Water surface elevations recorded by submerged water level loggers along the upper Deschutes River, Oregon, between Benham and Dillon Falls, Summer, 2016

Publication Date

2017-04-19

Start Date

2016-03-26

End Date

2016-10-09

Overstreet, B.T., Kinzel, P.J., Legleiter, C.J., and Wood, T.M., 2017, Water surface elevations recorded by submerged water level loggers along the upper Deschutes River, Oregon, between Benham and Dillon Falls, Summer, 2016: U.S. Geological Survey data release, https://doi.org/10.5066/F7DR2SP5.

The Upper Deschutes River is regulated to provide irrigation water for downstream agriculture. During the winter months (October – February), streamflow is curtailed at Wickiup Dam and stored in the reservoir resulting in decreased stream flows downstream of Wickiup Dam when compared to historic unregulated flows. Conversely, during summer months (March – September), water is released at Wickiup Dam at a higher than historic rate to meet downstream irrigation demands. During the summer, the Upper Deschutes is flanked by wetlands that support habitat for a number of species including the Oregon Spotted Frog (Rana pretiosa). Decreased streamflow during the winter dewaters many wetland areas including the wetland ponds in the Benham-Dillon reach monitored here. This dataset provides information on the linkage between streamflow, river stage, and wetland inundation which could provide a mechanism for identifying flow thresholds for wetland inundation and thus inform flow management decisions.

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