USDA Report on Water and Related Land Resources, South Coast Drainage Basin, Oregon

Excerpts from the report: The South Coast Drainage Basin of Oregon includes all coastal watersheds between the Umpqua River and the California state line except the Rogue River watershed. The basin has an area of 2,985 square miles, which is 3.1 percent of the area of the State of Oregon, and it includes portions of the Southern Coast Range and Klamath Mountains physiographic areas. The topography is characterized by a relatively narrow coastal plain and by narrow alluvial valleys extending into a mountainous interior. Approximately 58 percent of the basin is privately owned and 42 percent is publicly owned. About 89 percent of the basin is forested land; 4 percent is rangeland; 3 percent is cropland; and 4 percent is devoted to other uses. For the purpose of this report, the South Coast Basin is divided into four subbasins. Subbasin 1, 2, and 3, the Sixes, Coquille, and Coos Subbasins, respectively, are north of the Rogue River Basin while subbasin 4, the Chetco Subbasin, is between the Rogue River Basin and the California state line. This report presents information concerning the water and related land resources of the South Coast Drainage Basin and is the result of a cooperative study by the U. S. Department of Agriculture and the State Water Resources Board of Oregon. The broad objectives of the cooperative survey were to gather basic data and information pertinent to the use and control of water for agriculture in the area, to highlight such major water related problems as erosion, flood prevention, and drainage, and to outline a general program for water and related land resource management to be used as a background for future detailed study and planning.