The watershed
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Lake Erie Watershed is a major drainage catchment in northwestern Pennsylvania, United States, consisting of lands with direct runoff and sub-watersheds with waterways that flow into Lake Erie and Presque Isle Bay from Crawford and Erie counties, as well as from New York. The watershed is part of the Lake Erie Basin.
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Averill Creek is also called 41.5 Mile Run.
Cemetery Run begins north of E 38th near Millcreek proceeding through Roma Park before continuing to the lake by Lakeside Cemetery, with many portions running underground, due to development, or through culverts.
Some Pennsylvania lands have surface runoff that drains directly into Lake Erie. 24 such stretches of land can be identified.
Erie International Airport is located in the largest of these direct runoff zones, west of the City of Erie, between Walnut Creek and Cascade Creek sub-watersheds. The airport's Master Plan [1] includes a water quality section in its Environmental Baseline Study (Chapter 3, Section 3.07). [2]
The master plan positions the airport in Lake Erie Watershed, 9,000 feet (2,700 m) north of Walnut Creek Sub-watershed, 12,000 feet (3,700 m) west of Cascade Creek Sub-watershed, and five miles (8 km) west of Mill Creek Sub-watershed, which is part of the Presque Isle Bay Watershed. The plan notes that Wilkins Run, a tributary (sic) that drains directly into Lake Erie, is situated 1,000 feet (300 m) west of the airport.
Storm drainage is identified in the master plan as the main potential water pollution danger. Construction and deicing operations require federal permits and extensive measures are taken to contain and process the runoff properly. A report detailing these measures is included at the end of the airport's master plan, entitled Airport Drainage Master Plan. [3]
This sub-watershed consists of Elk Creek and surrounding lands, including the northeastern quarter of Elk Creek Township, the northern two-thirds of Franklin Township, and much of central Girard Township in northwestern Erie County, Pennsylvania.
Elk Creek is one of three western Erie County tributaries thought to be raising E. coli counts off Lake Erie beaches at nearby Presque Isle State Park. [4]
Fourmile Creek Sub-watershed consists of the 11.93-square-mile (30.9 km2) drainage of the 8-mile-long (13 km) Fourmile Creek. The creek's mouth opens to Lake Erie about one-half mile north of Pennsylvania Route 5 at Water Street. It draws its name from its location four miles (6 km) east of the center of Erie, Pennsylvania. The watershed consists of portions of Greene, Harborcreek, and Lawrence Park townships, as well as Wesleyville, Pennsylvania. Fish migration improvement projects have included the destruction of two dams in 2007 and the planned construction of two fish ladders in 2008. Projects to stem sedimentation due to soil erosion were planned for 2008. [5]
Godfrey Run is also known as 11.5 Mile Run.
This sub-watershed consists of McDannell Run and the surrounding lands of the City of Erie. The sub-watershed crosses slightly into Millcreek Township. The run passes through McClelland Park, an undeveloped city park on the eastern side of the city.
Orchard Beach Run is also called 39.9 Mile Run.
This watershed, which covers 65 km2, consists of lands in the City of Erie and two neighboring townships which surround three direct runoff zones, including Presque Isle State Park, and two sub-watersheds, which all feed into Presque Isle Bay. At its eastern extreme, the bay has a small channel that drains into Lake Erie. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has designated this watershed a Great Lakes Areas of Concern (AoC). [6] The land is 80% urbanized, with storm water often diverted, causing degradation of fish habitat and other problems. An assessment of fishes [7] published in Northeastern Naturalist magazine in 2004 found that at least half of the stream fish assemblages tested were impaired by urbanization. The city focused its attention on this watershed as part of its effort [8] to convert Erie from heavy industry to light industry and tourism.
Purdue Creek is also called 40.9 Mile Run.
This sub-watershed consists of Trout Run and surrounding lands of northwestern and south central Fairview Township. The sub-watershed is situated primarily north of I-90. The sub-watershed touches across the Fairview border into McKean and Girard Townships.
