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29:
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425:. The East Fork as well as the main course north of where both forks come together flow south to north. The West Fork starts in Badger Canyon by heading south, but slowly wraps around along with the topography of the canyon to flow out of it northbound. There is an easily visible
735:
with the floodwater. Though the floodplain upstream of the golf course served its purpose well, the upper two reservoirs were filled with four feet of sediment, decreasing the depth to between 12 and 18 inches (30 to 46 cm). This starkly raised temperatures in the creek.
572:
Amon Basin is a bowl-shaped area upstream of the Meadow
Springs Country Club which holds both the West Fork and the East Fork of Amon Creek. While the two forks pass within about a third of a mile of each other, their confluence is about a mile upstream.
730:
connected by culverts. This made fish passage through the golf course on the West Fork nearly impossible. The East Fork was left in its natural state. Conditions on the West Fork further worsened in 1998 when a KID canal broke, causing release of
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In 2008, over 16 tons of illegally dumped trash were removed from the newly established Amon Creek Nature
Preserve along the West Fork directly upstream of the golf course. Volunteers also removed 14 broken-down vehicles.
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canals are full. Above
Interstate 82, the East Fork is usually dry except in times of heavy snow melt or rainfall. After passing under I-82 and entering Kennewick, the East Fork is largely used as a wasteway for
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The West Fork of Amon Creek rises in Badger Canyon southwest of
Richland. It flows through the canyon parallel to Badger Road until near Cottonwood Elementary School, where it breaks away and flows under
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to the west of Badger Road. From there it flows through the Amon Creek
Natural Preserve. After that it flows into the Meadow Springs Country Club where it meets the East Fork.
599:
There are several recreational opportunities along the length of the creek. South of
Thompson Hill, many people make use of small two-track roads that cross the East Fork for
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The flow in the West Fork mainly comes from springs in and around Badger Canyon whereas the flow in the East Fork is primarily runoff from nearby irrigation canals.
814:
879:
715:. The Yakima River then formed and flowed through Badger Canyon and the Amon Basin, which were carved by the Columbia. Around 10,000 years ago, the
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Around 8 million years ago, as the
Cascade Mountains were starting to rise, the Columbia River changed its course to flow through what is now
665:, however summer water temperatures, which can exceed 74 °F (23 °C), can be lethal to fish populations. The creek also serves as an
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603:. On the West Fork just north of I-82, there is the Amon Creek Nature Preserve in Amon Basin which includes several trails for
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The East and West Forks of Amon Creek come together at the Meadow
Springs Country Club in Richland. It then flows north in a
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through residential portions of
Richland. After passing under Columbia Park Trail, the creek enters the dense forest of the
692:
In Amon Basin, there are about a half dozen beaver dams which form small ponds along the length of the creek in that area.
723:
area for the Yakima River to flow through. The West Fork now utilizes the canyons left by the Yakima and
Columbia Rivers.
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and observing the wildlife. The confluence of the two forks is in the Meadow Springs Country Club, which is an 18-hole
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along most of the length of the main course, along with the West Fork up Badger Canyon and the East Fork until I-82.
417:. From the source of its East Fork to its mouth at the Yakima, it flows about 13 miles (21 km), passing through
183:
580:
along the West Fork where several different kinds of animals can be seen. Outside of the riparian zone, one finds
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In 1970, the West Fork was altered to provide irrigation to the new Meadow Springs Country Club. They built four
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The entire course of Amon Creek, as well as its two forks, is within Benton County. The creek flows through the
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611:. At the mouth of the creek in the Yakima River Delta there is a dense forest administered by the
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13 mi (21 km) Length measured from the East Fork Source to Mouth at the Yakima River.
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The basin extends further south along the West Fork than it does along the East Fork.
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The Amon Basin has unique ecological significance to the area, especially in the
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808:"Natural Streamflow Estimates for Watersheds in the Lower Yakima River"
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U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Amon Canyon
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is also popular along the entire length of the creek as many migrant
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476:. Only about 1% of the discharge into the Yakima River is natural.
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before ending at the Yakima River a mile from where it meets the
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species have been spotted. In some years, these can include
449:. Because of this, the creek serves an important role as an
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around it. The basin around the creek serves as a home to
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around the creek while they are in the Columbia Basin.
931:"Salmon Take a Liking to Small Yakima River Tributary"
703:
have contributed to the fish population in the creek.
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south of Kennewick and typically only flows when the
60:Location of the mouth of Amon Creek in Washington
1007:
845:. Tapteal Greenway Association. Archived from
719:further altered the landscape, opening up the
584:as well as animal life that is typical of the
649:on the West Fork of Amon Creek in Amon Basin
962:"Amon Creek Addition Key Piece of Parkland"
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653:Below Meadow Springs Country Club, several
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497:The East Fork of Amon Creek rises in the
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904:. Lower Columbia Basin Audubon Society.
