Learn about hydro projects and salmon and steelhead runs on the Clackamas and efforts to boost wild fish and sport fishing opportunities.
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Originating in a series of lakes near the crest of the Cascade Mountains, the Clackamas flows 80 miles in a northwesterly direction and empties into the Willamette River south of Portland at Oregon City. Its drainage covers more than 900 square miles.
River flow levels
Due to the area’s high annual rainfall, the Clackamas’ discharge is subject to large extremes. The maximum recorded flow of 90,000 cubic feet per second is 33 times the average flow rate of 2,700 cfs. Over a span of seven decades, PGE constructed four hydroelectric plants on the river: Faraday, River Mill, Oak Grove and North Fork.
Parks and campgrounds
As part of our stewardship of these lands, PGE operates five parks and campgrounds on the Clackamas river system for the public to enjoy. See Clackamas River Parks & Campgrounds for details, including amenities, campsites and online reservations.
PGE and Oregon Fish and Wildlife
We are deeply involved in fisheries resources in the Clackamas basin. The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife is responsible for all fisheries management on the river and we partner with them, supporting hatchery programs and facilities and improving the fishery with studies and programs.
Barton channels re-established for fish
PGE has worked with the Oregon Wildlife Heritage Foundation, Metro and the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife to re-establish two new side channels off the Clackamas River near Barton Park. The goal of the $1.2 million project was to restore valuable rearing, forage and refuge habitat for juvenile salmon and steelhead.
The creation of 4,400 feet of channel includes habitat elements of gravel, large woody debris, pools with in-stream cover, riffles and native riparian plantings. Fish use these cool water side channel habitats for rearing, foraging and refuge from flood flows and warm summer-time river temperatures. For details, see these additional resources in our News Room section:
Counting fish runs
Clackamas River fish runs are probably the most closely monitored in the state. Both upstream migrating adults and downstream migrating juveniles are counted. See Clackamas Fish Runs for historical trends and Daily Fish Counts for the current run year. See our video on how PGE sorts and counts salmon and steelhead.
Clackamas hatchery
PGE has strongly supported efforts to increase summer and winter steelhead runs for sport fishing and improve fish productivity in the upper Clackamas. In 1976, we partnered with the National Marine Fisheries Service in funding construction of the Clackamas salmon hatchery at McIver Park. The hatchery releases 800,000 juvenile chinook salmon into the river each year. There has been a dramatic increase in fish runs since the hatchery runs began returning. See Clackamas River Fish Runs for charts showing annual fish counts.
