Determination of Upstream Boundary Points on

Southeastern Washington Streams and Rivers

Under the Requirements of the Shoreline

Management Act of 1971

Water-Resources Investigations Report 03-4042

Prepared in cooperation with the

Washington State Department of Ecology

U.S. Department of the Interior

U.S. Geological Survey

Columbia Rive r

PEND

OREILLE

STEVENS

FERRY OKANOGAN

WHATCOM

SKAGIT

CHELAN

CLALLAM

JEFFERSON

SPOKANE DOUGLAS

LINCOLN

GRANT

KING

KITTITAS

MASON

GRAYS

HARBOR WHITMAN

PIERCE

THURSTON

YAKIMA

GARFIELD FRANKLIN

BENTON

COLUMBIA

PACIFIC

WALLA WALLA ASOTIN

COWLITZ

WAHKIAKUM

KLICKITAT

CLARK

ADAMS

SNOHOMISH

C

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A

D

E

R A

N G E

SKAMANIA

LEWIS

SAN

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ISLAND

KITSAP

2

1

3

4

5

Determination of Upstream Boundary Points on

Southeastern Washington Streams and Rivers

Under the Requirements of the Shoreline

Management Act of 1971

Water-Resources Investigations Report 03-4042

Prepared in cooperation with the

Washington State Department of Ecology

U.S. Department of the Interior

U.S. Geological Survey

Columbia Rive r

PEND

OREILLE

STEVENS

FERRY OKANOGAN

WHATCOM

SKAGIT

CHELAN

CLALLAM

JEFFERSON

SPOKANE DOUGLAS

LINCOLN

GRANT

KING

KITTITAS

MASON

GRAYS

HARBOR WHITMAN

PIERCE

THURSTON

YAKIMA

GARFIELD FRANKLIN

BENTON

COLUMBIA

PACIFIC

WALLA WALLA ASOTIN

COWLITZ

WAHKIAKUM

KLICKITAT

CLARK

ADAMS

SNOHOMISH

C

A S C

A

D

E

R A

N G E

SKAMANIA

LEWIS

SAN

JUAN

ISLAND

KITSAP

2

1

3

4

5
Determination of Upstream Boundary Points on

Southeastern Washington Streams and Rivers

Under the Requirements of the Shoreline

Management Act of 1971

By Johnna L. Higgins

Prepared in cooperation with the

WASHINGTON STATE DEPARTMENT OF ECOLOGY

Tacoma, Washington

Water-Resources Investigations Report 03-4042

U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY
For additional information write to:

Director, Washington Water Science Center

U.S. Geological Survey

1201 Pacific Avenue – Suite 600

Tacoma, Washington 98402

http://wa.water.usgs.gov

Any use of trade, product, or firm names in this publication is for descriptive purposes only and does 

not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.

Copies of this report can be purchased from:

U.S. Geological Survey

Information Services

Building 810

Box 25286, Federal Center

Denver, CO 80225-0286

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

GALE A. NORTON, Secretary

U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY

Charles G. Groat, Director
Contents iii

CONTENTS

Abstract ................................................................................................................................................................ 1

Introduction .......................................................................................................................................................... 1

Previous Investigations ............................................................................................................................... 3

Purpose and Scope ...................................................................................................................................... 3

Acknowledgments....................................................................................................................................... 3

Approach .............................................................................................................................................................. 4

Development of Regional Regression Equations................................................................................................. 5

Determination of Upstream Boundary Point Locations....................................................................................... 6

Summary .............................................................................................................................................................. 8

References Cited .................................................................................................................................................. 8
iv Figures

PLATE

[Plate is in pocket]

Plate 1. Map showing locations of upstream boundary points on southeastern Washington streams

and rivers under the requirements of the Shoreline Management Act of 1971.

FIGURE

Figure 1. Map showing location of study area, hydrologic regions, and streamflow-gaging stations 

used to determine upstream boundary points for streams and rivers in southeastern Washington ... 2
Tables v

TABLES

Table 1. Regression equations used for calculation of mean annual discharge for streams and 

rivers located in southeastern Washington ........................................................................................ 5

Table 2. Streamflow gaging-station records used in the development of the regression equations 

for five hydrologic regions in southeastern Washington ................................................................... 9

Table 3. Upstream boundary points of shorelines, as defined in the Shoreline Management Act 

of 1971, that are located where the mean annual discharge is equal to 20 cubic feet per 

second on streams in southeastern Washington................................................................................. 12

Table 4. Upstream boundary points of shorelines of statewide significance, as defined in the 

Shoreline Management Act of 1971, that are located where discharge is 200 cubic feet 

per second or where drainage area is 300 square miles on rivers in southeastern Washington ........ 17
vi Conversion Factors

CONVERSION FACTORS

Multiply By To obtain

inch (in) 2.54 centimeter

foot (ft) 0.3048 meter

mile (mi) 1.609 kilometer

square mile (mi2) 2.590 square kilometer 

cubic foot per second (ft3/s) 0.02832 cubic meter per second 
Introduction 1

Determination of Upstream Boundary Points on 

Southeastern Washington Streams and Rivers Under the 

Requirements of the Shoreline Management Act of 1971

By Johnna L. Higgins

ABSTRACT

Regulation of the shorelines of the State of 

Washington, as mandated by the Shoreline 

Management Act of 1971, requires knowledge of the 

locations on streams and river reaches where specific 

regulatory criteria are satisfied. The U.S. Geological 

Survey conducted a study in 1971 to determine the 

upstream boundary points of these reaches for many of 

the State's streams and rivers. Updated upstream 

boundary points were determined in the current study 

for all the streams and rivers in southeastern 

Washington that fall under the jurisdiction of the 

Shoreline Management Act of 1971. Upstream 

boundary point locations where the mean annual 

discharge equals 20 ft3/s (cubic feet per second) were 

determined for 149 streams. In addition, upstream 

boundary point locations where the mean annual 

discharge equals 200 ft3/s or the drainage area equals 

300 square miles were determined for 22 rivers. 

Boundary point locations were determined by 

application of multiple-linear-regression equations that 

relate mean annual discharge to drainage area and 

mean annual precipitation. Southeastern Washington 

was divided into five hydrologically distinct regions, 

and a separate regression equation was developed for 

each region. The regression equations are based on data 

for gaging stations with at least 10 years of record. The 

number of stations in the regression analysis for each of 

the five regions ranged from 5 to 33. The coefficient of 

determination, R2, of the regression equations ranged 

from 0.953 to 0.997. The equation for the Upper 

Yakima region had the lowest standard error, ranging 

from -7 to +9 percent for a regression estimate of 

20 ft3/s. The equation for the Columbia Basin to 

Palouse region had the highest standard error, ranging 

from -36 to +55 percent for a regression estimate of 

20 ft3/s. The approximate error in the location of an 

upstream boundary point can be calculated using the 

variables mean annual precipitation of the basin 

upstream from a boundary point and average basin 

width in the vicinity of the boundary point. The 

calculation gives only a rough estimate of the error of 

the boundary point location, because of the uncertainty 

in estimating average basin width.

INTRODUCTION

The Washington State legislature, in 1971, 

identified the shorelines of the State as being "among 

the most valuable and fragile of its natural resources" 

and expressed great concern regarding their utilization, 

protection, restoration, and preservation. Therefore, the 

legislature enacted the Shoreline Management Act of 

1971 (hereafter referred to either as the Shoreline 

Management Act or the Act) and designated the 

Washington State Department of Ecology (Ecology) as 

the agency responsible for regulating the State's 

shorelines (State of Washington, 1971). The reaches of 

streams and rivers that fall under the Act's jurisdiction 

must be defined in order for Ecology to properly 

administer the provisions of the Shoreline Management 

Act. 