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813:. Sunnyside Valley Irrigation District.
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615:which holds many trails for hiking and
33:The West Fork of Amon Creek in Richland
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832:
790:elevation for GNIS source coordinates.
1036:Protected areas of Washington (state)
323:62.24 sq mi (161.2 km)
894:
1031:Rivers of Benton County, Washington
355:54 cu ft/s (1.5 m/s)
13:
80:
52:
16:River in Washington, United States
14:
1052:
964:. Tri-City Herald. Archived from
933:. Tri-City Herald. Archived from
882:from the original on 8 April 2013
820:from the original on 5 March 2016
908:from the original on 13 May 2011
689:have been spotted in the creek.
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72:
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1041:Tributaries of the Yakima River
88:Amon Creek (Washington (state))
781:
459:
264: • coordinates
177: • coordinates
91:Show map of Washington (state)
1:
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512:Kennewick Irrigation District
138:Physical characteristics
63:Show map of the United States
1026:Rivers of Washington (state)
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303: • elevation
216: • elevation
7:
876:"Amon Creek Fish Passage 2"
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669:with heightened amounts of
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341: • location
240: • location
156: • location
10:
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514:(KID). It then flows past
351: • average
220:1,688 ft (515 m)
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388: • right
307:351 ft (107 m)
988:"Amon Basin Earthcache"
878:. State of Washington.
553:0.5 miles (0.8 km)
545:1.1 miles (1.8 km)
378: • left
1021:Tri-Cities, Washington
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286:46.24722°N 119.26139°W
199:46.09667°N 119.26722°W
644:
537:500 feet (200 m)
695:It is believed that
392:East Fork Amon Creek
382:West Fork Amon Creek
291:46.24722; -119.26139
204:46.09667; -119.26722
902:"Birding Locations"
364:Basin features
282: /
195: /
1016:Horse Heaven Hills
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499:Horse Heaven Hills
470:Yakima River Delta
750:Zintel Canyon Dam
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447:Cascade mountains
439:semi-arid climate
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717:Missoula Floods
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534:Floor elevation
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990:. Groundspeak
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937:on 2013-04-08
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849:on 2012-11-04
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701:Yakama Nation
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623:Bird watching
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487:Interstate 82
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427:riparian zone
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411:Benton County
408:
405:of the Lower
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257:United States
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249:Benton County
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162:Benton County
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109:United States
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992:. Retrieved
982:
970:. Retrieved
966:the original
939:. Retrieved
935:the original
910:. Retrieved
896:
884:. Retrieved
851:. Retrieved
847:the original
843:"Amon Basin"
822:. Retrieved
788:Google Earth
783:
738:
725:
710:
694:
691:
687:River otters
652:
629:utilize the
621:
598:
590:
575:
571:
496:
483:
463:
455:
436:
407:Yakima River
398:
397:
234:Yakima River
721:Horn Rapids
713:Wallula Gap
699:run by the
609:golf course
601:off-roading
460:Main course
443:rain shadow
369:Tributaries
289: /
277:119°15′41″W
202: /
190:119°16′02″W
1010:Categories
756:References
728:reservoirs
671:vegetation
647:beaver dam
595:Recreation
566:Amon Creek
529:Amon Basin
522:Amon Basin
503:irrigation
415:Washington
399:Amon Creek
320:Basin size
274:46°14′50″N
253:Washington
187:46°05′48″N
166:Washington
118:Washington
22:Amon Creek
631:ecosystem
582:sagebrush
558:Geography
493:East Fork
480:West Fork
419:Kennewick
403:tributary
332:Discharge
128:Kennewick
906:Archived
880:Archived
815:Archived
744:See also
733:sediment
637:Wildlife
578:wetlands
516:orchards
474:Columbia
423:Richland
245:Richland
132:Richland
101:Location
707:History
683:beavers
445:of the
441:in the
106:Country
994:20 Feb
972:20 Feb
941:20 Feb
912:20 Feb
886:20 Feb
853:20 Feb
824:20 Feb
659:salmon
605:hiking
563:Rivers
542:Length
508:canals
466:canyon
433:Course
372:
335:
312:Length
160:Rural
150:
147:Source
124:Cities
818:(PDF)
811:(PDF)
778:GNIS.
679:quail
675:hares
667:oasis
663:trout
627:birds
613:USACE
550:Width
451:oasis
345:Mouth
230:Mouth
114:State
996:2013
974:2013
943:2013
914:2013
888:2012
855:2013
826:2013
776:USGS
681:and
661:and
655:fish
421:and
409:in
1012::
951:^
922:^
863:^
834:^
795:^
774:,
764:^
685:.
677:,
645:A
619:.
588:.
413:,
255:,
251:,
247:,
168:,
164:,
130:,
998:.
976:.
945:.
916:.
890:.
857:.
828:.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