Trout Run is one of three western Erie County tributaries thought to be raising E. coli counts off Lake Erie beaches at nearby Presque Isle State Park. [4]
Twentymile Creek extends into New York
This sub-watershed consists of Walnut Creek and surrounding lands of the City of Erie, Fairview Township, Greene Township, McKean Township, Millcreek Township, and Summit Township. Significant developments in this sub-watershed include Asbury Woods Community Park and Nature Center, Baldwin Business Park, Bush Industries, Erie Golf Club, Erie Memorial Gardens, Family First Sports Park, Kahkwa Club, Lakeview Landfill, Laurel Hill Cemetery, Millcreek Mall, Orchard Ponds Golf Course, Presque Isle Downs, and Upper Peach Street.
A detailed online report [10] on the Walnut Creek watershed is available from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PA DEP).
The Lakeview Landfill is a PA DEP-permitted surface mining operation. [11]
The inclusion of a race track at Presque Isle Downs and Casino will bring up to one thousand horses to fill ten barns on the grounds by summer 2008. The horses are expected to produce up to ten tons of manure and hay waste per day, which will be transported and sold. Fifteen acres of man-made wetlands have been situated in the center of the racetrack to deal with runoff issues that could impact the watershed. [12]
Most sewage waste is processed at the Erie Wastewater Treatment Facility and released two miles (3 km) out in Lake Erie. There are 28 privately owned waste treatment plants that release directly into the watershed. [11]
There are three companies in the watershed with industrial stormwater release permits from PA DEP. [11]
Walnut Creek is one of three western Erie County tributaries thought to be raising E. coli counts off Lake Erie beaches at nearby Presque Isle State Park. [4]
Erie County is the northernmost county in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 270,876. Its county seat is Erie. The county was created in 1800 and later organized in 1803.
Erie is a city on the south shore of Lake Erie and the county seat of Erie County, Pennsylvania. Erie is the fifth largest city in Pennsylvania after Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Allentown, and Reading, and the largest city in Northwestern Pennsylvania, with a population of 94,831 at the 2020 census. The estimated population in 2021 had decreased to 93,928. The Erie metropolitan area, equivalent to all of Erie County, consists of 266,096 residents. The Erie-Meadville combined statistical area had a population of 369,331 at the 2010 census.
Millcreek Township is a township in Erie County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 54,073 at the 2020 census. It is the largest suburb of Erie, and the 12th largest municipality in the state.
Summit Township is a township in Erie County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 7,354 at the 2020 census, up from 6,603 at the 2010 census.
The Huron River is a 130-mile-long (210 km) river in southeastern Michigan, rising out of the Huron Swamp in Springfield Township in northern Oakland County and flowing into Lake Erie, as it forms the boundary between present-day Wayne and Monroe counties. Thirteen parks, game areas, and recreation areas are associated with the river, which passes through the cities of Dexter, Ann Arbor, Ypsilanti, Belleville, Flat Rock and Rockwood that were developed along its banks.
The River Rouge is a 127-mile river in the Metro Detroit area of southeastern Michigan. It flows into the Detroit River at Zug Island, which is the boundary between the cities of River Rouge and Detroit.
French Creek is a tributary of the Allegheny River in northwestern Pennsylvania and western New York in the United States.
Presque Isle State Park is a 3,112-acre (1,259 ha) Pennsylvania State Park on an arching, sandy peninsula that juts into Lake Erie, 4 miles (6 km) west of the city of Erie, in Millcreek Township, Erie County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. The peninsula sweeps northeastward, surrounding Presque Isle Bay along the park's southern coast. It has 13 miles (21 km) of roads, 21 miles (34 km) of recreational trails, 13 beaches for swimming, and a marina. Popular activities at the park include swimming, boating, hiking, biking, and birdwatching.
Anderson Creek is a 23.6-mile-long (38.0 km) tributary of the West Branch Susquehanna River in Clearfield County, Pennsylvania, in the United States.
The Great Lakes Basin consists of the Great Lakes and the surrounding lands of the states of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin in the United States, and the province of Ontario in Canada, whose direct surface runoff and watersheds form a large drainage basin that feeds into the lakes. It is generally considered to also include a small area around and beyond Wolfe Island, Ontario, at the east end of Lake Ontario, which does not directly drain into the Great Lakes, but into the Saint Lawrence River.
Millcreek Township School District is a school district serving Millcreek Township, a suburb of Erie, Pennsylvania. The total enrollment is 7,464 students. The District was the pilot district in the Start S.M.A.R.T. Program in 2002.