The Act designates separate regulatory criteria 

for streams and rivers. For southeastern Washington, 

the study area of this report (fig. 1), the Act defines 

"shorelines" as stream reaches where the mean annual 

flow exceeds 20 ft3/s (cubic feet per second) and 

"shorelines of statewide significance" as river reaches 

where the mean annual flow is greater than 200 ft3/s or 

the drainage area is greater than 300 mi2 (square 

miles), whichever results in a longer river reach. The 

location of the upstream boundary point for a stream or 

river is defined as the most upstream point where one 

of these criteria is met. 
2 Upstream Boundary Points on Southeastern Washington Streams and Rivers

Columbia River

PEND

OREILLE

STEVENS

FERRY OKANOGAN

WHATCOM

SKAGIT

CHELAN

CLALLAM

JEFFERSON

SPOKANE DOUGLAS LINCOLN

GRANT

KING

KITTITAS

MASON

GRAYS

HARBOR

WHITMAN

PIERCE

THURSTON

YAKIMA

GARFIELD

FRANKLIN

BENTON

COLUMBIA

PACIFIC

WALLA WALLA ASOTIN

COWLITZ

WAHKIAKUM

KLICKITAT

CLARK

ADAMS

ISLAND

KITSAP

SAN

JUAN

SNOHOMISH

A C C S D A

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Bellingham

Seattle

Richland

Spokane

Olympia

Everett

CANADA

OREGON

IDAHO

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36 35 3433

32

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0 50 100 MILES0 50 100 KILOMETERS

EXPLANATION

STUDY AREAHYDROLOGIC REGIONCOUNTY LINERIVER

BOUNDARY AND NUMBERS

6 STREAMFLOW GAGING STATION

Spokane River

Columbia

vi R r e

Co

ul mb

ai R vi er

5

Figure 1. Location of study area, hydrologic regions, and streamflow-gaging stations used to determine upstream boundary points for streams and rivers in southeastern Washington. 
Introduction 3

Previous Investigations

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in 

cooperation with Ecology, conducted a study in 1971 to 

determine the upstream boundary points on many 

streams throughout the State for which Ecology had 

regulatory responsibility (David H. Appel, U.S. 

Geological Survey, written commun., 1971). However, 

in 1990, Ecology decided that the upstream boundary 

points determined in the 1971 study needed to be 

updated for the following reasons.

1. The 1971 study did not include all streams that met 

the regulatory criteria.

2. The 1971 study did not determine upstream 

boundary points for shorelines of statewide 

significance.

3. In the 1971 study, if the regulatory discharge 

occurred upstream of certain political or 

jurisdictional boundaries, such as those for 

national forests, Indian reservations, and national 

parks, the Shoreline Management Act upstream 

boundary point was placed at the political or 

jurisdictional boundary.

4. The 1971 study determined upstream boundary 

points for the regulatory discharge of 20 ft3/s plus 

the standard error of the determining regression 

equations, rather than for just the regulatory 

discharge itself as in the current study.

5. Three additional decades of streamflow data 

collected since 1971 provide improved estimates 

of long-term average flow conditions.

The USGS, in cooperation with Ecology, began 

updating upstream boundary points in 1990. At the 

request of Ecology, the State was divided into the same 

13 hydrologic regions that were used in the 1971 study. 

From 1990 through 1998, the USGS determined 

updated upstream boundary points for all northeastern 

and western Washington streams and rivers for which 

Ecology has regulatory responsibility (Kresch, 

1998a, b). 

Purpose and Scope

This report presents the results of the study to 

determine the upstream boundary points for the 

streams and rivers in southeastern Washington. The 

study area includes the five hydrologic regions located 

in southeastern Washington (fig. 1).

Region 1. Upper Yakima

Region 2. Lower Yakima

Region 3. Mount Adams

Region 4. Columbia Basin to Palouse

Region 5. Blue Mountains

The report describes the analytical methods used 

to develop regression equations that relate stream 

discharge to precipitation and basin area, and to 

determine the locations of upstream boundary points 

through the use of these equations. A series of tables 

provides streamflow gaging-station records used in the 

development of the regression equations, regression 

equations and descriptive statistics, and the coordinates 

of the upstream boundary point locations, and both the 

boundary point locations and the boundaries of the 

drainage basins upstream from them are shown on a 

plate. 

The regional boundaries for this study are, at the 

request of Ecology, the same ones used in the 1971 

study. For region 3 (Mount Adams), only boundary 

points for streams located east of the Cascade Range 

crest and for the Muddy Fork of the Cispus River are 

included in this report. Upstream boundary points 

located west of the Cascade Range crest in region 3 

were updated by the USGS during the western 

Washington study, with the exception of the Muddy 

Fork (Kresch, 1998b, p. 2). The Muddy Fork is the only 

"shoreline" stream in Yakima County that flows west 

from the Cascade Range, and the decision was made to 

include it in the southeastern study along with all other 

"shoreline" streams in Yakima County. 

Acknowledgments

The author would like to express appreciation 

and gratitude to the hard working people who assisted 

in the determination of the upstream boundary points: 

Colleen Seto, Kim Mueller, and Anni Watkins, USGS.
4 Upstream Boundary Points on Southeastern Washington Streams and Rivers

APPROACH

Most of the streams and rivers of interest in the 

study area do not have streamflow records (ungaged). 

Thus, a direct-measurement approach for determining 

upstream boundary points was not feasible because (1) 

the use of stream-gaging records to determine mean 

annual discharges would require continuous operation 

of a number of new streamflow gages on each stream 

over a period of years, (2) the locations at which to 

measure the streams would not be known beforehand, 

and (3) the cost of operating the large number of gages 

required would be economically impractical.

The most practical way to determine streamflow 

at ungaged sites is by transfer of information developed 

for gaged sites. A widely accepted approach uses 

multiple-linear-regression equations that relate 

streamflow to physical and climatic characteristics. 

The 1971 USGS study concluded that only drainage 

area and mean annual precipitation were needed in 

order to determine mean annual discharge at ungaged 

sites (David H. Appel, U.S. Geological Survey, written 

commun., 1971). The form of the regression equation 

developed for that study, and subsequently used for this 

study is:

(1)

The basin area (A) and precipitation (P) values 

are those for the drainage basin upstream of the point 

on the stream or river at which mean annual discharge 

(Q) is desired. 

In the 1971 study, other independent variables 

(percentage of forest, mean drainage-basin altitude, 

and January minimum temperature) were considered, 

but did not significantly improve the accuracy of the 

equation in determining the boundary points. Also, 

including additional independent variables to equation 

1 would make applying the equation more difficult 

because the required values for many additional 

variables are not readily available and would have to be 

determined for drainage basins upstream of the 

boundary points. The use of only drainage area and 

mean annual precipitation as independent variables in 

equation 1 is partially compensated for by dividing the 

study area into five hydrologically distinct regions. 

This results in the calculation of unique values for the 

constants a, b, and c in equation 1 for each region. 

Basin areas needed for points in this study were 

determined using ARC/INFOTM, a geographic 

information system (GIS) software package. Drainagebasin boundaries were delineated manually on 7.5-

minute topographic quadrangle maps and digitized into 

GIS coverages. Use of GIS for automatic delineation of 

drainage-basin boundaries was assessed during the 

western Washington study. In areas of low relief, basins 

determined by the GIS procedure differed by as much 

as 50 percent from those delineated manually (Kresch 

1998b, p.6). Since much of southeastern Washington is 

of low relief, the manual procedure was selected for 

delineation of basin boundaries. 

Mean annual precipitation for each basin area 

was determined from an GIS coverage of mean annual 

precipitation for Washington that was created and used 

to determine boundary points on northeastern and 

western Washington streams and rivers (Kresch, 

1998a,b). The coverage was generated by digitizing all 

the lines of equal mean annual precipitation on a U.S. 

Weather Bureau precipitation map of Washington (U.S. 

Weather Bureau, 1965) and then converting the 

digitized data into a grid coverage of point values. The 

precipitation map was developed using data for the 

period 1930 to 1957. The mean annual precipitation 

over a basin was calculated in GIS by averaging all the 

grid values that lie within the basin. Where part of a 

drainage basin extended into Oregon or Idaho, mean 

annual precipitation data from the Natural Resources 

Conservation Services and Oregon Climate Services 

(2002a,b) were used. 

Q is mean annual discharge, in cubic feet per 

second,

A is basin drainage area, in square miles,

P is mean annual precipitation, averaged over 

the basin, in inches, and 

a,b,c are constants.

