About Devils Lake

About: Devils Lake
Devils Lake Watershed
D River

Devils Lake is located on the central Oregon Coast, bordered by Lincoln City and Lincoln County land. About half of the lake is outside the city, but within the Urban Growth Boundary (UGB). The lake connects to the Pacific Ocean by the D River, once considered the shortest in the world. (Roe River in Montana also claims to be the shortest river in the world. The 2006 Guinness Book of World Records does not recognize the shortest river.) To the east of the lake is the Siuslaw National Forest.

Devils Lake
Length: Approximately 3 miles long
Width: Averages about 0.4 miles in width
Depth: Shallow, maximum depth of 22 feet (6.7 m), average 10 feet (3 m)
Drainage Basin: D River (Pacific Slope drainage)
Drainage Area: 12.8 sq. mi.
Surface Area: 680 acres (Information furnished by the Oregon State Wildlife Commission.)
Surface Elevation: 20 ft. (6.1 meters) above mean sea level, from topographic map.
Volume: 6,800 acre-ft. (Information furnished by the Oregon State Wildlife Commission.)
Inflow: Largely from Rock Creek on south end of the lake, and from Thompson Creek, on northeast end, and several unnamed streams contribute some inflow.
Outflow: Flow through D River on southwest end of lake estimated to be nearly equal to the total inflow.
(Information courtesy of the U.S. Department of the Interior.)
Length of Shoreline: 10.7 mi. (17.2 km)
Retention Time: 2 mo
Location Coordinates: 44 deg, 58 min, 02 sec N; 124 deg, 00 min., 51 sec W
Mid Coast Basin
Information from the Atlas of Oregon Lakes

The Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) is responsible to protect the water quality in Oregon under the Federal Clean Water Act.

Devils Lake

Area	684 acres	270.7 ha
Depth	21.1 ft	6.4 m
Average Depth	8.4 ft	2.56 m
Volume	5745 ac. ft.	7.092 m3 E6

Data from Joe Eilers, MaxDepth Aquatics, Inc. 2004

Definitions:
Lake: A body of water of considerable size, surrounded by land, and too deep for plants to grow except around the shore.
Limnology: is the scientific study of bodies of fresh water with reference to their physical, geographical, and other features.
Paleo-limnology: is the scientific study of sedimentation of the lake bottom.
Riparian areas: are defined as of, or pertaining to, or situated or dwelling on the bank of a river, stream or other body of water. Riparian areas support more species than any other habitat type in Oregon, including fish, plus 44% of all other animals, including bats and 56% of all neotropical migratory birds.
Stewardship: is defined as individual or collective practices that demonstrate a long-term commitment and a sense of personal responsibility for a particular resource.
Urban Growth Boundary: an area designated for potential growth of the city.
Watershed: is the area to which all water, sediments and absorbed materials flow or drain from land into a common body of water such as a river or lake.
Wetlands: are defined as lands transitional between terrestrial and aquatic systems where the water table is usually at or near the surface or the land is covered by shallow water. Wetlands usually have three components: 1) surface water or water in the root zone, 2) hydric soils or undrained soils, 3) vegetation adapted to thrive in wet conditions (hydrophytes).
Oregon's wetlands provide a multitude of benefits for humans and the ecosystems in which we live, including:
• Habitat for a major portion of the state's fish and wildlife, including waterfowl and other migratory birds of the Pacific Flyway; salmon; and dozens of threatened and endangered species.
• Flood control and protection against storm damage.
• Water quality improvements through absorption and filtration of sediments, nutrients, metals and toxic materials.
• Opportunities for public recreation, education and research.
• Open space and scenic values.
For more information about wetlands visit the Oregon Habitat Joint Venture at www.ohjv.org/oregons_wetlands.html. Another website is the Department of State Lands Wetlands Program at statelands.dsl.state.or.us/wetlandsintro.htm.

Devils Lake Watershed
Drainage Basin: D River (Pacific Slope drainage), 24 sq. mi. (60 sq km)
Precipitation: 90-112 in.
Relief: Moderate
The Devils Lake watershed covers a large portion of Lincoln City - from the north end of Lincoln City to Taft High School in the south. To the east of Devils Lake is the Siuslaw National Forest. The forest is home to the marbled murrelet, an endangered species of bird.

The two largest inflows are two streams, Rock Creek and Thompson Creek. Rock Creek, the principal source of inflow surface, drains about 60 percent of the basin. It drains an area of predominately undeveloped, forested, steep sloped, mountainous terrain. The upper area is managed for timber. Thompson Creek drains the moderately sloped northern portion of the drainage basin, and is an area which is principally developed residential. (Atlas of Oregon Lakes)

D River
Length: 120 feet (37 meters)
Oregon Coast Today article: www.oregoncoasttoday.com
Boards: Boards have been placed at the D River to control the water level of the lake. Under the lake impounding permit, DLWID must remove the boards in the fall every year. The boards are 6 inches deep, and are stacked several on top of each other.
Dredging: Periodically beach sand, deposited from wave action and winter storms, blocks the D River channel. A dredger is brought in to clear the channel of sand and logs brought in by winter storms. The sand must be dumped back on the beach. NOAA Fisheries and the Army Corps of Engineers have put special conditions on clearing the D River Channel. They want to limit that activity from December 1 to February 15 due to concerns over coho fisheries. It is interesting because the peak of that coho run is between December and January. The city files conditions of that permit and sends it to Nebraska.
Salmon Smolt Trap: The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, at certain times of the year, places a smolt trap (a rectangular, green box) at the D River to monitor coho salmon migrating out to the ocean.
D River State Recreation Site: For information and a panoramic view of the site visit www.oregonstateparks.org/park_214.php. In the State Parks website click on "See more photos" to view the panorama. The panorama takes time to load but is worth the wait.

Photos: Devils Lake (Susie Fischer), D River (R. Erickson)

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P.O. Box 36
Lincoln City, OR 97367
PADLsteward@wcn.net