West Branch Chillisquaque Creek

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West Branch Chillisquaque Creek
West Branch Chillisquaque Creek.JPG
West Branch Chillisqaque Creek in Anthony Township, Montour County
West Branch Chillisquauqe Creek satellite map.PNG
Satellite map of West Branch Chillisquaque Creek. The red dot is the stream's source and blue dot is its mouth.
EtymologyNative American for a place where snowbirds visit
Physical characteristics
Source 
 • locationColumbia County, Pennsylvania
Mouth  
 • location
 Chillisquaque Creek
 • coordinates
 41°03′57″N76°40′49″W / 41.06594°N 76.68030°W / 41.06594; -76.68030 Coordinates: 41°03′57″N76°40′49″W / 41.06594°N 76.68030°W / 41.06594; -76.68030
Length5 mi (8.0 km)
Basin features
Tributaries 
 • right County Line Branch

West Branch Chillisquaque Creek is a tributary of Chillisquaque Creek. Its watershed spans parts of Northumberland, Montour, Lycoming, and Columbia counties in Pennsylvania. [1] West Branch Chillisquaque Creek is about five miles long. The creek is home to a number of tree species and herb species. There are also five main types of rock formations and four main types of soil in the creek's watershed.

Contents

Course

West Branch Chillisquaque Creek in the summer West Branch Chillisquaque Creek in the summer.JPG
West Branch Chillisquaque Creek in the summer

West Branch Chillisquaque Creek is five to six miles (8.0 to 9.7 km) long. It starts slightly east of Anthony Township and flows west. It flows southwest for some distance before turning nearly due south and passing under Pennsylvania Route 44 on its way through the community of Exchange. West Branch Chillisquaque Creek picks up its only named tributary, County Line Branch, right at its confluence with Chillisquaque Creek. The creek empties into Chillisquaque Creek above Washingtonville. [1] [2]

Geology

West Branch Chillisquaque Creek is situated in the Ridge-and-Valley province. The creek's headwaters are 750 feet (230 m) higher than its mouth. The watershed is highest in its northeastern area. [1]

Ninety percent of the upper portions of the watershed of West Branch Chillisquaque Creek are over sedimentary rock. The particular rock formations that are common in this area of the watershed include the Hamilton Group, the Onondaga/Old Port formation, Trimmers Rock, and the Wills Creek Formation. The other rock formations in this section of the watershed are mostly shale and carbonate minerals. These include such formations as the Keyser/Tonoloway formation. [1]

The Hamilton Group primarily occurs in the central portion of the watershed of West Branch Chillisquaque Creek. The Onondaga/Old Port formation primarily occurs in the southern portion of the watershed, as does the Keyser/Tonoloway formation. The Wills Creek Formation occurs in a small corner in the south-central part of the creek's watershed. The formation known as Trimmers Rock occurs in the northern portion of the watershed. [1] [3]

There are a number of different types of soils in the watershed of West Branch Chillisquaque Creek. The great majority of these soils are silt loams. These soils consist of the Watson-Berks-Elvira soil, the Berks-Weikert-Bedington soil, and the Hagerstown-Edom-Washington soil. There is also one non-silt loam soil that can be found in the creek's watershed. It is known as the Chenango-Pope-Holly soil. [1]

The Watson-Berks-Elvira soil primarily occurs in the central portion of the watershed of West Branch Chillisquaque Creek. The Berks-Weikert-Bedington soil primarily occurs in the northern portion of the creek's watershed. The Hagerstown-Edom-Washington soil primarily occurs in the south-central and southwestern parts of the watershed. The Chenango-Pope-Holly soil primarily occurs in a small area of the southeastern part of the creek's watershed. [1] The soil is highly fertile in the upper reaches of the watershed of West Branch Chillisquaque Creek. [4]

Due to the presence of livestock near West Branch Chillisquaque Creek, parts of the creek's banks experience erosion. [1]

Hydrology

20,759 pounds (9,416 kg) of sediment and 21.2635 pounds (9.6450 kg) of phosphorus pass through the watershed of West Branch Chillisquaque Creek each day. However, there are no instances of point-source pollution in the watershed. West Branch Chillisquaque Creek is similar to Roaring Creek in many respects, such as the level of precipitation in both watersheds. [1]

