Scappoose Bay is a slough of Multnomah Channel, a distributary of 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 ...

, about upstream of where the channel meets the Columbia River in Columbia County, Oregon, United States. It is surrounded by a broad wetland area full of small ponds and other waterways across from

Sauvie Island Sauvie Island, in the U.S. state of Oregon, originally Wapato Island or Wappatoo Island, is the largest island along the Columbia River, at , and one of the largest river islands in the United States. It lies approximately ten miles northwest ...

. It lies between

Scappoose Scappoose is a city in Columbia County, Oregon, United States. It was named for a nearby stream, which drains the southern part of the county. The name "Scappoose" is of Native American origin, and is said to mean "gravelly plain."

to the south and St. Helens to the north. A few small streams, including Milton Creek and Scappoose Creek drain from the east slopes of the

Oregon Coast Range The Oregon Coast Range, often called simply the Coast Range and sometimes the Pacific Coast Range, is a mountain range, in the Pacific Coast Ranges physiographic region, in the U.S. state of Oregon along the Pacific Ocean. This north-south ru ...

into the bay. Lying in the upper portion of the Columbia River Estuary, Scappoose Bay is tidal but is a freshwater body. The original inhabitants of the Scappoose Bay area were the

Chinookan peoples Chinookan peoples include several groups of Indigenous people of the Pacific Northwest in the United States who speak the Chinookan languages. Since at least 4000 BCE Chinookan peoples have resided along the Lower and Middle Columbia River ( ...

who hunted, fished, and gathered in the area. During the 19th century, American settlers developed the area, clearing land for farming. Wood product manufacturing began in the early 20th Century. Three now-defunct factories left behind hazardous materials. Scappoose Bay is an important home for several fish species. Sturgeon poaching has become a problem there in recent years. An advisory from the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality against consuming fish and shellfish from the bay remains in effect due to contamination from former industrial activity.

References

{{reflist Tributaries of the Columbia River Columbia County, Oregon