| Harney Basin | |
|---|---|
 Harney Basin near Burns, Oregon | |
 The Harney Basin (dashed yellow perimeter) | |
| Floor elevation | 4,111 ft (1,253 m)[1][2] |
| Area | 3,855 km2 (1,488 mi2) |
| Geography | |
| Coordinates | 43°15′14″N118°42′54″W / 43.25389°N 118.71500°W /43.25389; -118.71500 |
| River | Donner und Blitzen River;Silvies River |
| Lake | Harney Lake;Malheur Lake |
TheHarney Basin is anendorheic basin in southeasternOregon in theUnited States at the northwestern corner of theGreat Basin. One of the least populated areas of thecontiguous United States, it is located largely in northernHarney County, bounded on the north and east by theColumbia Plateau—within which it is contained, physiographically speaking—and on the south and west by avolcanic plain. The basin encompasses an area of 1,490 square miles (3,859 km2) in the watershed ofMalheur Lake andHarney Lake. Malheur Lake is a freshwater lake, while Harney Lake is saline-alkaline.[3]
The basin is bounded on the north by the southern end of theBlue Mountains. The ridge ofSteens Mountain separates the basin from the watershed of theAlvord Desert to the southeast.[4] No streams cross the volcanic plains that separate the basin from the watershed of theKlamath River to the southwest. The basin includes archeological sites of theDrewsey Resource Area.[5]
The central basin receives an average of 6 inches (150 mm) of rain per year, with the surrounding mountains receiving an average of 15 inches (380 mm) per year.[citation needed] The center of the basin is flat and contains Malheur and Harney lakes, which receive the streams originating within the basin in the surrounding mountains, including theSilvies River from the north and theDonner und Blitzen River from the south. Harney Lake is the actual sink of the basin, connected in some years to Malheur Lake but currently separated by constantly changingsand dunes. Both lakes cycle between open water in wetter years and marshes in drier years. The wetlands around Malheur Lake and Harney Lake form awetlands oasis in the basin, providing ahabitat for many migratorybird species, including 2.5 millionducks each year. Malheur Lake and its surroundings are embraced byMalheur National Wildlife Refuge.
Harney County, Oregon, had a total population of 7,422 at the2010 census,[6] andBurns in the plain north of Malheur Lake is the only community with a population larger than 1,000. Dryland ranching is the basis of the area's economy, with relatively littleirrigation water available from the streams that enter Malheur Lake.
TheHarney Basin Volcanic Field is a series of volcanic flows of rhyolite and of tuffs of ash flows in aroundBurns, Oregon.[7] The field is within the High Lava Plains Province.[8]
TheHarney-Malheur Lakes watershed is a 1,420 sq mi (3,700 km2)[9]Great Basin watershed.[10] The adjacentDonner und Blitzen River watershed of 765 sq mi (1,980 km2) discharges into Malheur Lake and includes the river portion of the 292 sq mi (760 km2)Malheur National Wildlife Refuge. "Alkali Field is located directly south of Malheur Lake, a few kilometers east of the Donner und Blitzen River."[11]: 23
TheHigh Desert Wetlands ecoregion is a set ofNorthern Basin and Range wetlands with 1,651 sq mi (4,280 km2) in Oregon, including a large area around Harney andMalheur Lakes.
The basin was formed approximately 32,000 years ago whenlava flows formed theMalheur Gap, separating thewatershed of the basin from theMalheur River, a tributary of the Snake River.Archaeological evidence indicates the basin was inhabited as early as 10,000 years ago. Pollen records indicate that the climate, especially the level of rain and snowfall, has varied greatly since the end of thePleistocene.[12] Evidence of prehistoric fishing techniques is found at several sites. Evidence suggests that there existed in the basin several species—in particular, thechiselmouth,coarse-scale suckers, andnorthern squawfish—that are currently found only in theColumbia River basin, indicating that at some point the Harney Basin may have been connected to the Columbia.[13] During wetter years, the lake level of Malheur Lake was raised to a depth of 25 feet (7.6 m), allowing the lakes to drain over the Malheur Gap. In modern times, however, the lake level does not rise above 10 feet (3.0 m) in the wettest years.
In the 19th century, the basin was inhabited by theNorthern Paiute tribe. It was explored and extensively trapped bytrappers of theHudson's Bay Company in the 1820s. The basin lay far off the route of theOregon Trail, but in 1845 experienced mountain manStephen Meek led an ill-fated party across the basin viaStinkingwater Pass, seeking a shortcut toThe Dalles along what has become known as theMeek Cutoff. A total of 23 people died while the party wandered in the basin until finding water at theCrooked River.
Because of its climate, it received sparse white settlements and was largely left to the Paiute until the late 19th century. Settlement pressures and conflicts with the Paiute in other areas of Oregon caused PresidentUlysses S. Grant in 1872 to create areservation for the Paiute encompassing Malheur Lake and much of the basin. Growing settlement pressures, in particular the discovery ofgold in the surrounding mountains, as well as the interest of white settlers to form ranches in the region, caused theCommissioner of Indian Affairs to abruptly terminate the reservation in 1879. The Northern Paiute would survive virtually landless until obtaining tracts of land near Burns in 1935.
The basin has a widespread decline in groundwater which has put the region at risk of ecological and economic collapse. Irrigation pumping is dropping the water table as much as 10 feet (3.0 m) every year in one area.[14]
Texaco Basin was surveyed by Thomas, Goheen and Loring on August 13, 19 and 20, 1980 [p. 19]
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