Dairy Creek is a tributary of the

Tualatin River The Tualatin River is a tributary of the Willamette River in Oregon in the United States. The river is about long, and it drains a fertile farming region called the Tualatin Valley southwest and west of Portland at the northwest corner of the ...

in the U.S. state of

Oregon Oregon ( , ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while t ...

. It begins at the confluence of its east and west forks near the unincorporated community of Schefflin and meanders southeast across the

Tualatin Valley The Tualatin Valley is a farming and suburban region southwest of Portland, Oregon. The valley is formed by the meandering Tualatin River, a tributary of the Willamette River at the northwest corner of the Willamette Valley, east of the Northe ...

to the Tualatin River near Hillsboro, in Washington County. East Fork Dairy Creek begins at in Columbia County, slightly north of its border with Washington County, and flows generally south for . West Fork Dairy Creek, also about long, forms at , near the unincorporated community of Tophill, and flows generally southeast. Before railroads displaced river boats on the Tualatin, some steamships also worked the lower section of Dairy Creek, with plans to go as far up stream as Centerville.

Course

Main stem

The roughly main stem of Dairy Creek begins at at the confluence of its east and west forks. Flowing southeast, it receives Council Creek from the right from the mouth and McKay Creek from the left less than later. It passes under

Oregon Route 8 Oregon Route 8, also known as Oregon Highway 8, is an Oregon Oregon ( , ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., with the Columbia River delineating much of Oreg ...

(Tualatin Valley Highway) west of Hillsboro about from the mouth before entering the Tualatin River about from its confluence with the

Willamette River The Willamette River ( ) is a major tributary of the Columbia River, accounting for 12 to 15 percent of the Columbia's flow. The Willamette's main stem is long, lying entirely in northwestern Oregon in the United States. Flowing northward ...

West Fork

For roughly its first , West Fork Dairy Creek flows south from near Tophill in northwestern Washington County. It passes under

Oregon Route 47 Oregon Route 47 is an Oregon state highway that runs between the Willamette Valley, near McMinnville, Oregon, McMinnville, and the city of Clatskanie, Oregon, Clatskanie, along the Columbia River in the northwest part of the state. OR 47 ...

twice, receives Cummings Creek from the right and Williams Creek from the left, and passes slightly west of

Buxton Buxton is a spa town in the High Peak, Derbyshire, Borough of High Peak, Derbyshire, in the East Midlands region of England. It is England's highest market town, sited at some above sea level.Alston, Cumbria also claims this, but lacks a regu ...

from the main stem. Shortly thereafter, it crosses under

U.S. Route 26 U.S. Highway 26 (US 26) is an east–west United States Numbered Highway that runs from Seaside, Oregon, to Ogallala, Nebraska. When the U.S. Numbered Highway System was first defined, it was limited to Nebraska and Wyoming; by the 1950s, it c ...

(Sunset Highway) and turns southeast. Running parallel to and south of Route 26 and the

concurrent Concurrent means happening at the same time. Concurrency, concurrent, or concurrence may refer to: Law * Concurrence, in jurisprudence, the need to prove both ''actus reus'' and ''mens rea'' * Concurring opinion (also called a "concurrence"), a ...

Route 47 for about , it receives Burgholzer Creek from the right and Mendenhall Creek from the left, before again passing under Route 26, still concurrent with Route 47. Flowing parallel to and north of the highway for about another , West Fork Dairy Creek receives Whitcher Creek from the left, Kuder Creek from the right, and Garrigus Creek from the left before flowing south under Route 26 for the third and last time from the confluence of the east and west forks. The west fork passes under Route 47, no longer concurrent with Route 26, from the confluence. Shortly thereafter, the stream flows by

Banks A bank is a financial institution that accepts deposits from the public and creates a demand deposit while simultaneously making loans. Lending activities can be directly performed by the bank or indirectly through capital markets. As banks ...

, which lies to its left. Below Banks, the stream receives Cedar Canyon Creek from the right, passes under

Oregon Route 6 Oregon Route 6 is a state highway in the U.S. state of Oregon that runs between the city of Tillamook on the Oregon Coast, to the Willamette Valley, near Banks. OR 6 traverses the Wilson River Highway No. 37 of the Oregon state highway ...

at from the confluence, turns east about later and flows under Route 47 again. It receives Lousignont Canal from the right about from the confluence before joining the East Fork Dairy Fork to form the main stem.

East Fork

From its headwaters, East Fork Dairy Creek flows south for less than through Columbia County before entering Washington County from its confluence with the west fork. Over its next , it receives Campbell Creek and Roundy Creek, both from the right, Panther Creek and Rock Creek, both from the left, Denny Creek from the right, Plentywater Creek and Meadow Brook Creek, both from the left, and Murtaugh Creek and Big Canyon, both from the right. At from the confluence, the stream passes

United States Geological Survey The United States Geological Survey (USGS), founded as the Geological Survey, is an agency of the U.S. Department of the Interior whose work spans the disciplines of biology, geography, geology, and hydrology. The agency was founded on Mar ...

(USGS) gauge 14205400. East Fork Dairy Creek flows under U.S. Route 26 about later. About downstream from Route 26, it receives Bledsoe Creek from the right before joining West Fork Dairy Creek to form the main stem.

Discharge

The USGS monitors the flow of East Fork Dairy Creek at a station near the unincorporated community of Meacham Corner, from the confluence with the west fork and about from the mouth of Dairy Creek. The average flow at this station is . This is from a drainage area of , about 15 percent of the total Dairy Creek watershed. The maximum flow recorded there was in January 2003, and the minimum flow was in September 2007.

References

External links

Dairy - McKay Watershed Analysis
- Tualatin River Watershed Council {{authority control Tualatin River Rivers of Oregon Rivers of Washington County, Oregon