108-645: Nescopeck Creek is a 37.5-mile-long (60.4 km) tributary of the Susquehanna River in Luzerne County , Pennsylvania . The creek is in the Coal Region of Pennsylvania. The meaning of the creek's name is "deep black waters". The waters of Nescopeck Creek have difficulty ratings between Class I and Class III. However, during parts of the year, Nescopeck Creek is impossible to navigate due to rapids, flooding, and tight bends. Nescopeck Creek
216-740: A gap in Nescopeck Mountain . In the gap, the creek crosses from Black Creek Township into Nescopeck Township , where it meanders northwest, passing the borough of Nescopeck and entering the Susquehanna River on the border between Nescopeck Township and Columbia County . Nescopeck Creek has more than 200 miles (320 km) of tributaries. This consists of 111 miles (179 km) of named streams and 106 miles (171 km) of unnamed ones. Major streams include Black Creek , two tributaries named Little Nescopeck Creek, Oley Creek, Creasy Creek, and Long Run. There are 13 named streams in
324-507: A length of nearly 20 miles (32 km). It is considerably steeper and higher on its northern side, at least in the United States Geological Survey quadrangle of Berwick. The ridge is too rocky for agriculture , with large boulders being abundant on it. Nescopeck Mountain is part of a long chain of continuously forested mountains and ridges that stretches from Moosic Mountain to the Susquehanna River. It
432-400: A new river, to be given its own name, perhaps one already known to the people who live upon its banks. Conversely, explorers approaching a new land from the sea encounter its rivers at their mouths, where they name them on their charts, then, following a river upstream, encounter each tributary as a forking of the stream to the right and to the left, which then appear on their charts as such; or
540-534: A number of rapids . At its mouth, Nescopeck Creek carries 914.9 pounds (415.0 kg) of aluminum , 1,285 pounds (583 kg) of iron , and 1,127 pounds (511 kg) of manganese per day. Nescopeck Creek is in the geological region known as the Ridge and Valley region. This region is characterized by fertile valleys and steep ridges. However, the eastern reaches of the Nescopeck Creek watershed are near
648-407: A number of riparian buffers on Nescopeck Creek, of which 80 percent consist of forest. Along parts of Nescopeck Creek, there are a large number of shrub -like oak trees . In the Nescopeck Creek watershed, there are prolific forests of oak , chestnut , and hemlock trees. The entire Nescopeck Creek watershed has a high level of biodiversity , with the most diverse areas being Arbutus Peak,
756-400: A river or stream that branches off from and flows away from the main stream. Distributaries are most often found in river deltas . Right tributary , or right-bank tributary , and left tributary , or left-bank tributary , describe the orientation of the tributary relative to the flow of the main stem river. These terms are defined from the perspective of looking downstream, that is, facing
864-845: A road. Most of the land in the watershed has a slope of 0 to 3 percent, although there are areas with a slope of 8 percent or more. There are five main soil series in the Nescopeck Creek watershed. These are the Hazleton-Dekalb-Buchanan series, the Wellsboro-Oquaga-Morris series, the Leck Kill-Meckesville-Calvin series, the Udorthents-Urban Land-Volusia series, and the Lackawanna-Arnot-Morris series. There are also coal veins in
972-607: A single month was 12.9 cubic feet per second (0.37 m/s) in September 1922. The average discharge of Nescopeck Creek from 1995 to 2002 is 93.7 cubic feet per second (2.65 m/s). From 1996 to 1998, the Jeddo Tunnel discharged an average of 79.4 cubic feet per second (2.25 m/s) of water into Little Nescopeck Creek. There are ten dams on Nescopeck Creek's watershed. The impoundments behind these dams have surface areas of 3 to 154 acres (1.2 to 62.3 ha). Nine of
1080-488: A station on Nescopeck Creek near the community of St. Johns. Two other stream gauging stations have been built on Nescopeck Creek. One of these stations, which was in use from 1949 to 1950 was in Nescopeck. The other, which was in use from 1963 to 1970, was 0.6 miles upstream of Nescopeck Creek's mouth. In the 1990s, some people were caught stealing Native American artifacts at the Nescopeck Creek headwaters. Nescopeck Creek
1188-485: A total of 14 species of amphibians in the Nescopeck Creek watershed, of which 11 breed in the watershed. These species consist of 6 salamanders, 6 frogs , one newt , and one toad . There are seven species of reptiles in the watershed, of which five breed there. Five of these species are snakes and two are turtles . The biodiversity of birds in the watershed is much greater than that of amphibians or reptiles; there are approximately one hundred different species of birds in
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#17327868739531296-585: Is 1,594 feet (486 m) above sea level, making it the highest ridge in Columbia County. Townships that Nescopeck Mountain occupies include Beaver Township , Mifflin Township , and Main Township in Columbia County. The ridge extends into several townships in Luzerne County, including Nescopeck Township , and reaches at least as far east as Nescopeck State Park . Nescopeck Mountain
1404-404: Is 143 square miles (370 km) in area and lies in parts of three counties . Slightly over half of the land in the watershed is deciduous forest. The rest is perennial herbaceous vegetation, mixed vegetation and annual herbaceous vegetation, and barren land. Some sub-watersheds contain as much as 80 percent forest. Almost all of the streams in the watershed are within 330 feet (100 m) of
1512-463: Is Nescopeck Creek's second-largest sub-watershed. The Little Nescopeck Creek A at 14 square miles (36 km), Little Nescopeck Creek B at 8.4 square miles (22 km), Cranberry Creek at 8.4 square miles (22 km), and Oley Creek at 7.2 square miles (19 km) are also among the largest Nescopeck Creek sub-watersheds. Nescopeck Creek's name comes from a Lenape word meaning "deep black waters". Historically, two tribes of Native Americans known as
