Outer Hook

Hood River, Oregon

A steeper, rocky slope leads down to the Columbia River at the Outer Hook. For windsurfers, the launch is a tougher one but worth the effort. It’s uncommon to find many swimmers here, but the wading is refreshing and the view of Wells Island on the Columbia makes for the perfect foreground for a stunning sunset. Columbia Riverkeeper monitors this site for E. coli throughout the summer.

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COVID-19

Keep your distance from other people.

Practicing social distancing is still essential. Only go to the beach if you are able to keep 6 feet or 2 meters away from others. Follow the instructions provided by your local health authorities. If your community has asked that you remain indoors and away from others, do so. Spending a day in any crowded place is the worst thing we can do for our most vulnerable right now and will counter our efforts to curb the virus’s spread.

Water Quality

Passed water quality tests at least 95% of the time
Historical Status
This status is based on the latest sample, taken on September 28th, 2022. Columbia Riverkeeper updates the status of this beach as soon as test results become available. These results were posted to Swim Guide on September 29th, 2022 at 7:48 PM.

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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