The Spit

Hood River, Oregon

The Spit is the large delta of the Hood River that formed in the Columbia in the 2006 floods by a debris flow that came off Mt. Hood. The delta reaches far out into the Columbia allowing access to both the Columbia and Hood Rivers. Walk to the end of the spit and you feel like you are in the middle of the Columbia (and you are!). The Spit's sandy beaches are great for kiteboarding, swimming, picnicing, and spectating, and they can get quite busy on a hot day. Enjoy the beautiful gorge views and colorful kites and sails on a windy day. The Spit is probably the most popular off-leash dog area in Hood River, so beware that you will likely run into happy dogs that are off leash and romping in the sand and water. There are picnic tables, garbage cans, and doggy bags at the parking area. Beware of currents where the Hood and Columbia Rivers meet, and please pick up after pets.
In the past, Columbia Riverkeeper volunteers have monitored this site as part of their Volunteer Water Quality Monitoring Program. If you are interested in adopting this site contact Columbia Riverkeeper (www.columbiariverkeeper.org).
For information on bacteria conditions in the Hood River near this site see the "Hood River Pedestrian Bridge" in the Swim Guide.

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Water Quality

No data available
Current Status
This status is based on the latest sample. Columbia Riverkeeper updates the status of this beach as soon as test results become available.

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Current Weather

17°C

Clear

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Monitoring Frequency

Source Information

The Oregon state water quality standard provides that a single sample shall not exceed 406 E.coli colonies/100 mL of water and the geometric mean of 5 samples within 30 days shall not exceed 126 colonies/100 mL. The EPA recommended standard is more protective and provides that a single sample shall not exceed 235 colonies/100mL and the geometric mean of 5 samples within 30 days shall not exceed 126 colonies/100mL. The Swim Guide will utilize the EPA standard for Oregon beaches.

There is currently very limited water quality monitoring of Oregon's inland swim beaches. The federal Beach Act does not cover freshwater or riverine beaches, and the state of Oregon does not monitor swim beaches or recreation sites on the Columbia. Columbia Riverkeeper monitors recreation sites in the Columbia River Gorge through their Volunteer Water Quality Monitoring Program. Most sites are sampled monthly and high priority sites are sampled weekly from June-September.

The Swim Guide's safety ratings are based solely on E.coli levels. While E.coli concentration is a useful indicator of fecal contamination, there are many other potential sources of pollution that are not reflected in the Swim Guide. These include other bacteria, heavy metals, pharmaceuticals, and pesticides that may harm aquatic life. On the Columbia and other salmon rivers, high temperatures threaten fish that need cold water. If you are interested in getting involved or learning more about the Columbia River, visit <A HREF="http://www.columbiariverkeeper.org">www.columbiariverkeeper.org</A>.

Water Quality Graph