Q aAbPc =
Development of Regional Regression Equations 5

DEVELOPMENT OF REGIONAL 

REGRESSION EQUATIONS

Records from 63 streamflow-gaging stations 

with at least 10 years of unregulated daily streamflow 

record were used to develop regression equations for 

determining mean annual discharge for streams and 

rivers in the five southeastern Washington hydrologic 

regions. The number of gaging stations used for each 

region ranged from 5 to 33. Values of mean annual 

discharge, mean annual precipitation, and basin 

drainage area for the gaging-station records are given 

in table 2 (at back of report), as well as summary 

statistics for each basin characteristic.

This study assumed there was no significant 

regulation or diversion at or upstream from the 

upstream boundary point. At the request of Ecology, 

this study used the same boundary locations for the 

Mount Adams region as were used in the 1971 study. In 

this study the Mount Adams region (region 3) shows 

the results for the eastern half of the Mount Adams 

region. In the 1996 USGS study (Kresch, 1998b) the 

Mount Adams region, called region 7 in that report, 

shows the results for the western half of the Mount 

Adams region. Both studies used the same gaging 

stations for developing the regression equation. 

Values of the constants a, b, and c in equation 1 

were determined for each region using logarithms of 

the values of mean annual discharge, basin drainage 

area, and mean annual precipitation for the gagingstation records in table 2. The regression equations for 

each region and their descriptive statistics are given in 

table 1. As an example, the coefficient of 

determination, R2, of the regression equation for region 

1, the Upper Yakima region, is 0.997, which indicates 

that about 99.7 percent of the variation in the base-10 

logarithm of mean annual discharge, Q, is explained by 

the regression equation. The standard error of estimate 

of the equation is ±0.034 log units. The standard error 

of the Upper Yakima equation, expressed in terms of 

discharge, ranges from -1.4 ft3/s (-7.0 percent) to 

+1.8 ft3/s (9.0 percent) for a mean annual discharge of 

20 ft3/s and from -14 to +18 ft3/s for a mean annual 

discharge of 200 ft3/s.

The equation for the Upper Yakima region had 

the lowest standard error, which, for a regression 

estimate of 20 ft3/s, ranged from -7 to +9 percent. The 

equation for region 4, the Columbia Basin to Palouse 

region, had the highest standard error, and for a 

regression estimate of 20 ft3/s the accuracy ranged 

from -36 to +55 percent (table 1). The coefficient of 

determination, R2, of the regression equations ranged 

from 0.953 to 0.997, and the standard errors of the 

equations ranged from 0.034 to 0.188. The 

corresponding potential errors in the accuracy of 

20 ft3/s discharges determined from these equations 

ranged from less than 1.8 ft3/s for region 1 to as much 

as 10.9 ft3/s for region 4.

Table 1. Regression equations used for calculation of mean annual discharge for streams and rivers located in southeastern Washington

[R2, coefficient of determination; SEE, standard error of estimate; ft3/s, cubic feet per second]

Region number and name

(See fig. 1) Regression equation R2

SEE 

(log 

units)

Number 

of 

stations

Range of accuracy of 

discharge of 20 ft3

/s

Cubic feet per 

second Percent

1 Upper Yakima Q = 0.00828A0.975 P1.48 0.997 0.034 5 -1.4 to +1.8 -7.0 to 9.0

2 Lower Yakima Q = 0.00000203A1.24 P3.07 0.978 0.096 6 -4.2 to +5.1 -21 to 26

3 Mount Adams Q = 0.00759A0.995 P1.43 0.985 0.072 33 -3.0 to +3.4 -15 to 17

4 Columbia Basin to Palouse Q = 0.00000184A1.18 P3.70 0.963 0.188 11 -7.1 to +10.9 -36 to 55

5 Blue Mountains Q = 0.0000318A1.14 P2.75 0.953 0.089 8 -3.8 to+4.5 -19 to 22
6 Upstream Boundary Points on Southeastern Washington Streams and Rivers

The approximate error in a boundary point 

location can be obtained from equation 1 and the 

estimated errors in discharge. All that is required is to 

replace the variable Q with Qerror, the standard error of 

estimate of regression equation 1, in cubic feet per 

second, and the variable A with W*Lerror, where W is 

average basin width, in miles, in the vicinity of the 

boundary point and Lerror is the error in the boundary 

point location. When solved for Lerror, the result is 

equation 2. This equation provides only a rough 

estimate of the actual error because it is difficult to 

estimate the average basin width precisely and because 

it assumes that the stream course is perpendicular to the 

basin width, which may not be true. 

(2)

Using the Upper Yakima region as an example, 

the approximate error in location of the upstream 

boundary points for shorelines was determined for a 

drainage basin with a mean annual precipitation (P) of 

80 inches and an average basin width (W) of 2 miles in 

the vicinity of a boundary point. The regression 

equation constants are a=0.00828, b=0.975, and c=1.48 

(table 1). The estimated possible error in the location of 

the boundary point would range from 0.16 mile 

upstream, corresponding to an error in discharge of 

-1.4 ft3/s, to 0.12 mile downstream, corresponding to 

an error in discharge of +1.8 ft3/s. The error in location 

of the upstream boundary points of shorelines of 

statewide significance would be calculated using errors 

in discharge of -14 ft3/s and +18 ft3/s.

Equation 2 is applicable only to those locations 

where inflow in the vicinity of the boundary point 

increases approximately linearly along the stream 

reach. Actual possible errors for boundary points that 

are located at the confluence of two or more streams 

normally will be less than those calculated by 

equation 2. 

DETERMINATION OF UPSTREAM 

BOUNDARY POINT LOCATIONS

The following steps were used to determine the 

location of each upstream boundary point.

1. A trial point was selected as an initial estimate of 

the location of the boundary point on the stream or 

river.

2. The drainage-basin boundary upstream of the trial 

point was manually delineated on a 7.5-minute 

topographic quadrangle map.

3. The basin boundary was digitized into an GIS 

coverage.

4. GIS programs were used to determine the basin 

area contributing streamflow to the trial point and 

the mean annual precipitation over the basin.

5. The basin area and mean annual precipitation were 

entered into the regional regression equation to 

determine the mean annual discharge at the trial 

point.

6. Steps 1-5 were repeated at upstream or 

downstream trial points until the calculated 

discharge was within 1 percent of either 20 ft3/s 

(±0.2 ft3/s) for boundary points of shorelines or 

200 ft3/s (±2 ft3/s) for boundary points of 

shorelines of statewide significance.

7. The point on a river at which the mean annual 

discharge was determined to be 200 ft3/s was 

designated as the upstream boundary of the 

shoreline of statewide significance for the river 

unless the corresponding drainage area at that 

point was greater than 300 mi2. In the latter case, 

steps 1-4 were repeated at upstream trial points 

until the location of the point having a drainage 

area of 300 mi2 was determined. That point was 

designated as the upstream boundary point for the 

shoreline of statewide significance. 

Lerror

Qerror

aPc -------------- ⎝ ⎠ ⎛ ⎞ 1/b

W = --------------------------
Determination of Upstream Boundary Point Locations 7

There are two conditions for which the discharge 

at an upstream boundary point may not be equal to a 

regulatory discharge. The first is if an upstream 

boundary point occurs at the confluence of two or more 

streams, and the second is if an upstream boundary 

point occurs at either the inlet or outlet of a lake.

If the discharge of each of two or more confluent 

streams is less than the regulatory discharge but their 

combined discharge at the confluence is equal to or 

greater than the regulatory discharge, then the upstream 

boundary point would be placed at the confluence. For 

example, if two confluent streams each have discharges 

of 19 ft3/s, then the upstream boundary point would be 

placed at the confluence and the discharge at that point 

would be greater than the regulatory discharge. 

If the discharge from a lake's outlet exceeds the 

regulatory discharge and the discharge of the lake's 

largest inflow is less than the regulatory discharge, then 

the location of the boundary point depends on the 

nature of the inflow to the lake. If the inflow originates 

from two or more separate streams and each stream has 

a discharge of less than the regulatory discharge, then 

the upstream boundary point would be placed at the 

lake outlet and the discharge there would exceed the 

regulatory discharge. However, if the inflow to the lake 

is primarily from a single stream with a discharge of 

less than the regulatory discharge, then the upstream 

boundary would be placed at the lake inlet and the 

discharge at that point would be less than the regulatory 

discharge. For example, the upstream boundary point 

for a lake fed by three inflow streams that have 

discharges of 5, 11, and 18 ft3/s would be placed at the 

outlet of the lake and the stream discharge at that point 

would be more than the regulatory discharge. However, 

if a lake is fed primarily by only a single stream with a 

discharge of 17 ft3/s, and the computed discharge at the 

lake's outlet is greater than 20 ft3/s, then the upstream 

boundary point would be placed at the mouth of the 

inflow stream.