1620-587: Is a ridge in Columbia County and Luzerne County , in Pennsylvania , in the United States. Its elevation is 1,594 feet (486 m) above sea level . The ridge is a forested ridge, with at least two types of forest and two systems of vernal pools . It is a very long and unbroken ridge with two water gaps: one carved by Catawissa Creek and one carved by Nescopeck Creek . This later gap
1728-449: Is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream ( main stem or "parent" ), river, or a lake . A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean . Tributaries, and the main stem river into which they flow, drain the surrounding drainage basin of its surface water and groundwater , leading the water out into an ocean. The Irtysh is a chief tributary of the Ob river and
1836-411: Is also the longest tributary river in the world with a length of 4,248 km (2,640 mi). The Madeira River is the largest tributary river by volume in the world with an average discharge of 31,200 m /s (1.1 million cu ft/s). A confluence , where two or more bodies of water meet, usually refers to the joining of tributaries. The opposite to a tributary is a distributary ,
1944-408: Is an area with a slope of over 15 percent. The elevation at Nescopeck Creek's mouth and along Nescopeck Creek for a few miles upstream is in the range of 490 to 659 feet (149 to 201 m) above sea level . The elevation of the creek's watershed north of the northernmost line of hills is in the range of 663 to 994 feet (202 to 303 m). The central part of the Nescopeck Creek watershed, south of
2052-652: Is an unbroken ridge, being described as "regular and almost unbroken" in Thomas Francis Gordon's 1832 book A Gazetteer of the State of Pennsylvania . John Gosse Freeze's 1888 book A History of Columbia County, Pennsylvania: From the Earliest Times described the ridge as "beautiful and regular in its formation". It stretches from near the Susquehanna River almost to the Lehigh River and has
2160-481: Is composed of brownish-gray sandstone , siltstone, and shale. Buck Mountain, Mammoth Mountain, and Gamma Mountain are all carved out of the Llewellyn Formation and contain coal seams. The formation was once extensive but has been worn down by erosion over millions of years. The Pottsville Formation also contains a large number of aquifers . This formation is 250 to 300 feet (76 to 91 m) thick, and
2268-472: Is composed of gray conglomerate and sandstone. While there is no anthracite in the Pottsville Formation, it does contain three-foot seams of other varieties of coal. Groundwater from this formation is acidic and high in manganese and iron. The Pottsville Formation makes up the valleys directly surrounding Nescopeck Creek. The Pocono Formation consists of conglomerate and sandstone and surrounds
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#17327868739532376-492: Is considered a cold-water fishery of high quality. There are also seven natural areas in the creek's watershed, some of which contain rare species of plants and animals. On the Hilsenhoff Biotic Index , the streams in the watershed range from 0 to 18. There are 51 genera of macroinvertebrates in the creek's watershed. The habitats in the watershed primarily include mixed forest. Nescopeck Creek's watershed
2484-502: Is considered to be an extension of Catawissa Mountain. The ridge is similar in height to mountains in the vicinity of the Wyoming Valley . The ridge has a topographic prominence of up to approximately 850 feet (260 m) in places and up to 900 feet (270 m) at the Nescopeck Creek water gap. However, it is only 400 to 500 feet (120 to 150 m) high near its western end at Mainville . Interstate 80 crosses through
2592-542: Is home to brown trout and brook trout near its source, but does not have much life further downstream because coal mine waste in Little Nescopeck Creek pollutes the lower reaches of Nesocpeck Creek. In 1999, a study discovered 20 species of fish living in the Nescopeck Creek watershed. Of these, 15 had been observed before in the watershed, and five had not. Nesopeck Creek and its various tributaries are rated Class A to Class D for wild trout. There are
2700-592: Is home to a number of species of trout, although the waters are not always optimal for them. Nescopeck Creek's water is acidic, with a pH as low as 3.6 in some studies. Much of the land in the Nescopeck Creek's watershed is forest. Farmland is common in the lower portions of the Nescopeck Creek watershed and the Little Nescopeck Creek watershed, while coal mines are more common on Nescopeck Creek's tributaries Black Creek , Stony Creek, and Cranberry Creek. A 6-mile (10 km) portion of Nescopeck Creek
2808-903: Is in Columbia County and Luzerne County. From north to south, these rock formations are the Trimmers Rock Formation (from the Devonian Period ), the Spechty Kopf Formation (from the Devonian Period and the Mississippian Period ), and the Onondaga Formation (from the Devonian Period). All three of these formations occur in bands that are at an angle relative to the surface. The Spechty Kopf Formation occurs at
2916-463: Is in the northern part of the watershed. All sub-watersheds of the Nescopeck Creek watershed contain at least 50 percent forest . A number of streams in the upper Nescopeck Creek watershed, in fact, have more than 80 percent forest coverage. Only 55 percent of the Black Creek watershed is covered by forest. Most sub-watersheds of Nescopeck Creek have only a small amount of barren land. However,
3024-492: Is most likely named for a Native American village called Nescopeck. The word nescopeck itself is a corruption of neskchoppeck , which may mean "dirty waters" or "black waters". Historically, there was a Native American village in the vicinity of Nescopeck Mountain, where the borough of Nescopeck is in modern times. Additionally, the Forks Indians arrived at the ridge in 1740 after being evicted from their lands in
