Donner und Blitzen River

Donner und Blitzen River
300px Donner und Blitzen River near Page Springs campground
Name origin: German for thunder and lightning. Given in 1864 by soldiers who crossed the river during a thunderstorm.
Country	United States
State	Oregon
County	Harney
Source	southwest of Steens Mountain
- elevation	6,527 ft (1,989 m)
- coordinates
Mouth	Malheur Lake
- elevation	4,101 ft (1,250 m)
- coordinates
Length	60 mi (97 km)
Basin	791 sq mi (2,049 km2)
Discharge	for 3.5 miles (5.6 km) southeast of Frenchglen
- average	126 cu ft/s (4 m3/s)
- max	4,270 cu ft/s (121 m3/s)
- min	4.2 cu ft/s (0 m3/s)
Location of the mouth of the Donner und Blitzen River in Oregon

The Donner und Blitzen River is a river on the eastern Oregon high desert which drains a relatively arid basin, the southern portion of Harney Basin, from roughly 20 to 80 miles (30 to 130 km) south-southeast of Burns including Malheur National Wildlife Refuge. Though much of its course is marsh, it offers scenic glaciated canyons, unique ecosystems, and exceptional wild trout fisheries. Named by soldiers of German origin, the Donner und Blitzen River translates as "thunder and lightning". The name brings to mind two of Santa Claus's reindeer, but the river is named for a thunderstorm the soldiers experienced as they crossed the river; dry lightning is an almost daily occurrence in the region during certain times of the year.

The Donner und Blitzen River arises as an intermittent stream on the lower slopes west of Steens Mountain at the 6,500-foot (2,000 m) level at , roughly 80 miles (130 km) south-southeast of Burns and 11 miles (18 km) northwest of Alvord Lake and empties at into Malheur Lake. Numerous nearby springs create its tributaries including South Fork Blitzen River, Little Blitzen River, Big Indian Creek, Little Indian Creek, Fish Creek, Mud Creek, and Ankle Creek. It collects these and runs north or northwest descending rapidly to the plateau floor then turns northward to Malheur Lake which has no outlet. It does not pass through any cities, though it comes within 2 miles (3.2 km) of Frenchglen.

In 1988, 72.7 miles (117.0 km) of rivers in its basin were designated Wild and Scenic, and another 14.8 miles (23.8 km) were added in 2000. The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) lists seven temperature impairments on the river system. The maximum recorded flow of 4,270 cubic feet per second (121 m³/s) occurred on April 26, 1978, and was extrapolated from a calibrated value of 1,900 cu ft/s (54 m³/s). The minimum recorded flow 4.2 cu ft/s (0.12 m³/s) occurred December 9, 1972, caused by widespread freezing.

See also

• List of rivers of Oregon
• List of longest streams of Oregon
• List of National Wild and Scenic Rivers
• Harney Basin

External links

• Donner und Blitzen River - Oregon Natural Desert Association
• Little Blitzen River and Bridge Creek Remote Sensing Survey