THERE AND BACK AGAIN: AN ANALYSIS OF WATER AREA AND CLIMATE OF 3 EPHEMERAL LAKES IN THE OREGON CASCADES

Abstract

The Willamette River is the main provider of water to the Willamette Valley. It flows northward through the valley, where 70% of Oregon’s residents reside, eventually connecting to the Columbia River on the border of Oregon and Washington. The headwaters of the Willamette River originate in the Oregon Cascades, specifically in the High Cascades. The large amount of precipitation that falls on the Cascades allows seasonal cycles of water release from the melting of snowpack throughout the dry season. The Oregon Cascade Range, because of its geologic composition, has unique relationships between geology and climate that contribute to the water access to the people and landscape of the Willamette Valley.