3132-718: Is now Nescopeck State Park. By the 1700s, the Lenni Lenape had left the Nescopeck Creek watershed due to encroaching Iroquois and European settlers. There were two major Native American trails in the Nescopeck Creek watershed. These were the Lehigh Path, which is also known as the Warrior Trail, and the Trade Trail. Parts of these trails would become Vine Street and Broad Street in Hazleton, respectively. In
3240-591: Is one source of recreation in the Nescopeck Creek watershed. Nescopeck Creek flows through this state park and on it there are opportunities for trout fishing. Nescopeck Creek takes up 3,350 acres (1,360 ha) of the northwestern part in the Nescopeck Creek watershed. Additionally, there are four golf courses , two community parks , and two Pennsylvania State Game Lands , and ten sites for water-based recreation, including Lake Francis in Nescopeck State Park. A tourist attraction , Eckley Miner's Village,
3348-405: Is situated under the Hazleton valley. The Mauch Chunk Formation contains outcrops of reddish rock. This formation is softer than many of the nearby rock formations. This formation makes up Sugarloaf Mountain and most of the Nescopeck Creek watershed. The Llewellyn Formation contains more coal than any other formation in the Nescopeck Creek watershed. This formation is 1,500 feet (460 m) thick and
Nescopeck Creek - Misplaced Pages Continue
3456-401: Is the longest tributary of Nescopeck Creek, with a length of 24.1 miles (38.8 km). Reilly Creek is a tributary of Nescopeck Creek in the extreme east of the creek's watershed. Only 2 miles (3.2 km) long, it is the shortest named tributary of Nescopeck Creek. From 1919 to 1926, the discharge of Nescopeck Creek at St. Johns was 93.9 cubic feet per second (2.66 m/s). The month with
3564-403: Is the rocky surface and the depth of the bedrock below. The Udorthents-Urban Land-Volusia soil series occurs in the southeastern and parts of the southwestern parts of the Nescopeck Creek watershed. The Lackawanna-Arnot-Morris series is present in nine percent of Nescopeck Creek's watershed. The Lackawanna-Arnot-Morris soil series mostly is near Nescopeck Creek's source, but there is some of it in
3672-525: Is within the Nescopeck Creek watershed. A resort known as the Eagle Rock Resort is in the Nescopeck Creek watershed. Since the late 1990s, there have been plans to convert old railroad lines in the Nescopeck Creek watershed to rail trails . One such plan is to link the Hazleton area to the Delaware and Lehigh National Heritage Corridor . Tributary A tributary , or an affluent ,
3780-558: The Fork Indians and the Delaware Indians lived near the mouth of Nescopeck Creek. Other parts of the Nescopeck Creek watershed were settled by Lenni Lenape Indians . The Lenni Lenape inhabited the Nescopeck Creek watershed a thousand years before European settlers. There is no definitive record of permanent settlements in the interior of Nescopeck Creek's watershed, but temporary Native American settlements existed in what
3888-691: The Pennsylvania State Game Lands Number 58 is on Nescopeck Mountain. Additionally, the Pennsylvania State Game Lands Number 187 contain the Nescopeck Mountain Barrens. The ridge is on the northern border of the 3550-acre Nescopeck State Park . Historically, there were trails leading up to the top of Nescopeck Mountain. There is high visibility from the top of the ridge and the town of Bloomsburg can be seen. The water gap where Catawissa Creek flows between Nescopeck Mountain and Catawissa Mountain
3996-401: The Black Creek watershed is also in this range, as is much of the Nescopeck Creek watershed's northernmost line of hills. Nescopeck Creek's elevation within 2 miles (3.2 km) of its source is in the range of 1,499 to 1,831 feet (457 to 558 m). The upper portion of the Black Creek watershed and the southeastern part of the Nescopeck Creek watershed is also in this range. Scattered parts of
4104-650: The Catskill and Pocono Formations. The Catskill Formation is grayish-red shale, siltstone, and sandstone. A total of 246,594 metric tons (271,823 short tons ) of material have eroded into Nescopeck Creek. Black Creek has the most erosion for an individual stream in the Nescopeck Creek watershed, with 123,825 metric tons (136,494 short tons) of erosion. The main stem of Nescopeck Creek and Little Nescopeck Creek B also have high amounts of erosion, with 74,365 metric tons (81,973 short tons) and 44,876 metric tons (49,467 short tons), respectively. The most common soil series in
4212-536: The Cranberry Creek watershed contains 6.5 percent barren land, the Black Creek watershed contains 14 percent, and the Stony Creek watershed contains 30 percent. The Little Nescopeck Creek watershed contains 30 percent farmland and the Nescopeck Creek watershed contains 24 percent. Other sub-watersheds of Nescopeck Creek range from 2 to 13 percent farmland. There are 910 miles (1,460 km) of roads in
4320-482: The Edgewood vernal pools, and the Nescopeck Creek valley. The creek's southeastern corner contains the highest density of amphibian species in its watershed. The highest density of snake species in the watershed is in the same area. The lowest density of snake species in the watershed is along the central part of Nescopeck Creek. The highest density of bird species in the watershed is in the southern and central part of
4428-627: The Glen Summit Springs Hotel operated on top of Nescopeck Mountain. It was constructed by the Lehigh Valley Railroad Company. During its most active use, it attracted visitors from the Wyoming Valley and from the East Coast of the United States. The Lehigh Valley Railroad historically passed over the ridge. In the late 1800s, the ridge was prospected for coal . The top of Nescopeck Mountain
Nescopeck Creek - Misplaced Pages Continue