Boundary point locations determined on streams 

or rivers for which gaging-station records were 

available were adjusted, if necessary, on the basis of 

comparisons with those records. For example, if the 

upstream boundary determined by the appropriate 

regression equation for a 20 ft3/s point was found to lie 

either downstream from a gaging station with a mean 

annual discharge of more than 20 ft3/s or upstream 

from a gaging station with a discharge of less than 

20 ft3/s, then the boundary point location would need to 

be adjusted. The adjusted location was found by 

calculating an adjusted discharge and then determining 

the upstream boundary corresponding to that discharge. 

The adjusted discharge was obtained by multiplying 

the regulatory discharge of either 20 ft3/s or 

200 ft3/s by the ratio of the discharge calculated by the 

appropriate regression equation for the gaging-station 

basin divided by the published mean annual discharge 

for the basin.

The only boundary point locations that were 

adjusted in this manner were for sites 120, 129, and 

137. The adjusted discharge used to determine the 

locations of these sites (4.7 ft3/s) was determined on 

the basis of the ratio of the regression discharge 

(26 ft3/s) to the published discharge (110 ft3/s) at 

streamflow-gaging station 12508500 located 

downstream on Satus Creek. 

A total of 149 streams was identified in 

southeastern Washington that meet the 20 ft3/s 

regulatory criterion. The locations of the upstream 

boundary points on these streams and the drainage 

boundaries of the basins upstream from all except one 

are shown on plate 1. No drainage-basin boundary is 

shown for Rock Ford Creek in Grant County (site No. 

20) because the upstream boundary point is located at 

Rocky Ford Springs, the source of the creek. The mean 

annual discharge of the springs is believed to be 

significantly greater than 20 ft3/s because the mean 

annual discharge for streamflow-gaging station 

12470500, located 1.4 miles downstream from the 

springs, is 73.7 ft3/s. Latitude-longitude and Universal 

Transverse Mercator grid coordinates for the 149 

boundary points are given in table 3 (at back of report). 

Upstream boundary points were not determined for any 

of the streams in Benton and Adams Counties because 

none of the streams in those counties have mean annual 

discharges that exceed 20 ft3/s. 

A total of 22 upstream boundary points were 

determined for rivers having shorelines of statewide 

significance in southeastern Washington. The locations 

of the upstream boundary points and the drainage 

boundaries of the basins upstream from them are 

shown on plate 1. Coordinates for these upstream 

boundary point locations are given in table 4 (at back of 

report). 
8 Upstream Boundary Points on Southeastern Washington Streams and Rivers

SUMMARY

The Washington State Department of Ecology 

(Ecology) is responsible for regulation of the shorelines 

of the State, as mandated by the Shoreline Management 

Act of 1971. Implementation of the portion of the Act that 

deals with stream and river shorelines requires a 

knowledge of the locations of upstream boundary points 

where specific regulatory criteria are satisfied. 

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in 

cooperation with Ecology, conducted a study in 1971 to 

determine the upstream boundary points for many of the 

stream reaches in the State. Ecology decided to update the 

1971 study, beginning in 1990, because in the 1971 study 

the determination of boundary points for streams located 

within certain political boundaries and for rivers of 

statewide significance were omitted, the regulatory 

discharge plus the standard error of the regression was 

used to determine boundary point locations, and the three 

additional decades of streamflow data collected since 

1971 provide improved estimates of long-term average 

flow conditions. From 1990-98 the USGS, in cooperation 

with Ecology, updated boundary points for streams and 

rivers in northeastern and western Washington, and in this 

report updated boundary points were determined for the 

streams and rivers in southeastern Washington. 

Upstream boundary point locations where the mean 

annual discharge is 20 cubic feet per second were 

determined for 149 streams in southeastern Washington. 

In addition, upstream boundary point locations where the 

mean annual discharge is 200 cubic feet per second or the 

drainage area is 300 square miles were determined for 22 

rivers in southeastern Washington. Boundary point 

locations were determined by application of multiplelinear-regression equations that relate mean annual 

discharge to basin drainage area and mean annual 

precipitation averaged over the basin. 

Drainage-basin boundaries were manually 

delineated on 7.5-minute topographic quadrangle maps 

and digitized into geographic information system (GIS) 

coverages. A GIS coverage of mean annual precipitation, 

created by digitizing lines of mean annual precipitation 

from a 1965 U.S. Weather Bureau map, was used to 

determine the mean annual precipitation within each 

digitized drainage basin. Mean annual precipitation data 

from the Natural Resources Conservation Services and 

Oregon Climate Services were used for the portions of 

drainage basins that extended into Oregon or Idaho.

Southeastern Washington was divided into five 

hydrologically distinct regions and a separate regression 

equation was developed for each region. The regression 

equations are based on data from gaging stations with at 

least 10 years of record. The number of stations used in 

the regression analysis for each of the five regions ranged 

from 5 to 33. The coefficient of determination, R2, of the 

regression equations ranged from 0.953 to 0.997. The 

Upper Yakima region had the equation with the lowest 

standard error, and for a regression estimate of 20 ft3/s, 

the error ranged from -7 to +9 percent. The Columbia 

Basin to Palouse region had the equation with the highest 

standard error, and for a regression estimate of 20 ft3/s, 

the error ranged from -36 to +55 percent.

The approximate error in the location of an 

upstream boundary point can be calculated from the mean 

annual precipitation and the average basin width in the 

vicinity of the boundary point. The approximate error 

gives only a rough estimate of the actual error in a 

boundary point location, because it is difficult to estimate 

the average basin width precisely, and because it assumes 

that inflow in the vicinity of the boundary point increases 

approximately linearly along the stream reach.

REFERENCES CITED

Kresch, D.L., 1998a, Determination of upstream boundary 

points on northeastern Washington streams and rivers 

under the requirements of the Shoreline Management 

Act of 1971: U.S. Geological Survey Water-Resources 

Investigations Report 98-4160, 19 p.

———1998b, Determination of upstream boundaries on 

western Washington streams and rivers under the 

requirements of the Shoreline Management Act of 

1971: U.S. Geological Survey Water-Resources 

Investigations Report 96-4208, 56 p., 1 pl.

Natural Resources Conservation Services and Oregon 

Climate Services, 2002a, NRCS-OCS-PRISM Mapping 

Project – Oregon precipitation: accessed April 1, 2002, 

at URL 

http://www.ocs.orst.edu/prism/state_products/or_maps.

html

Natural Resources Conservation Services and Oregon 

Climate Services, 2002b, NRCS-OCS-PRISM Mapping 

Project - Idaho precipitation: accessed April 1, 2002, at 

URL 

http://www.ocs.orst.edu/prism/state_products/id_maps.

html

State of Washington, 1971, Shoreline Management Act of 

1971, Chapter 286, Laws of 1971, First Extraordinary 

Session, Chapter 90.58 RCW, adopting a new chapter 

173-16 WAC. 

U.S. Weather Bureau, 1965, Mean annual precipitation, 

1930-57, State of Washington: Portland, Oregon, U.S. 

Soil Conservation Service, map M-4430.
Table 2 9

Table 2. Streamflow gaging-station records used in the development of the regression equations for five hydrologic regions in southeastern 

Washington—Continued

Map 

No. 