Pennsylvania Route 832, known locally as Sterrettania Road and Peninsula Drive, is a state highway located in Erie County, Pennsylvania. Its northern terminus is at the entrance to Presque Isle State Park in Erie. The southern terminus is at PA 98, two miles (3 km) west of Sterrettania in Fairview Township. PA 832 has junctions with U.S. Route 20, PA 5 and PA 5 Alternate. PA 832 is exit 18 off Interstate 90 (I-90). PA 832 was designated in 1928 between PA 99 and Presque Isle. The route was extended south to US 20 by 1940. PA 832 was further extended to I-90 by 1959 and PA 98 by 1970.
Plunketts Creek is an approximately 6.2-mile-long (10 km) tributary of Loyalsock Creek in Lycoming and Sullivan counties in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. Two unincorporated villages and a hamlet are on the creek, and its watershed drains 23.6 square miles (61 km2) in parts of five townships. The creek is a part of the Chesapeake Bay drainage basin via Loyalsock Creek and the West Branch Susquehanna and Susquehanna Rivers.
Lake Erie Basin consists of Lake Erie and surrounding watersheds, which are typically named after the river, creek, or stream that provides drainage into the lake. The watersheds are located in the states of Indiana, Michigan, New York, Ohio, and Pennsylvania in the United States, and in the province of Ontario in Canada. The basin is part of the Great Lakes Basin and Saint Lawrence River Watershed, which feeds into the Atlantic Ocean. 80% of the lake's water flows in from the Detroit River, with only 9% coming from all of the remaining watersheds combined. A littoral zone serves as the interface between land and lake, being that portion of the basin where the lake is less than 15 feet (4.6 m) in depth.
Presque Isle Bay is a natural bay located off the coast of Erie, Pennsylvania, United States. Its 5.8-square-mile (15 km2) embayment is about 4.6 miles (7.4 km) in length, about 1.8 mi (2.9 km) across at its widest point, and an average depth of about 20 feet (6.1 m). The bay is at an elevation of 571 ft above sea level. It is bounded on the north and west by a recurved peninsula that makes up Presque Isle State Park. On the south, the bay is edged by the urban Erie shoreline, which hosts the Port of Erie Marine Terminal, as well as an assortment of parks, tourist attractions and marinas such as the Erie Yacht Club. Fishing, water skiing, swimming, and boating, are a few examples of common activities among visitors who come to appreciate this natural bay for its sheltered waters and captivating views of Erie’s historic neighborhoods and landmarks. A small channel on the east provides a shipping lane into and out of Lake Erie. Cascade Creek, Garrison Run, Mill Creek, and surface runoff drain the lands of the Presque Isle Bay Watershed into the bay.
Mill Creek is a 19-mile (31 km) long tributary of Lake Erie in Erie County in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. It flows from Millcreek Township through the city of Erie, into Presque Isle Bay.
Solomon Creek is a tributary of the Susquehanna River in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. It is approximately 8.8 miles (14.2 km) long and flows through Fairview Township, Hanover Township, and Wilkes-Barre. The creek is affected by acid mine drainage and has significant loads of iron, aluminum, and manganese. The creek's named tributaries are Spring Run, Sugar Notch Run, and Pine Creek. The Solomon Creek watershed is located in the Anthracite Valley section of the ridge-and-valley geographical province. Major rock formations in the watershed include the Mauch Chunk Formation, the Spechty Kopf Formation, and the Catskill Formation.
Mill Run is a tributary of the Susquehanna River in Wyoming County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. It is approximately 3.5 miles (5.6 km) long and flows through Tunkhannock Township and Overfield Township. The stream is not designated as an impaired waterbody. In its upper reaches, it flows through glacial drift, while in its lower reaches, it passes over a waterfall. Lakes in the stream's watershed include Flow Pond.
Robin Run is a dammed headwater major tributary of the Delaware River with a drainage area of 22.69 square miles that is 1.69 miles north 1.69 miles north of Mill Creek's Confluence with the Neshaminy Creek on the border of Buckingham and Wrightstown Townships), The headwaters originate in Buckingham Township, Bucks County, Pennsylvania and the stream flows generally southeast to its confluence with Mill Creek in Wrightstown Township.