4536-473: The HBI drops off by a large amount. Black Creek has an HBI of 0 to 6.6, and this tributary's biodiversity is lower at its headwaters than at its confluence with Nescopeck Creek. Nescopeck Creek's HBI is from 1.7 to 5.4, depending on the site. In Nescopeck Creek, the total number of macroinvertebrate taxa at several sites ranges from 5 to 26. In Little Nescopeck Creek, the values range from 1 to 18. In Black Creek,
4644-601: The Lehigh Valley. As early as 1755, a pair of Moravian missionaries, Christian Seidel and Henry Frey, descended the ridge while visiting Native Americans. In 1838, a man named Mr. Butler requested permission of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives to construct a tunnel or through cut through Nescopeck Mountain for the Lehigh Coal and Navigation Company . In the late 1800s and early 1900s,
4752-498: The Nescopeck Barrens are home to 15 rare species of plants and animals. The Nescopeck Creek valley also contains a number of rare species. The Edgewood vernal pools provide a breeding ground for wood frogs and Jefferson salamanders . The Bird Community Index, a measure of the quality of a habitat based on the presence of songbirds , has been tested for most of the watershed of Nescopeck Creek. The Bird Community Index
4860-431: The Nescopeck Creek watershed consists of mines , quarries , and gravel pits . A total of 95 percent of the Nescopeck Creek watershed is rural . The remaining 5 percent is suburban or urban. Twenty-seven percent of the streams in the Nescopeck Creek watershed are near surface-mining operations and 73 percent are not. Most developed land tends to be located in the southern part of the watershed, while most undeveloped land
4968-515: The Nescopeck Creek watershed has been measured using the DRASTIC system. It is lowest in the headwaters, as well as patches near the creek's mouth, with a value of 69 to 90. Values of 91 to 104 occur in the northern part of the watershed, as well as in scattered patches in the western part. Values of 105 to 115 occur in the southern, southwestern, and part of the central part of the watershed. Some areas with values 116 and higher are scattered throughout
5076-406: The Nescopeck Creek watershed is flat, with a slope of 0 to 3 percent. There are two major lines of hills in the watershed, one of which is in the northern part and the other of which is in the central part of the watershed. These lines of hills have a slope of 3 to 8 percent. In both of the lines of hills, there are patches where the slope is 8 to 15 percent and in the northern line of hills, there
5184-450: The Nescopeck Creek watershed is the Hazleton-Dekalb-Buchanan series. Twenty-six percent of Nescopeck Creek's watershed contains this soil series. Much soil and bedrock in this series has been removed during mining operations. This soil series occurs in the southern part of the Nescopeck Creek watershed, near tributaries such as Black Creek and Stony Creek. The soils in this soil series are highly permeable . Approximately 24 percent of
5292-429: The Nescopeck Creek watershed. The portion of Nescopeck Creek from its mouth upstream to the mouth of Black Creek has a Strahler number of 5. This makes up 8.7 miles (14.0 km) of the streams in the watershed. Most of Black Creek and almost all of Nescopeck Creek upstream of Black Creek has a Strahler number of 4. These make up 43.2 miles (69.5 km) of streams in the creek's watershed. Eight smaller tributaries in
5400-478: The Nescopeck Creek watershed. A total of 29 mammals have been observed in the creek's watershed, including three species of bats , two species of mice , and two species of foxes . The most common habitat in the Nescopeck Creek watershed is the dry-oak mixed forest. Common trees in this habitat include northern red oak , white oak , and chestnut oak . This habitat also contains gray and black birch trees. Pine, hemlock, and some types of oak trees are found on
5508-519: The Nescopeck Creek watershed. Forty percent of the creek's length is within 100 feet (30 m) of a road. Eighty-seven percent of Nescopeck Creek's length is within 332 feet (101 m) of a road. There are 286 miles (460 km) of roads in Nescopeck Creek's main stem sub-watershed. There are 253 miles (407 km) of roads in the Black Creek sub-watershed. The Long Run and Little Nescopeck Creek sub-watersheds also contain close to 122 and 113 miles (196 and 182 km) of roads, respectively. Most of
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#17327868739535616-427: The Nescopeck Creek watershed. The population in the Nescopeck Creek watershed began to increase rapidly around this time. By the 1880s, the patch towns attended over thirty mines in the watershed. However, the coal mining industry in the watershed began to lose value around this time, coal mining was no longer a significant source of industry in the Nescopeck Creek watershed by 1936. In 1830, a forge which made bar iron
5724-504: The Nescopeck Creek watershed. This led to the creation of numerous communities in the Nescopeck Creek watershed, such as White Haven , Freeland , and Hazleton . Additionally, anthracite coal was discovered in 1813. Coal became an important industry for the Nescopeck Creek region by 1836 with the formation of the Hazleton Coal Company. In the 1830s and 1840s, a number of "patch towns" designed to attend mines were built in
5832-619: The Pottsville Formation. The rock formations are typically more varied in the northern and western part of the watershed than the southern part. There are also several less significant rock formations in Nescopeck Creek's watershed. These include the Spechty Kopf Formation, the Hamilton Formation, and the Catskill Formation. Little is understood about the Spechty Kopf Formation, but it occurs between
5940-458: The area in May 2015 and June 2015. Nescopeck Mountain is one of several mountains in Columbia County to contain undisturbed oak /mixed hardwood forests . This forest is also an Appalachian Oak Forest. Specific tree species on the ridge in Columbia County include red oak , chestnut oak , scarlet oak , black birch , American chestnut , pitch pine , red maple , and serviceberry . Other plants on