(See 

fig. 1)

Streamflow-gaging station number and name

Mean 

annual 

discharge 

(ft3/s)

Mean 

annual 

precipitation 

(in/yr)

Drainage

area 

(mi2)

Period of record

Region 1 - Upper Yakima 

1 12474500 Yakima River near Martin 338 97.46 54.7 1903–78

2 12476000 Kachess River near Easton 294 73.22 63.6 1903–78

3 12479000 Cle Elum River near Roslyn 934 81.18 203 1903–78

4 12479500 Yakima River at Cle Elum 2,044 73.60 495 1906–78, 1988–90

5 12483800 Naneum Creek near Ellensburg 57.1 24.42 69.5 1957–71, 1972–78

Maximum 2,044 97.46 495

Minimum 57.1 24.42 54.7

Mean 733.4 69.98 177.2

Median 338 73.60 69.5

Region 2 - Lower Yakima

6 12488000 Bumping River near Nile 296 81.93 70.7 1910–78

7 12488500 American River near Nile 236 72.65 78.9 1940–99

8 12489500 Naches River at Oak Flat near Nile 1,221 56.66 641 1904–17

9 12492500 Tieton River at Headworks of Tieton near Naches 570 55.82 239 1907–78

10 12500500 North Fork Ahtanum Creek near Tampico 69.9 53.15 68.9 1910–15,1931–78

11 12501000 South Fork Ahtanum Creek at Conrad Ranch near Tampico 20 52.33 24.8 1915–78

Maximum 1,221 81.93 641

Minimum 20 52.33 24.8

Mean 402.2 62.09 187

Median 266 56.24 74.8

Region 3 - Mount Adams

12 14107000 Klickitat River above West Fork near Glenwood 330 57.30 152 1944–77

13 14110000 Klickitat River near Glenwood 841 55.95 358 1909–71

14 14112000 Little Klickitat River near Goldendale 60.1 31.62 83.4 1910–12, 1946–51, 

1957–70

15 14112500 Little Klickitat River near Wahkiacus 174 26.27 281 1944–81

16 14113000 Klickitat River near Pitt 1,617 39.63 1,300 1909–12, 1928–90

17 14121300 White Salmon River below Cascade Creek near Trout Lake 152 104.87 32.4 1957–78

18 14121500 Trout Lake Creek near Trout Lake 264 79.02 69 1909–11, 1959–69

19 14123000 White Salmon River at Husum 980 71.05 294 1909–19, 1929–41, 

1957–62

20 14123500 White Salmon River near Underwood 1,114 65.95 384 1915–30, 1935–90

21 14124500 Little White Salmon River at Willard 450 74.36 113 1903–06, 1944–61

22 14125000 Little White Salmon above Lapham Creek 526 74.16 116 1949–63

23 14125500 Little White Salmon River near Cook 547 72.28 134 1956–77

24 14127000 Wind River above Trout Creek near Carson 579 103.42 109 1944–69

Table 2. Streamflow gaging-station records used in the development of the regression equations for five hydrologic regions in southeastern Washington

[Abbreviations: ft3/s, cubic feet per second; in/yr, inches per year; mi2, square miles]
10 Upstream Boundary Points on Southeastern Washington Streams and Rivers

Region 3 - Mount Adams—Continued

25 14128500 Wind River near Carson 1,199 98.85 224 1934–77

26 14213200 Lewis River near Trout Lake 697 106.21 127 1958–72

27 14213500 Big Creek below Skookum Meadow near Trout Lake 59.9 97.13 13.3 1927–31, 1955–70

28 14214000 Rush Creek above Meadow Creek near Trout Lake 23.4 85.09 5.89 1955–65

29 14214500 Meadow Creek below Lone Butte Meadow near Trout Lake 94.4 92.00 11.7 1927–31, 1955–65

30 14215000 Rush Creek above Falls near Cougar 170 90.08 26.1 1927–31, 1955–74

31 14215500 Curly Creek near Cougar 61.0 94.38 11.7 1955–70

32 14216000 Lewis River above Muddy River near Cougar 1,273 104.22 225 1927–34, 1954–70

33 14216500 Muddy River below Clear Creek near Cougar 859 119.06 132 1927–34, 1954–73, 

1983–90

34 14216800 Pine Creek near Cougar 192 130.67 22.4 1957–70

35 14217500 Swift Creek near Cougar 201 132.69 27.4 1924–33, 1954–56

36 14218000 Lewis River near Cougar 2,888 113.84 484 1924–58

37 14219500 Lewis River near Amboy 4,030 112.77 668 1910–31

38 14224500 Clear Fork Cowlitz River near Packwood 237 97.38 54.9 1907–17, 1930–42, 

1950

39 14225500 Lake Creek near Packwoood (Lewis) 101 105.52 19.1 1911–24, 1930–42, 

1949–54, 

1959–80

40 14226500 Cowlitz River at Packwood 1,598 94.70 282 1911–19, 1931–90

41 14230000 Johnson Creek near Packwood 201 102.54 49.7 1907–14, 1918–24, 

1946–51

42 14232500 Cispus River near Randle 1,327 83.98 322 1911–12, 1931–90

43 14233400 Cowlitz River near Randle 4,868 86.38 1,030 1968–90

44 14233500 Cowlitz River near Kosmos 4,999 86.31 1,030 1947–68

Maximum 4,999 132.69 1,300

Minimum 23.4 26.27 5.89

Mean 991 87.57 248

Median 526 92.00 127

Table 2. Streamflow gaging-station records used in the development of the regression equations for five hydrologic regions in southeastern 

Washington—Continued

Map 

No. 

(See 

fig. 1)

Streamflow-gaging station number and name

Mean 

annual 

discharge 

(ft3/s)

Mean 

annual 

precipitation 

(in/yr)

Drainage

area 

(mi2)

Period of record
Table 2 11

Region 4 - Columbia Basin to Palouse

45 12424000 Hangman Creek at Spokane 238 21.00 689 1949–77, 1979–99

46 12463000 Douglas Creek near Alstown 4.18 10.00 99.9 1949–55, 1963–68

47 12464800 Coal Creek at Mohloer 4.31 14.00 64.7 1963–74

48 12465000 Crab Creek at Irby 67.8 13.39 1,042 1943–99

49 12468500 Park Creek below Park Lake near Coulee City 10.4 10.00 317 1945–68

50 12471270 Farrier Coulee near Schrag 0.81 10.25 42 1963–74

51 12512500 Providence Coulee at Cunningham 0.26 10.00 27.8 1952–77

52 13346100 Palouse River at Colfax 306 20.00 497 1963–79

53 13348500 Missouri Flat Creek at Pullman 8.47 20.00 27.1 1960–79

54 13349400 Pine Creek at Pine City 60.6 19.51 302 1961–75

55 13350500 Union Flat Creek near Colfax 37.1 17.37 189 1953–71

Maximum 306 20.00 1,042

Minimum 0.26 10.00 27.1

Mean 67.1 14.96 300

Median 10.4 14.00 189

Region 5 - Blue Mountains

56 13334500 Asotin Creek near Asotin 68.4 26.59 156 1928–59

57 13334700 Asotin Creek below Kearney Gulch near Asotin 72.5 25.71 170 1959–82, 1989–96

58 13344500 Tucannon River near Starbuck 173 23.14 431 1915–14, 1929–31, 

1959–90, 1995–

99

59 14013000 Mill Creek near Walla Walla 96.3 43.04 59.6 1913–17, 1939–76, 

1979–99

60 14013500 Blue Creek near Walla Walla 15.6 36.49 17 1939–71

61 14016000 Dry Creek near Walla Walla 21.9 25.96 48.4 1949–67

62 14016500 East Fork Touchet River near Dayton 120 30.00 120 1941–51, 1956–68

63 14017000 Touchet River at Bolles 226 25.67 361 1924–29, 1952–89

Maximum 226 43.04 431

Minimum 15.6 23.14 17

Mean 99.2 29.58 170

Median 84.4 26.28 138

Table 2. Streamflow gaging-station records used in the development of the regression equations for five hydrologic regions in southeastern 

Washington—Continued

Map 

No. 

(See 

fig. 1)

Streamflow-gaging station number and name

Mean 

annual 

discharge 

(ft3/s)

Mean 

annual 

precipitation 

(in/yr)

Drainage

area 

(mi2)

Period of record
12 Upstream Boundary Points on Southeastern Washington Streams and Rivers

,

Table 3. Upstream boundary points of shorelines, as defined in the Shoreline Management Act of 1971, that are located where the mean annual 

discharge is equal to 20 cubic feet per second on streams in southeastern Washington—Continued

Boundary point location

Region 

No.

Map 

site 

No.

