Alsea River
The Alsea River flows 48.5 miles (78.1 km) from Alsea, an unincorporated community in the coastal mountains of the U.S. state of Oregon, to the Pacific Ocean near the city of Waldport. It begins at the confluence of the North Fork Alsea River and the South Fork Alsea River and ends in Alsea Bay, a wide estuary at Waldport. The river flows generally west-northwest in a winding course through the mountains of southern Benton and Lincoln counties, passing near the unincorporated community of Tidewater and through the Siuslaw National Forest. Its drainage basin extends into Lane County, along the headwaters of the South Fork Alsea River.
| Alsea River | |
|---|---|
Upper Alsea Bay | |
Location of the mouth of the Alsea River in Oregon | |
| Etymology | Alsea tribe of Native Americans |
| Location | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Oregon |
| County | Benton County, Lincoln County |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | |
| • location | Lane County, Oregon |
| • coordinates | 44°22′34″N 123°36′09″W |
| • elevation | 278 ft (85 m) |
| Mouth | Alsea Bay, Pacific Ocean |
• location | Waldport, Lincoln County, Oregon |
• coordinates | 44°25′21″N 124°04′51″W |
• elevation | 0 ft (0 m) |
| Length | 48.5 mi (78.1 km) |
| Basin size | 466 sq mi (1,210 km2) |
| Discharge | |
| • location | near Tidewater, Oregon, 21 miles (34 km) from mouth |
| • average | 1,459 cu ft/s (41.3 m3/s) |
| • minimum | 45 cu ft/s (1.3 m3/s) |
| • maximum | 41,800 cu ft/s (1,180 m3/s) |
The Alsea River supports runs of chinook and coho salmon, as well as steelhead and coastal cutthroat trout. The Alsea River Fish Hatchery is along one of its tributaries, the North Fork Alsea River.