6048-778: The border of the Appalachian Plateau region. Nescopeck Creek's watershed contains several major rock formations . These are the Mauch Chunk Formation , the Llewellyn Formation , the Pocono Formation , and the Pottsville Formation . The Mauch Chunk Formation is associated with large amounts of high-quality groundwater . This formation consists of a 3,000-foot (910 m) layer of shale , sandstone , and silt . It
6156-436: The central Nescopeck Creek watershed. Nescopeck Creek's watershed is 143 square miles (370 km) in area. Most of the watershed is in Luzerne County, but part of it also extends into Schuylkill and Columbia Counties. Nescopeck Creek's watershed area includes one city, five boroughs, and thirteen townships. Most of the land in the Nescopeck Creek watershed, except for area near its source, is publicly owned. Thirteen percent of
6264-425: The concentration of phosphorus is slightly lower than the concentration of nitrogen. However, at St. Johns and Conyngham , the phosphorus level is considerably higher than the nitrogen level. Most phosphorus contributed to Nescopeck Creek comes from sub-watersheds instead of the main stem of the creek. The total amount of phosphorus in Nescopeck Creek is 16,259.5 kilograms (35,846 lb). Cropland and quarries are
6372-428: The confluence of an outlet of Olympus Pond and Creasy Creek. The creek's source is also on the eastern edge of Mount Yeager . It flows northwest for a short distance before passing through Olympus Pond and turning west. For the next several miles the creek continues in this direction, running through Pennsylvania State Game Lands #18 and receiving tributaries such as Reilly Creek and Little Nescopeck Creek A. Eventually,
6480-406: The creek leaves Butler Township and enters Sugarloaf Township . It continues west in this township, receiving the tributary Little Nescopeck Creek B, crossing Pennsylvania Route 93 , and making several meanders . After a number of miles, the creek meanders into Black Creek Township , where it turns north and picks up the tributary Black Creek right before crossing Interstate 80 and flowing through
6588-452: The creek passes the northwestern edge of Mount Yeager and continues into Butler Township . Here, the creek heads southwest at a more southerly angle, crossing Interstate 80 , receiving Oley Creek, and passing an area of strip mines . A few miles later, the creek turns west-southwest and crosses Pennsylvania Route 309 . Continuing onwards, it passes the communities of Rumbels and St. Johns and then crosses Interstate 81 . Several miles later,
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#17327868739536696-440: The creek's watershed contains the Wellsboro-Oquaga-Morris series. The series is made of Wellsboro soils, Oquaga soils, and some Morris soils. This type of soil series is most common near the creek's source. Another twenty-four percent of the Nescopeck Creek watershed is made up of the Leck Kill-Meckesville-Calvin series. This soil series tends to occur on hillsides near streams. The Leck Kill-Meckesville-Calvin series occurs quite near
6804-436: The creek's watershed, such as its southwestern corner and the creek's source, are in the elevation range of 1,834 to 2,000 feet (559 to 610 m). The Long Hollow sub-watershed is Nescopeck Creek is Nescopeck Creek's smallest sub-watershed, with an area of 1.1 square miles (2.8 km). The main stem of Nescopeck Creek has the largest sub-watershed, with an area of 67.3 square miles (174 km). The Black Creek sub-watershed
6912-437: The creek's watershed. Little Nescopeck Creek A is one tributary of Nescopeck Creek. Its source is at the very northwestern edge of the creek's watershed, and it joins the main stem of Nescopeck Creek slightly downstream of Olympus Pond . Little Nescopeck Creek B is in the south of the watershed and is slightly longer than Little Nescopeck Creek A. Little Nescopeck Creek B joins Nescopeck Creek at Sybertsville . Black Creek
7020-483: The dams in the Nescopeck Creek watershed are made from earthen -fill. The tenth is an unnamed dam constructed of masonry . The dams range from 12 to 41 feet (3.7 to 12.5 m) in height and 340 to 1,500 feet (100 to 460 m) in length. Their drainage areas are between 0.6 and 8.41 square miles (1.6 and 21.8 km). In 2005, a study was done on the pH of the waters of Nescopeck Creek and its tributaries. At three sites, its pH averaged 5.06, 4.85, and 4.49. However,
7128-421: The direction the water current of the main stem is going. In a navigational context, if one were floating on a raft or other vessel in the main stream, this would be the side the tributary enters from as one floats past; alternately, if one were floating down the tributary, the main stream meets it on the opposite bank of the tributary. This information may be used to avoid turbulent water by moving towards
7236-609: The dividing line between the Susquehanna River and the Lehigh River watersheds. For some distance, the ridge runs parallel to the Susquehanna River at a distance of 2.5 to 3 miles (4.0 to 4.8 km). Nescopeck Mountain is mainly formed by hard, upturned conglomerates belonging to the Pocono Formation. There are a total of three rock formations on Nescopeck Mountain in the Berwick Quadrangle, which
7344-470: The early 1700s, some European settlers, who were granted warrants by William Penn , explored Native American trails in the Nescopeck Creek watershed. On these paths, skirmishes occasionally occurred between settlers and Native Americans. One example is the Sugarloaf Massacre , when a group of Native Americans ambushed some soldiers on the Lehigh Path near Nescopeck Creek in 1780. The first mill
7452-464: The first part of the Jeddo Tunnel, a tunnel in the Nescopeck Creek watershed, was built. The last tunnel in this system was built in 1932. These tunnels drain more than 32 square miles (83 km), of which 13 square miles (34 km) contain coal basins. A dam on Nescopeck Creek was destroyed during Hurricane Agnes in 1972. In the early 1900s, there was a steam-electric power station at