(See 

plate 1)

Stream

Mean annual 

precipitation

(inches)

Quadrangle (7.5 minute)

Latitude Longitude

UTM 

Easting Northing

(degrees, minutes, 

seconds) (meters)

Asotin County

5 1 Alpowa Creek 19 Stenber Creek 46 24 12 117 15 01 480,748 5,138,710

5 2 George Creek 22 Rockpile Creek 46 16 47 117 09 00 488,428 5,124,945

Chelan County

1 3 Colockum Creek 19 Malaga 47 17 30 120 09 33 714,788 5,241,297

Columbia County

5 4 Butte Creek 40 Oregon Butte 46 03 48 117 43 19 444,140 5,101,139

5 5 Mill Creek 45 Deadman Peak 46 01 45 117 58 17 424,803 5,097,545

5 6 Panjab Creek 39 Panjab Creek 46 10 35 117 43 04 444,586 5,113,706

5 7 Third Creek 40 Oregon Butte 46 05 18 117 37 37 451,525 5,103,870

5 8 Touchet River, North Fork 38 Eckler Mountain 46 09 41 117 48 36 437,462 5,112,106

5 9 Touchet River, South Fork 41 Deadman Peak 46 07 14 117 58 22 424,822 5,107,712

5 10 Wenaha River, North Fork 44 Godman Spring 46 00 32 117 51 54 433,029 5,095,195

5 11 Wolf Fork 32 Robinette Mountain 46 14 16 117 53 41 431,006 5,120,639

Douglas County

4 12 Moses Coulee 10 Palisades 47 26 57 119 53 15 282,321 5,258,906

Franklin County

4 13 Esquatzel Coulee 10 Mesa East 46 35 58 118 56 38 351,099 5,162,277

Garfield County

5 14 Asotin Creek, North Fork 35 Pinkham Butte 46 11 46 117 25 55 466,651 5,115,724

4 15 Deadman Creek at confluence 

of Meadow Creek

15 Dodge 46 37 02 117 47 29 439,385 5,162,723

5 16 First Creek 37 Diamond Peak 46 02 30 117 33 22 456,953 5,098,613

5 17 Pataha Creek 23 Pomeroy 46 28 24 117 32 48 458,030 5,146,594

5 18 Tucannon River 40 Stentz Spring 46 10 25 117 34 23 455,750 5,113,285

Grant County

4 19 Lind Coulee 10 Bassett Junction 47 02 29 119 05 35 340,990 5,211,686

4 20 Rocky Ford Creek – Grant Orchards 47 19 22 119 26 17 315,163 5,243,698

Kittitas County

2 21 Bear Creek, West Fork 71 Mount Clifty 47 04 47 121 14 30 633,464 5,215,329

1 22 Big Creek 83 Easton 47 09 07 121 14 35 633,182 5,223,357

1 23 Box Canyon Creek 91 Chikamin Peak 47 24 55 121 17 53 628,373 5,252,502

1 24 Box Canyon Creek, West Fork 85 Chikamin Peak 47 23 59 121 17 22 629,063 5,250,793

Table 3. Upstream boundary points of shorelines, as defined in the Shoreline Management Act of 1971, that are located where the mean annual 

discharge is equal to 20 cubic feet per second on streams in southeastern Washington

[Mean annual precipitation: for basins above upstream boundary points; Boundary point location: given in both latitude-longitude coordinates and 

Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM) grid coordinates; points west of 120 degrees longitude are given in UTM zone 10 coordinates and points east of 120 

degrees longitude are given in UTM zone 11 coordinates. –, no data]
Table 3 13

Kittitas County—Continued

1 25 Cabin Creek 90 Blowout Mountain 47 13 53 121 19 27 626,853 5,232,042

1 26 Cherry Creek 17 Kittitas 46 57 11 120 27 31 693,364 5,202,876

1 27 Chief Creek 123 Mount Daniel 47 31 03 121 13 30 633,637 5,264,008

1 28 Cle Elum River 140 Mount Daniel 47 34 47 121 08 01 640,346 5,271,080

1 29 Coal Creek 108 Snoqualmie Pass 47 24 20 121 24 09 620,534 5,251,260

1 30 Cold Creek 115 Lost Lake 47 21 42 121 25 50 618,498 5,246,331

1 31 Coleman Creek 19 Colockum Pass South 

West

47 01 08 120 26 44 694,120 5,210,237

1 32 Delate Creek 110 Chikamin Peak 47 27 50 121 16 26 630,084 5,257,958

1 33 Fortune Creek 77 Mount Stuart 47 28 40 120 59 59 650,697 5,259,979

1 34 French Cabin Creek 67 Kachess Lake 47 20 56 121 09 30 639,079 5,245,385

1 35 Gale Creek 80 Stampede Pass 47 21 52 121 17 23 629,131 5,246,873

1 36 Goat Creek 82 Davis Peak 47 28 55 121 06 25 642,603 5,260,249

1 37 Gold Creek 114 Chikamin Peak 47 27 15 121 20 03 625,562 5,256,771

1 38 Lemah Creek 117 Chikamin Peak 47 28 36 121 15 28 631,264 5,259,396

1 39 Little Creek 67 Ronald 47 09 23 121 07 27 642,183 5,224,030

2 40 Little Naches River, N. Fork 100 Raven Roost 47 07 25 121 21 25 624,620 5,220,017

1 41 Log Creek 94 Blowout Mountain 47 10 43 121 17 06 629,950 5,226,234

1 42 Lost Lake, Outlet 104 Lost Lake 47 20 00 121 23 34 621,426 5,243,269

2 43 Manastash Creek, S. Fork 69 Frost Mountain 47 02 13 120 57 09 655,539 5,211,115

1 44 Meadow Creek 110 Lost Lake 47 18 24 121 24 26 620,385 5,240,275

1 45 Mineral Creek 95 Chikamin Peak 47 25 58 121 16 34 629,982 5,254,504

1 46 Naneum Creek 25 Naneum Canyon 47 14 59 120 28 37 690,919 5,235,801

1 47 Park Creek 13 Kittitas 46 58 12 120 23 14 698,740 5,204,938

2 48 Quartz Creek 66 Quartz Mountain 47 01 27 121 07 13 642,832 5,209,357

1 49 Scatter Creek 90 The Cradle 47 30 41 121 02 58 646,852 5,263,647

1 50 Shovel Creek 140 Mount Daniel 47 32 52 121 12 58 634,219 5,267,365

1 51 Sliver Creek 60 Kachess Lake 47 15 04 121 10 42 637,834 5,234,483

1 52 Spade Creek 125 Mount Daniel 47 31 35 121 11 06 636,611 5,265,053

1 53 Spinola Creek 118 Mount Daniel 47 32 18 121 08 11 640,250 5,266,470

1 54 Stafford Creek 45 Red Top Mountain 47 21 56 120 48 05 665,994 5,247,922

1 55 Swauk Creek 28 Liberty 47 19 10 120 41 21 674,620 5,243,058

1 56 Taneum Creek, North Fork 70 Quartz Mountain 47 06 32 121 06 12 643,890 5,218,802

1 57 Taneum Creek, South Fork 67 Quartz Mountain 47 05 38 121 02 17 648,888 5,217,257

1 58 Teanaway River, Middle Fork 61 Mount Stuart 47 22 59 120 58 10 653,261 5,249,517

1 59 Teanaway River, West Fork 50 Cle Elum Lake 47 20 12 121 02 20 648,156 5,244,231

1 60 Thorp Creek 69 Kachess Lake 47 22 06 121 08 35 640,186 5,247,559

1 61 Trail Creek 95 The Cradle 47 30 01 121 06 59 641,853 5,262,263

1 62 Unnamed tributary to Lemah 

Creek

124 Chikamin Peak 47 29 46 121 15 42 630,915 5,261,567

1 63 Unnamed tributary to 

Teanaway River, North Fork

69 Mount Stuart 47 25 23 120 56 20 655,452 5,254,019

Table 3. Upstream boundary points of shorelines, as defined in the Shoreline Management Act of 1971, that are located where the mean annual 

discharge is equal to 20 cubic feet per second on streams in southeastern Washington—Continued

Boundary point location

Region 

No.

Map 

site 

No.

