Nichols Basin Recreation Beach

Hood River, Oregon
Managed by Columbia Riverkeeper

The Nichols Boat Basin is located just to the West of the mouth of the Hood River. It was dredged in the early 1960’s to provide a small marina and launching area for Nichols Boat Works, but the Boat Basin now serves a very different purpose. Off the main channel of the Columbia, the basin offers a flat water location which is popular among beginning sailors, kayakers, stand up paddlers and swimmers.
There are nearby bathrooms at the Event Site and the Spit.

Get directions to this beach
WATER QUALITY
  • Meets water quality standards
  • Current Status
  • This status is based on the latest sample, taken on September 11th, 2019. Columbia Riverkeeper updates the status of this beach as soon as test results become available. These results were posted to Swim Guide on at
For water quality icon legend, click:   
CURRENT WEATHER
12°C
Cloudy with a few clear breaks
  • Report Pollution
MONITORING FREQUENCY

Nichols Basin Recreation Beach is sampled weekly from May 15th to September 20th

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 www.columbiariverkeeper.org.

WATER QUALITY GRAPH

Nichols Basin Recreation Beach

Hood River, Oregon
Managed by Columbia Riverkeeper
WATER QUALITY
  • Meets water quality standards
  • Current Status
  • This status is based on the latest sample, taken on September 11th, 2019. Columbia Riverkeeper updates the status of this beach as soon as test results become available. These results were posted to Swim Guide on at
For water quality icon legend, click:   
CURRENT WEATHER
12°C
Cloudy with a few clear breaks

The Nichols Boat Basin is located just to the West of the mouth of the Hood River. It was dredged in the early 1960’s to provide a small marina and launching area for Nichols Boat Works, but the Boat Basin now serves a very different purpose. Off the main channel of the Columbia, the basin offers a flat water location which is popular among beginning sailors, kayakers, stand up paddlers and swimmers.
There are nearby bathrooms at the Event Site and the Spit.

Get directions to this beach
  • Report Pollution
MONITORING FREQUENCY

Nichols Basin Recreation Beach is sampled weekly from May 15th to September 20th

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 www.columbiariverkeeper.org.

WATER QUALITY GRAPH



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