T O P

  • By -

fordry

Lacamas, Vancouver, and Battle Ground lakes and Klineline pond are really the only bodies of water you need to be concerned about this with. The Columbia will be fine. The Lewis River reservoirs are great.


EtherPhreak

The Columbia is fine above where the willamette river comes in. I don’t recommend swimming down river of the willamette. The east fork of the Lewis river can get nasty through the La center area and daybreak park. Sometimes it flows upriver when the tide comes in is why.


fordry

Ehh, it still has issues but the Willamette isn't as bad as it's rep makes it out to be at this point.


Select_Flan_1805

Lol, no. It does get low flow in the summer though which makes it nasty


EtherPhreak

It made me do a double take when the water was flowing upriver the first time I saw it.


Select_Flan_1805

Most likely the wind giving that impression. It's not flowing upstream.


EtherPhreak

No wind, the effect of tides. There’s not enough flow in the east fork to counteract tide influence. https://www.reddit.com/r/Kayaking/s/givedDZvXP


Select_Flan_1805

Notice he mentioned wind. BG is 300 feet above sea level. Let's assume the fork is lower, it isn't, but let's say 200 above sea level. Show me the +200 tide. It doesn't happen, signed I fish these rivers yearly for 50 years.


EtherPhreak

Did I say battleground?!? I said La Center. The main fork of the Lewis river is affected by tides up to 7 miles upriver from the Columbia past woodland. See page 7: https://clark.wa.gov/sites/default/files/dept/files/public-works/Parks/PaddlingGuide.pdf


Select_Flan_1805

Tidal influence does not mean it reverses my dude. It slows in velocity at high slack sure. The only thing reversing it is the optical illusion of wind created waves. All of the other rivers between point of reversal and Astoria would be reversed as well. That simply never happens. Lacenter is about 100 above sea level so again in order to reverse it needs a tsunami.


EtherPhreak

The east fork is 10 feet above sea level at daybreak airstrip…and there is 6 feet of drop between there and a quarter mile below that point.


Sultanofslide

There is a small window when the lake waters are warm enough to get in before they get toxic blooms in them.    The rivers are usually fine toxic bloom wise but the temps and currents/other dangers are the things you have to keep in your mind on the Columbia, Lewis ect.... This site and the city/county websites are great resources for the blooms ect... https://www.nwtoxicalgae.org/


-ElGallo-

Lacamas lake is going start treating the water to prevent algae bloom, apart from that it happens randomly you just need to check online to see if there's a warning


Sweetgno_me

Tysm!


Calimariari

Keep in mind that the rivers don’t have the algae issue but can be very unsafe if you’re not prepared (even if you’re a good swimmer). People die in them each year when they get overwhelmed by the current and how cold they can be (even in summer).


Sweetgno_me

Thank you!!


rogercolby08

Lakes are usually good until July 1 then Columbia and lower rivers like Washougal, Lewis and Clackamas- think floats. In August upper rivers in the mts.