(See 

plate 1)

Stream

Mean annual 

precipitation

(inches)

Quadrangle (7.5 minute)

Latitude Longitude

UTM 

Easting Northing

(degrees, minutes, 

seconds) (meters)
14 Upstream Boundary Points on Southeastern Washington Streams and Rivers

Kittitas and Yakima Counties

2 64 Little Naches River, Middle 

Fork

94 Raven Roost 47 05 04 121 18 04 628,952 5,215,759

Klickitat County

3 65 Bowman Creek 31 Grayback Mountain 45 55 26 121 00 34 654,333 5,087,297

3 66 Buck Creek 61 Northwestern Lake 45 49 45 121 33 08 612,447 5,075,876

3 67 Cave Creek 58 Guler Mountain 45 57 47 121 34 26 610,494 5,090,735

3 68 Dead Canyon Creek 35 Dead Canyon 45 56 42 121 09 07 643,238 5,089,377

3 69 Gilmer Creek 48 Husum 45 51 33 121 29 47 616,710 5,079,290

3 70 Holmes Creek 45 Quigley Butte 45 57 13 121 23 22 624,803 5,089,944

3 71 Little Klickitat River, E. Prong 26 Satus Pass 45 54 44 120 42 17 677,997 5,086,654

3 72 Little White Salmon River 59 Guler Mountain 45 53 00 121 36 30 607,966 5,081,829

3 73 Major Creek, West Fork 48 Husum 45 46 07 121 23 53 624,550 5,069,386

3 74 Mill Creek 31 White Pine Buttes 45 55 08 120 54 47 661,816 5,086,931

3 75 Rattlesnake Creek 39 Camas Prairie 45 53 20 121 19 45 629,631 5,082,869

3 76 Simmons Creek 35 Klickitat 45 50 34 121 12 54 638,599 5,077,940

3 77 Summit Creek 34 Hagarty Butte 46 02 41 120 57 56 657,390 5,100,816

3 78 Swale Creek 15 Wishram 45 44 30 120 55 12 661,809 5,067,235

Lincoln County

4 79 Crab Creek 15 Sprague Lake NE 47 25 42 118 04 42 418,663 5,253,142

4 80 Negro Creek 17 Sprague 47 17 45 117 56 57 428,232 5,238,283

Skamania County

3 81 Buck Creek 90 Trout Lake 46 04 41 121 33 55 610,937 5,103,523

3 82 Cascade Creek 122 Mount Adams West 46 09 59 121 34 07 610,489 5,113,316

3 83 Cultus Creek 83 Sleeping Beauty 46 03 47 121 43 37 598,464 5,101,631

3 84 Dry Creek 82 Little Hucklebery 

Mountain

45 57 58 121 44 28 597,536 5,090,857

3 85 Dry Creek 66 Little Hucklebery 

Mountain

45 58 15 121 38 08 605,710 5,091,504

3 86 Goose Lake, Outlet 85 Gifford Peak 45 56 21 121 45 24 596,367 5,087,823

3 87 Hole in the Ground Creek 87 Trout Lake 46 04 39 121 31 23 614,193 5,103,527

3 88 Little Goose Creek 77 Sleeping Beauty 46 03 30 121 40 11 602,892 5,101,198

3 89 Lost Creek 75 Little Hucklebery 

Mountain

45 58 10 121 43 13 599,147 5,091,254

3 90 Lusk Creek 68 Willard 45 52 16 121 38 35 605,308 5,080,427

3 91 Meadow Creek 88 Sleeping Beauty 46 05 00 121 43 04 599,135 5,103,896

3 92 Mosquito Creek 95 Sleeping Beauty 46 06 22 121 43 18 598,789 5,106,435

3 93 Salt Creek 118 Mount Adams West 46 09 05 121 33 15 611,644 5,111,690

3 94 Trout Lake Creek 93 Steamboat Mountain 46 07 41 121 41 04 601,615 5,108,898

3 95 Unnamed tributary to Cascade 

Creek

124 Mount Adams West 46 09 34 121 33 54 610,800 5,112,547

3 96 White Salmon River 102 Mount Adams West 46 09 41 121 37 27 606,207 5,112,687

Table 3. Upstream boundary points of shorelines, as defined in the Shoreline Management Act of 1971, that are located where the mean annual 

discharge is equal to 20 cubic feet per second on streams in southeastern Washington—Continued

Boundary point location

Region 

No.

Map 

site 

No.

(See 

plate 1)

Stream

Mean annual 

precipitation

(inches)

Quadrangle (7.5 minute)

Latitude Longitude

UTM 

Easting Northing

(degrees, minutes, 

seconds) (meters)
Table 3 15

Spokane County

4 97 Coulee Creek 16 Nine Mile Falls 47 45 08 117 32 54 458,896 5,288,700

4 98 Rock Creek 19 North East Fairfield 47 26 23 117 06 07 492,311 5,253,823

Walla Walla County

5 99 Dry Creek 27 Buroker 46 07 12 118 13 07 405,837 5,107,911

5 100 Wetstone Hollow 20 Prescott 46 18 50 118 17 06 401,056 5,129,533

Whitman County

4 101 Cottonwood Creek 18 Ewan 47 06 57 117 39 01 450,660 5,218,045

4 102 Fourmile Creek 25 Albion 46 50 07 117 09 54 487,404 5,186,670

4 103 Palouse River, South Fork – Pullman 46 42 56 117 09 49 487,492 5,173,356

4 104 Pine Creek 21 Oakesdale 47 08 45 117 11 07 485,947 5,221,194

Yakima County

2 105 Ahtanum Creek, North Fork 57 Foundation Ridge 46 30 51 121 03 30 648,948 5,152,814

2 106 Ahtanum Creek, South Fork 53 Pine Mountain 46 30 31 120 55 06 659,695 5,152,457

2 107 American Lake 90 Cougar Lake 46 51 30 121 26 37 618,633 5,190,406

3 108 Big Muddy Creek 105 Mount Adams East 46 11 11 121 24 36 622,698 5,115,779

3 109 Bird Creek 92 King Mountain 46 06 36 121 25 45 621,385 5,107,254

3 110 Brush Creek 29 McKays Butte 46 07 59 120 59 40 654,907 5,110,585

2 111 Bumping River 100 Cougar Lake 46 46 06 121 24 55 620,984 5,180,428

3 112 Butte Meadows 68 Fairview Ridge 46 27 41 121 12 34 637,477 5,146,659

2 113 Clear Creek, South Fork 84 Spiral Butte 46 39 06 121 20 22 627,065 5,167,581

3 114 Clearwater Creek 63 Glaciate Butte 46 18 36 121 23 58 623,226 5,129,514

2 115 Conrad Creek 93 Pinegrass Ridge 46 30 01 121 20 53 626,744 5,150,754

2 116 Cougar Creek 91 Cougar Lake 46 49 42 121 22 35 623,822 5,187,168

3 117 Crawford Creek 65 Windy Point 46 16 38 121 21 07 626,975 5,125,964

2 118 Crow Creek 88 Goose Prairie 46 59 41 121 22 26 623,626 5,205,649

2 119 Deep Creek 92 Bumping Lake 46 45 27 121 20 54 626,125 5,179,338

3 120 Diamond Fork 68 Fairview Ridge 46 27 54 121 11 55 638,310 5,147,086

2 121 Dry Creek 66 Glenwood 46 04 26 121 19 41 629,273 5,103,417

3 122 Dry Creek1 19 Logy Creek North East 46 13 46 120 37 17 683,417 5,122,089

3 123 Gotchen Creek 86 King Mountain 46 04 59 121 29 09 617,053 5,104,199

3 124 Hellroaring Creek 103 Mount Adams East 46 09 35 121 24 56 622,323 5,112,812

3 125 Huckleberry Creek 68 Jennies Butte 46 25 21 121 20 00 628,068 5,142,141

2 126 Indian Creek 79 Spiral Butte 46 41 04 121 18 03 629,917 5,171,315

3 127 Klickitat River 95 Walupt Lake 46 27 15 121 23 29 623,529 5,145,562

3 128 Little Muddy Creek 93 Glaciate Butte 46 16 00 121 23 06 624,442 5,124,742

2 129 Little Naches River, South 

Fork

94 Raven Roost 47 02 57 121 20 35 625,842 5,211,768

2 130 Logy Creek1 26 Logy Creek Falls 46 08 09 120 38 19 682,386 5,111,639

3 131 McCreedy Creek 50 Windy Point 46 19 54 121 15 10 634,465 5,132,174

3 132 Morrison Creek 114 Mount Adams West 46 07 40 121 31 02 614,549 5,109,109

Table 3. Upstream boundary points of shorelines, as defined in the Shoreline Management Act of 1971, that are located where the mean annual 

discharge is equal to 20 cubic feet per second on streams in southeastern Washington—Continued

Boundary point location

Region 

No.