7560-493: The first-order tributary being typically the least in size. For example, a second-order tributary would be the result of two or more first-order tributaries combining to form the second-order tributary. Another method is to list tributaries from mouth to source, in the form of a tree structure , stored as a tree data structure . Nescopeck Mountain Nescopeck Mountain (also known as Nescopec Mountain )
7668-451: The handedness is from the point of view of an observer facing upstream. For instance, Steer Creek has a left tributary which is called Right Fork Steer Creek. These naming conventions are reflective of the circumstances of a particular river's identification and charting: people living along the banks of a river, with a name known to them, may then float down the river in exploration, and each tributary joining it as they pass by appears as
7776-443: The higher parts of this habitat. Lower to the ground are huckleberry , teaberry , blueberry , and hawthorn and other plants. The wildflowers in this habitat include wild onion and wild strawberries . In the Nescopeck Creek watershed, pitch pine – scrub oak forests occur on Arbutus Peak and several barren areas in the southern part of watershed. In this type of forest, pitch pine, scrub oak, black oak and chestnut oak are
7884-465: The highest average discharge during this time was March, when there was a discharge of 227 cubic feet per second (6.4 m/s). The month with the lowest average discharge during this time was September, when there was an average discharge of 31.8 cubic feet per second (0.90 m/s). The highest discharge in a single month was 479 cubic feet per second (13.6 m/s) in March 1920. The lowest discharge in
7992-603: The ideal pH range for freshwater fish is 6.5 to 9.0. At these sites, the study also found averages of 1.7, 2.23, and 5.56 parts per million of aluminum, respectively. Concentrations of aluminium higher than 100 to 200 parts per million can cause suffocation of fish by accumulating in their gills . The toxicity of aluminum to fish is increased by a water pH of below 4.5 to 6.5. There were also 0.65, 0.81, and 1.84 parts per million of iron in these sites, and 0.96, 1.15, 0.03, and 2.65 parts per million of manganese. There were 91.37, 114.27, and 274.1 milligrams per liter of sulfates in
8100-445: The land in the Nescopeck Creek watershed is owned by the state of Pennsylvania. Fifty-seven percent of the Nescopeck Creek watershed is composed of deciduous forest . Areas of perennial herbaceous vegetation make up 11 to 12 percent of the creek's watershed. Additionally, there are scattered patches of mixed vegetation and annual herbaceous vegetation in the northwestern part of the Nescopeck Creek watershed. Four to seven percent of
8208-541: The largest land sources of phosphorus in the watershed, each contributing 6,226.6 kilograms (13,727 lb) (43.6 percent of land sources) and 2,109.6 kilograms (4,651 lb). The smallest sources of phosphorus in the watershed are unpaved roads, contributing 11.8 kilograms (26 lb) (0.1 percent) and mixed forest, contributing 28.3 kilograms (62 lb) (0.2 percent). Groundwater contributes 1,858.3 kilograms (4,097 lb) and septic systems contribute 135.1 kilograms (298 lb). Point source pollution in
8316-461: The largest source of pollution in the Nescopeck Creek watershed is acid mine drainage (AMD). Above Little Nescopeck Creek B, Nescopeck Creek's iron concentration is 110 micrograms per liter and the creek's aluminum concentration is 40 micrograms per liter. Below Little Nescopeck Creek B, however, these values increase to 1260 micrograms per liter for iron and 7450 micrograms per liter for aluminum. The vulnerability of groundwater to pollution in
8424-550: The main trees. Bracken fern , teaberry, black chokeberry , blueberry, and huckleberry are the most common shrubs in this habitat. All of the streams in the Nescopeck Creek are considered sub-optimal habitats and rated on a scale of 1 to 240. The most optimal water habitat in the watershed is a site along Nescopeck Creek, with a rating of 184. The least optimal water habitats in the watershed are two sites along Black Creek. These sites are considered poor to marginal habitats, with ratings of 56 and 96 respectively. Nescopeck State Park
8532-441: The mouth of Nescopeck Creek, with a large patch further upstream, and a small patch in the southwestern part of the Nescopeck Creek watershed. Eleven percent of Nescopeck Creek's watershed is made up of the Udorthents-Urban Land-Volusia series. There is some urban development over lands containing the soil series. Other areas where this soil series occurs have been surface-mined . The limiting factor for plant growth in this series
8640-434: The mouth of Nescopeck Creek. The Wilkes-Barre and Hazleton Railway passed over Nescopeck Creek in the beginning of the 1900s. The Jeddo Tunnel , which drained a colliery in the 20th century, emptied into Nescopeck Creek. After World War II , there was a large increase in unemployment rates in the Nescopeck Creek watershed due to the failing coal mining industry. From 1919 to 1926, the United States Geological Survey had
8748-464: The northernmost line of hills, including the mouth of Black Creek, is also in this range. The area close to the main stem of the creek upstream to several miles from the source is in the range of 997 to 1,161 feet (304 to 354 m). In the central part of the Nescopeck Creek watershed, several tributaries also lie in this elevation range. Near the creek's source , its elevation is in the range of 1,165 to 1,496 feet (355 to 456 m). The central part of
8856-506: The number ranges from 0 to 11. In 1999, the only Class-A fishery waters in the Nescopeck Creek watershed were those of Little Nescopeck Creek A, the headwaters of Nescopeck Creek, and several minor tributaries of Nescopeck Creek. Only one small stream near Nescopeck Creek's mouth had Class-C fishery waters. The central part of Nescopeck Creek, as well as most of Black Creek had Class-D fishery waters. There were twenty species of fish in Nescopeck Creek in 1999. Of these, seventeen had been seen in
