters from Seattle for four days, these floods call a significant echo in the media out and many of the reports involve since the facetious question "Why crossed the salmon cross the road? "

By December storms in the Pacific Northwest 2007, a flood, the previous highest water level of the Skokomish River from November 5, 1934 exceeded on 3 December 2007 (but not the maximum value of the discharge volume ) was born. An intense rain storm with tropical warm air was followed heavy snow the day before and the thaw had reinforced the consequences of the rain.