Bull Run Lake

Cascade Locks · Clackamas County · lake · 444 acres

Photo of Bull Run Lake

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Essentials

At a glance

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Overview

About this park

Bull Run Lake is a reservoir, an impoundment of the Bull Run River in the U.S. state of Oregon. Providing part of the primary drinking water supply for Portland, Oregon, it rates highly as an oligotrophic lake, a very clean source of water. As of 1925, noted geographer Lewis A. McArthur described the lake as one of the two most important in the state (along with Crater Lake), supplying the drinking water for a third of the state's population. The lake basin receives more than 110 inches (2,800 mm) of rain annually due to its location in the Cascade Range, about 9 miles (14 km) west of Mount Hood. Public access to the area has been controlled since June 17, 1892, with the creation of the Bull Run Reserve by President Benjamin Harrison. Water from the reservoir first flowed into the Portland water system on January 2, 1895. President Theodore Roosevelt restricted entry to all but government agents and water company employees and banned stock grazing on April 28, 1904. In 1915 a new timber and rock fill dam raised the lake level about 10 feet (3.0 m). At least two series of efforts were made between 1917 and 1925 to decrease lake seepage. In 1961 additional areas of seepage were sealed with clay, and the outlet dam was remodeled to contain gates at elevations of 3,147 feet (959 m) and 3,158 feet (963 m). In 1994, concerns of outflow water temperature and its effect on fish populations led to regular careful measurements of the lake's thermocline characteristics and the inlet water temperature. Concrete pier blocks were installed to minimize the effect of water temperature shock on downstream aquatic life.

- Location: Clackamas / Multnomah counties, Oregon, US

- Type: reservoir

- Shore length: 4.2 mi|km|abbr=on}}

- Surface elevation: 3162.8 ft (Oct.) to 3173.9 ft (May)

- Max depth: 70 m|ft|abbr=on|order=flip}}

Setting

Landscape & setting

Lake facts (Wikipedia):

- Surface area: 466 acre|km2|abbr=on}}

- Inflow: Bull Run River

- Outflow: Bull Run River

Access

Access & hours

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bull_Run_Lake (Wikipedia / Wikimedia, CC BY-SA). Verify access, seasons, and regulations with the land manager before visiting.

Background

History & notes

List note: an impoundment of the Bull Run River northwest of Mount Hood, Portland's primary drinking water source Map / bathymetry image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:FilePath/%7C_caption_bathymetry_____%3D?width=1600

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Cascade Locks, OR
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Data quality

Sources

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Confidence score

70/ 100

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Bull Run Lake in Cascade Locks, Oregon · Oregon Outdoor Atlas