8964-406: The opposite bank before approaching the confluence. An early tributary is a tributary that joins the main stem river closer to its source than its mouth, that is, before the river's midpoint ; a late tributary joins the main stem further downstream, closer to its mouth than to its source, that is, after the midpoint. In the United States, where tributaries sometimes have the same name as
9072-515: The pH at Nescopeck Creek's headwaters is between 6.5 and 7. The lowest pH level in the Nescopeck Creek watershed is 4.2, which is on some parts of Black Creek. Creasy Creek is the most alkaline tributary of Nescopeck Creek, with a pH ranging from 6.9 to 7.2. Other relatively alkaline streams in the creek's watershed include Long Run (6.6), Reilly Creek (6.4), Long Hollow (6.4), Oley Creek (6.4), Conety Run (6.2), and Little Nescopeck Creek A (5.8 to 7). Brook trout are able to tolerate pHs down to 4.8 and
9180-409: The peak of the ridge and extends to a depth of approximately 1,500 feet (460 m) below sea level. The Onondaga Formation runs from near the ridge's peak to 1,000 feet (300 m) below sea level. The Trimmers Rock Formation runs from the middle elevations of the ridge to more than 2,000 feet (610 m) below sea level. Additionally, the Mauch Chunk Formation is found on the ridge. The summit of
9288-431: The ridge are part of the Lehigh River watershed. A stream known as Scotch Run flows through a valley with Nescopeck Mountain on its northern edge. Nescopeck Mountain forms a water gap with Catawissa Mountain . Catawissa Creek cuts through this water gap. There is also a water gap carved by Nescopeck Creek through Nescopeck Mountain. Both of these water gaps are relatively narrow. The mountain serves as part of
9396-497: The ridge consists of hard Pocono Formation rock. A plain of the Catskill Formation occurs to the north of the ridge. There are coal basins to the south of Nescopeck Mountain. During an ice age , glaciers pressed against Nescopeck Mountain and eventually moved over it, carrying gravel from the Susquehanna River. The ridge was near the southern edge of the most recent period of glaciation. Nescopeck Mountain
9504-523: The ridge include black huckleberry , lowbush blueberry , mountain laurel , sheep's laurel , bracken fern , wild sarsaparilla , and Virginia creeper . An ephemeral/fluctuating pool natural community known as the Edgewood Vernal Pools is located on and near Nescopeck Mountain. It consists of dozens of vernal pools created by glaciation. Numerous amphibian species breed in the pools and hardwood trees and hemlock are present on
9612-909: The ridge include the Lower Helderberg Formation, the Onondaga Formation, the Spechty Kopf Formation, the Trimmers Rock Formation, and the Mauch Chunk Formation. In the most recent ice age, it was affected by glaciation. Native Americans historically settled in the vicinity of Nescopeck Mountain. It was visited by Europeans as early as 1755. The ridge's name most likely means "dirty waters" or "black waters". Two Pennsylvania State Game Lands and one state park are situated partially on it. The ridge spans numerous townships in Columbia County and Luzerne County. The elevation of Nescopeck Mountain
9720-666: The river into which they feed, they are called forks . These are typically designated by compass direction. For example, the American River in California receives flow from its North, Middle, and South forks. The Chicago River 's North Branch has the East, West, and Middle Fork; the South Branch has its South Fork, and used to have a West Fork as well (now filled in). Forks are sometimes designated as right or left. Here,
9828-418: The smaller stream designated the little fork, the larger either retaining its name unmodified, or receives the designation big . Tributaries are sometimes listed starting with those nearest to the source of the river and ending with those nearest to the mouth of the river . The Strahler stream order examines the arrangement of tributaries in a hierarchy of first, second, third and higher orders, with
9936-551: The southern edge of the pool system. A globally rare species of invertebrate was observed in the pools in 1990. Another system of vernal pools known as the Briggsville Vernal Pools are found north of the ridge. The Nescopeck Mountain Barrens are a ridgetop dwarf-tree forest natural community. The barrens consist of scrub oaks , hairgrass , pitch pines, little bluestems , and blueberries . A portion of
10044-432: The streams are seen to diverge by the cardinal direction (north, south, east, or west) in which they proceed upstream, sometimes a third stream entering between two others is designated the middle fork; or the streams are distinguished by the relative height of one to the other, as one stream descending over a cataract into another becomes the upper fork, and the one it descends into, the lower ; or by relative volume:
10152-527: The vicinity of Nescopeck Mountain. Additionally, Black Creek , a major tributary of Nescopeck Creek, empties into the larger creek at the base of the ridge. The ridge is north of the creek for a portion of its length. There is a valley known as the Nescopeck Valley which is between Nescopeck Mountain and Buck Mountain . Nescopeck Creek flows through this valley. The valley is 20 miles (32 km) long and 5 miles (8.0 km) wide. Some streams on
10260-559: The water gap carved by Nescopeck Creek in Nescopeck Mountain. The Susquehanna River Lowlands are in the vicinity of the ridge. Large groups of small kettle holes are found along the base of the ridge. Nescopeck Mountain occupies the United States Geological Survey quadrangles of Shumans, Nuremberg, Berwick, Sybertsville, Freeland, and White Haven. A creek known as Nescopeck Creek is in
