A narrow
ribbon of green and blue, Johnson Creek is one of the resources
that makes the Portland area a wonderful place to live. Johnson
Creek flows 26 miles from its headwaters near the Sandy River to
its confluence with the Willamette River, passing through four
cities (Gresham, Portland, Milwaukie, and Happy Valley) and two
counties (Clackamas and Multnomah) along the way.
The Johnson Creek Watershed is 54 square miles in area, with 54
percent of the watershed listed as residential, 33 percent as
rural, 8 percent as commercial and/or industrial and 5 percent as
parks or open space. The average creek flow is about 1 cubic foot
of water per second. This amount of water, to put it in comparison,
is enough to fill milk jugs that could stretch from Gresham to
Salem. The annual flow would be enough to fill jugs that could
stretch from Gresham to Washington DC, 100 jugs across.
Salmon and trout are a part of this region’s history. Salmon
runs in Johnson Creek helped feed Clackamas Indians, as well as the
farmers and others who settled later on. There are stories told of
salmon runs so plentiful the fish could be caught with a pitchfork,
and were sold for ten cents. Some people say that the creek was so
thick with fish during the fall runs that you could walk across the
creek on the fishes’ backs. This is not the case today. From
tens of thousands of fish spawning in Johnson Creek 150 years ago,
Johnson Creek’s fish population has dropped to 17 Chinook, 5
Coho, 101 Cutthroat, and only one Steelhead/Rainbow trout,
according to the 2001-2002 fish inventories. There are certainly
more salmonid species using the creek for spawning and rearing than
have been counted, but it is clear that the salmonid population in
Johnson Creek has dropped precipitously.
Johnson Creek is polluted by many things: e. Coli bacteria, DDT,
Dieldrin, high temperatures and other toxins, just to name a few.
Needless to say, it is not safe to drink or play in. This pollution
plays a strong factor in the decline of fish populations.
Currently, only a partial database of information exists on
wildlife and their habitats in the watershed. Although black-tailed
deer and coyotes are the only large mammals that can still be found
on occasion, black bear, bobcat, cougar, wolf, fox and elk were
once common. Other mammals can also be found, including beaver,
river otter, and raccoons.
Birds are the most abundant wildlife living in the watershed,
including songbirds, ducks, geese, herons, hawks, owls and an
occasional eagle. There are also some sensitive species that still
call the watershed their home such as three types of salamanders,
red-legged frogs, and painted turtles, to name a few. With recent
reports of fish sightings we know that sturgeon are utilizing the
mouth of Johnson Creek.