Silvies River

The Silvies River flows for about 119 miles (192 km)^[3] through Grant and Harney counties in the U.S. state of Oregon. The river drains 1,273 square miles (3,300 km²) of the northern Harney Basin.^[4][5]

Silvies River
View from Oregon Route 78 bridge near Burns
Location of the mouth of Silvies River in Oregon
Location
Country	United States
State	Oregon
County	Grant and Harney
Physical characteristics
Source	Aldrich Mountains
• location	Grant County
• coordinates	44°07′19″N 119°13′53″W[1]
• elevation	5,598 ft (1,706 m)[2]
Mouth	East Fork and West Fork distributaries
• location	south of Burns, Harney County
• coordinates	43°34′05″N 119°02′04″W[1]
• elevation	4,150 ft (1,260 m)[1]
Length	119 mi (192 km)[3]
Basin size	1,273 sq mi (3,300 km2)[4]
Discharge
• location	above diversions on the lower river[3]
• average	185 cu ft/s (5.2 m3/s)[3]

The headwaters are on the southern flank of the Aldrich Mountains, about 10 miles (16 km) south of Mount Vernon in Grant County. Named tributaries include Bear Creek and Emigrant Creek. The Silvies runs generally southward and passes near Seneca and Burns. Southeast of Burns, in Harney County, the river splits into two distributaries, the East Fork Silvies River and the West Fork Silvies River. Both terminate at Malheur Lake about 25 miles (40 km) southeast of Burns.^[6]

Flowing mainly through private land with limited public access, the river supports populations of redband trout, especially on its upstream reaches. Downstream of Seneca, fish such as smallmouth bass, yellow perch, and carp are more abundant. The pool behind Five-Mile Dam, about 5 miles (8 km) north of Burns, is used for swimming, canoeing, and fishing.^[7]

See also

• List of rivers of Oregon
• List of longest streams of Oregon
• Malheur National Wildlife Refuge

References

1. "Silvies River". Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). United States Geological Survey (USGS). November 28, 1980. Retrieved October 24, 2010.
2. Source elevation derived from Google Earth search using GNIS source coordinates.
3. Palmer, Tim (2014). Field Guide to Oregon Rivers. Corvallis: Oregon State University Press. p. 254. ISBN 978-0-87071-627-0.
4. "Silvies – 17120002 8-Digit Hydrologic Unit Profile" (PDF). Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). 2006. p. 1. Retrieved October 24, 2010.^{[permanent dead link]}
5. "Silvies River and Tributaries". U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. 2005. Archived from the original (map) on 2011-05-17. Retrieved October 24, 2010.
6. Oregon Atlas & Gazetteer (Map). DeLorme. 2008. § 77–78; 81–82. ISBN 978-0-89933-347-2.
7. Sheehan, p. 290

Works cited

• Sheehan, Madelynne Diness (2005). Fishing in Oregon: The Complete Oregon Fishing Guide, 10th edition. Scappoose, Oregon: Flying Pencil Publications. ISBN 978-0-916473-15-0.

External links

• U.S. Army Corps of Engineers photo gallery of Silvies River