Watershed

The watershed of West Branch Chillisquaque Creek has an area of 33.2 square miles (86 km2). The creek and its tributaries can be accessed via a number of township roads and also via Pennsylvania Route 44 and Pennsylvania Route 54. West Branch Chillisquaque Creek's tributaries include County Line Branch, Beaver Run, and a number of tributaries that are unnamed. The land in West Branch Chillisquaque Creek's watershed consists of 58% agricultural areas, 36% forest, and 6% developed areas. The forested portions of the creek's watershed are primarily in the northern part of the watershed, while the agricultural areas are primarily in the southern and central portions of the creek's watershed. The developed areas are in small sections of the eastern part of the watershed of West Branch Chillisquaque Creek. [1]

History

The 'Chillisquaque' in West Branch Chillisquaque's name comes from a Native American word that refers to a location commonly visited by snowbirds. [5] West Branch Chillisquaque Creek was part of a 2010 stream restoration project. [6]

Fauna and flora

There are 91.15 miles (146.69 km) [7] of streams that have organic enrichment, sediment from agricultural projects, and a low level of dissolved oxygen. Where the creek flows past agricultural areas, its riparian buffer is severely impaired. [1] However, at the headwaters of West Branch Chillisquaque Creek, there are northern hardwoods and hemlock forests. There are also numerous wild leeks and other spring flowers near the creek's headwaters. The hardwoods and hemlocks act like a buffer for the creek itself. [4]

There are 12 common species of trees in the watershed of West Branch Chillisquaque Creek. There are 22 species of herbs that are common in the creek's watershed. Ovenbirds, black-throated green warblers, wood thrushes, blue-headed vireo and common yellowheads are the major species of birds in the watershed. [1]

See also

Related Research Articles

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hemlock Creek (Fishing Creek tributary)</span>

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Warrior Run (West Branch Susquehanna River tributary)</span> River

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Delaware Run</span>

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">East Branch Chillisquaque Creek</span> River

East Branch Chillisquaque Creek is a tributary of Chillisquaque Creek in Columbia County and Montour County in Pennsylvania, United States. It is approximately 6.2 miles (10.0 km) long and flows through Madison Township, Columbia County and Derry Township, Montour County. At its mouth, it combines with Middle Branch Chillisquaque Creek to form Chillisquaque Creek. White Hall Creek is a tributary of East Branch Chillisquaque Creek. The creek's watershed has an area of 9.75 square miles (25.3 km2). It is situated over sandstone and shale. The main land uses in the watershed include forested land and agricultural land, although there are some areas of wetlands and open water as well.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mud Creek (Chillisquaque Creek tributary)</span> Tributary of Chillisquaque Creek

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kase Run</span> River

Kase Run is a tributary of Mahoning Creek in Montour County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. It is approximately 4.6 miles (7.4 km) long and flows through West Hemlock Township and Valley Township. The stream's watershed has an area of 7.27 square miles (18.8 km2). The stream and a number of its tributaries are considered by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection to be impaired by siltation due to agriculture.

Little Mahantango Creek is a tributary of Mahantango Creek in Schuylkill County and Northumberland County, in Pennsylvania, in the United States. It is approximately 9.6 miles (15.4 km) long and flows through Eldred Township and Upper Mahantongo Township in Schuylkill County and Upper Mahanoy Township in Northumberland County. The watershed of the creek has an area of 15.1 square miles (39 km2). The creek has many unnamed tributaries and sub-tributaries; all of them, as well as the main stem, are impaired. The cause of impairment in Little Mahantango Creek is sedimentation/siltation and the probable source of impairment is agriculture.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 West Branch Chillisquaque Creek Watershed TMDL: Northumberland, Montour, Lycoming and Columbia Counties (PDF), April 30, 2011, retrieved July 17, 2013
  2. ↑ Google Maps, 2013, retrieved 23 June 2013
  3. ↑ A Rand Note , Issue 2484, 1986, retrieved 17 July 2013
  4. 1 2 Montour County Natural Areas Inventory 2005 (PDF), 2005, retrieved 17 July 2013
  5. ↑ J.H. Beers (1915), Historical and Biographical Annals of Columbia and Montour Counties , retrieved July 17, 2013
  6. ↑ Jessica Welshans (March 29, 2010), Conservancy teams up with area groups to improve stream habitats , retrieved July 17, 2013
  7. ↑ http://www.epa.gov/waters/tmdldocs/West%20Branch%20Chillisquaque%20Creek%20TMDL_combo.pdf [ dead link ]
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