Map 

site 

No.

(See 

plate 1)

Stream

Mean annual 

precipitation

(inches)

Quadrangle (7.5 minute)

Latitude Longitude

UTM 

Easting Northing

(degrees, minutes, 

seconds) (meters)
16 Upstream Boundary Points on Southeastern Washington Streams and Rivers

Yakima County—Continued

3 133 Muddy Fork2 101 Glaciate Butte 46 16 26 121 28 32 617,445 5,125,412

3 134 Piscoe Creek 53 Castile Falls 46 21 39 121 09 10 642,104 5,135,596

2 135 Rainier Fork 87 Norse Peak 46 53 29 121 27 15 617,751 5,194,051

2 136 Rattlesnake Creek 73 Rimrock Lake 46 43 52 121 14 04 634,894 5,176,601

3 137 Rusk Creek 98 Mount Adams East 46 11 33 121 23 48 623,705 5,116,492

2 138 Satus Creek1 24 Kusshi Creek 46 02 13 120 35 06 686,867 5,100,779

2 139 Simcoe Creek 46 Medicine Valley 46 26 46 120 51 34 664,398 5,145,646

3 140 Surveyors Creek 36 Signal Peak 46 12 27 121 12 45 637,890 5,118,445

3 141 Swamp Creek 70 Jungle Butte 46 12 58 121 20 20 628,111 5,119,203

3 142 Tepee Creek 31 Poland Butte 46 08 55 121 03 24 650,061 5,112,184

2 143 Tieton River, North Fork 106 Old Snowy Mountain 46 31 42 121 24 39 621,873 5,153,782

2 144 Toppenish Creek 35 Willy Dick Canyon 46 15 07 120 57 09 657,807 5,123,894

3 145 Trappers Creek 72 Windy Point 46 17 17 121 22 11 625,578 5,127,152

3 146 Trout Creek 36 Signal Peak 46 07 59 121 11 26 639,767 5,110,232

2 147 Union Creek 82 Norse Peak 46 56 57 121 22 45 623,326 5,200,570

3 148 Unnamed tributary of Fish 

Lake Stream

55 Glaciate Butte 46 21 57 121 27 29 618,609 5,135,641

3 149 Unnamed tributary of Gotchen 

Creek

71 King Mountain 46 03 47 121 27 31 619,206 5,101,996

3 150 White Creek 34 Poland Butte 46 07 37 121 04 30 648,715 5,109,741

1Upstream boundary point location was determined using an adjusted discharge of 4.7 ft3/s instead of 20 ft3/s on the basis of the ratio of the regression 

discharge (26 ft3/s) to the published discharge (110 ft3/s) at streamflow-gaging station 12508500 located downstream on Satus Creek. 2Although Muddy Fork is located west of the Cascade Range crest, it was included wth this study so that it could be presented with the other 

“shoreline” streams in Yakima County, all of which are located east of the crest (Kresch, 1998b, p. 2).

Table 3. Upstream boundary points of shorelines, as defined in the Shoreline Management Act of 1971, that are located where the mean annual 

discharge is equal to 20 cubic feet per second on streams in southeastern Washington—Continued

Boundary point location

Region 

No.

Map 

site 

No.

(See 

plate 1)

Stream

Mean annual 

precipitation

(inches)

Quadrangle (7.5 minute)

Latitude Longitude

UTM 

Easting Northing

(degrees, minutes, 

seconds) (meters)
Table 4 17

Table 4. Upstream boundary points of shorelines of statewide significance, as defined in the Shoreline Management Act of 1971, that are located 

where discharge is 200 cubic feet per second or where drainage area is 300 square miles on rivers in southeastern Washington—Continued

Region 

No.

Map 

site 

No.

(See 

plate 1)

River

Mean annual 

precipitation

(inches)

Quadrangle (7.5 minute)

Boundary point location

Latitude Longitude

UTM

Easting Northing

(degrees, minutes, 

seconds) (meters)

Asotin County

5 A Asotin Creek1 23 Asotin 46 19 37 117 06 12 492,032 5,130,186

Columbia County

5 B Tucannon River1 23 Delaney 46 30 31 117 59 41 423,675 5,150,830

Columbia and Walla Walla Counties

5 C Touchet River1 26 Waitsburg 46 16 20 118 09 12 411,109 5,124,743

Kittitas County

1 D Cle Elum River 114 The Cradle 47 30 07 121 03 24 646,342 5,262,581

1 E Cooper River 98 Polallie Ridge 47 25 16 121 09 30 638,906 5,253,395

1 F Kachess Lake, Outlet 73 Kachess Lake 47 15 42 121 12 07 636,023 5,235,590

1 G Keechelus Lake, Outlet 97 Stampede Pass 47 19 19 121 20 15 625,621 5,242,094

1 H Teanaway River 44 Teanaway Butte 47 15 05 120 52 36 660,650 5,235,084

1 I Waptus River 114 Polallie Ridge 47 29 36 121 09 12 639,075 5,261,447

Kittitas and Yakima Counties

2 J Little Naches River 83 Mount Clifty 47 03 57 121 13 27 634,846 5,213,810

Lincoln County

4 K Crab Creek1 15 Sprague Lake 47 21 10 118 07 31 415,010 5,244,767

Skamania County

3 L Lava Creek 80 Willard 45 48 17 121 41 27 601,709 5,072,983

3 M Trout Lake Creek 84 Sleeping Beauty 46 04 01 121 38 05 605,582 5,102,198

3 N White Salmon River 100 Trout Lake 46 03 37 121 32 57 612,202 5,101,573

Spokane County

4 O Hangman Creek1 23 Spangle East 47 29 34 117 19 35 475,416 5,259,760

Whitman County

4 P Pine Creek1 20 Pine City 47 11 46 117 32 08 459,425 5,226,892

Table 4. Upstream boundary points of shorelines of statewide significance, as defined in the Shoreline Management Act of 1971, that are located where 

discharge is 200 cubic feet per second or where drainage area is 300 square miles on rivers in southeastern Washington

[Mean annual precipitation: for basins above upstream boundary points; Boundary point location: given in both latitude-longitude coordinates and 

Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM) grid coordinates; points west of 120 degrees longitude are given in UTM zone 10 coordinates and points east of 

120 degrees longitude are given in UTM zone 11 coordinates]
18 Upstream Boundary Points on Southeastern Washington Streams and Rivers

Yakima County

2 Q American River 84 Goose Prairie 46 56 05 121 20 27 626,288 5,199,038

2 R Bumping Lake, Outlet 82 Bumping Lake 46 52 23 121 17 48 629,799 5,192,257

3 S Klickitat River 65 Castile Falls 46 22 27 121 11 35 638,961 5,137,005

3 T Klickitat River, West Fork 56 Windy Point 46 16 30 121 18 40 630,124 5,125,774

2 U Satus Creek 18 Toppenish South West 46 15 12 120 23 46 700,695 5,125,308

2 V Tieton River 74 Spiral Butte 46 37 47 121 16 04 632,588 5,165,268

1Upstream boundary point locations where the drainage equals 300 square miles.

Table 4. Upstream boundary points of shorelines of statewide significance, as defined in the Shoreline Management Act of 1971, that are located 

where discharge is 200 cubic feet per second or where drainage area is 300 square miles on rivers in southeastern Washington—Continued

Region 

No.

Map 

site 

No.

(See 

plate 1)

River

Mean annual 

precipitation

(inches)

Quadrangle (7.5 minute)

Boundary point location

Latitude Longitude

UTM

Easting Northing

(degrees, minutes, 

seconds) (meters)
Printed on recycled paper

Determination of Upstream Boundary Points on Southeastern Washington Streams and Rivers

Under the Requirements of the Shoreline Management Act of 1971

WRIR 03-4042 Higgins

Printed on recycled paper

WRIR 03-4042 Higgins