10368-435: The waters of Nescopeck at these sites. A total of 318 metric tons (351 short tons) of nitrogen per year are discharged from Nescopeck Creek. Thirty-three percent of this came from land, 60 percent from groundwater, and 6 percent from leaking septic tanks . Its Black Creek tributary adds toxic amounts of copper , lead , and zinc to Nescopeck Creek's watershed. In most parts of Nescopeck Creek and its tributaries,
10476-565: The watershed before. However, since between a 1999 study of the watershed and the study before that, the brown bullhead and the bluegill fish had vanished from the Nescopeck Creek watershed. A large number of genera of macroinvertebrates have been discovered in and around Nescopeck Creek. These consist of one genus of segmented worm , one genus of sowbugs , 11 genera of mayflies , 8 genera of stone flies , 11 genera of caddisflies , 6 genera of dragonflies , 2 genera of helgrammites , 10 genera of beetles , and one genus of fly . There are
10584-551: The watershed does not release any phosphorus. Stony Creek's water is the hardest water in the Nescopeck Creek watershed, with a concentration of over 100 milligrams per liter of dissolved minerals. Other streams in the watershed with hard water are Reilly Creek (28 milligrams per liter) and Long Run (21 milligrams per liter). Some of the least hard waters in the Nescopeck Creek watershed are those of Little Nescopeck Creek A (3 to 8 milligrams per liter), Conety Run (5 milligrams per liter), and Oley Creek (7 milligrams per liter). However,
10692-619: The watershed except near the headwaters. Nescopeck Creek has coal veins near its source. These coal veins first appeared 300 million years ago. The thickness of these coal seams ranges from 3 feet (0.9 m) in the Tracy Bed up to 50 to 114 feet (15 to 35 m) in the Mammoth Bed. Nearly all of the Eastern Middle coal field is in the watershed of Nescopeck Creek. Sugarloaf Mountain is near Nescopeck Creek. Nescopeck Creek has
10800-407: The watershed have Strahler number of three. These make up 14.5 miles (23.3 km) of the creek's watershed. A total of 25 streams in the creek's watershed have a Strahler number of 2. They make up 47.4 miles (76.3 km) of the creek's watershed. One hundred thirteen very small streams in the Nescopeck Creek watershed have a Strahler number of 1. Such streams make up 104.7 miles (168.5 km) of
10908-476: The watershed. The creek discharges aluminum, iron, and manganese, nitrogen, and phosphorus. The pH of the streams in the Nescopeck Creek watershed range from 4.2 to 7.2. The main stem's discharge ranged from 31.8 to 227 cubic feet per second (0.90 to 6.43 m/s) between 1919 and 1926. There are 10 dams in the watershed. Nescopeck Creek begins in Dennison Township, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania , at
11016-492: The watershed. The highest density of mammal species in the watershed is at Nescopeck Creek's headwaters. In the Nescopeck Creek watershed, there are seven natural areas . These are Arbutus Peak, Valmont Industrial Park, the Black Creek flats, the Humboldt barrens, the Nescopeck Creek valley, and the Edgewood vernal pools . Arbutus Peak is a 5,000-to-6,000-acre (2,000 to 2,400 ha) area at Nescopeck Creek's headwaters. Also,
11124-526: Was built in the Nescopeck Creek watershed in 1788. By 1791, there were four settlers along Nescopeck Creek. In 1795, Samuel Mifflin built a sawmill at the mouth of Nescopeck Creek. A gristmill was built on Nescopeck Creek the same year. A flood of Nescopeck Creek in 1786, known as the Pumpkin Flood, was noted for sweeping large numbers of pumpkins downstream on the creek. Light industries , such as lumbering and tanning , gradually developed in
11232-448: Was built on Nescopeck Creek. The most destructive flood on Nescopeck Creek occurred in 1850, when a dam on the creek was breached, killing 22 people. From 1858 to 1870 there was a tannery on Nescopeck Creek. In 1828, plans for a canal in Nescopeck Creek were made. In 1885, a number of French Indian artifacts, which were Plaster of Paris casts for making sculptures , were discovered along Nescopeck Creek in Dennison Township . In 1891
11340-463: Was devoid of trees by the middle of the 1800s. Logging has been done on the ridge in the early 2000s and plans have been made to construct communication towers on the ridge. Local produce is sometimes traded over Nescopeck Mountain. The mountain is almost completely undeveloped. A gypsy moth infestation began on Nescopeck Mountain in the summer of 2014, causing hundreds of trees to be defoliated . The Bureau of Forestry expects to begin spraying
11448-752: Was entered into the Geographic Names Information System on August 2, 1979. Its identifier in the Geographic Names Information System is 1190986. The ridge is also known as Nescopec Mountain. This variant name appears in Israel C. White's 1883 book The geology of the North Branch Susquehanna River Region in the six counties of Wyoming, Lackawanna, Luzerne, Columbia, Montour and Northumberland . Nescopeck Mountain
11556-647: Was exploited as a transportation corridor with the construction of the Lausanne–Nescopeck Turnpike between the respective frontier communities at Lausanne Landing and Nescopeck (opposite bank from Shickshinny, PA on the Susquehanna River ) in 1805 connecting the newly developing Wyoming Valley with Philadelphia and the Delaware River valley; cutting off over 100 miles between Philadelphia and Wilkes-Barre. Today's Route PA 93 derives from this historic pack mule road. Rock formations in
11664-414: Was high in one area near the source of Nescopeck Creek. In all other areas of the watershed, the index was low to medium. One of the lowest values is near Nescopeck Creek's mouth. The Hilsenhoff Biotic Index (HBI) has been measured for a number of sites along Nescopeck Creek and its tributaries. Upstream of the Jeddo Tunnel, Little Nescopeck Creek B has a high HBI. However, just downstream of the Jeddo Tunnel,
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