Beaver Creek (Buttermilk Creek tributary)

Beaver Creek is a tributary of Buttermilk Creek in Lackawanna County and Wyoming County, in Pennsylvania, in the United States. It is approximately 5.5 miles (8.9 km) long and flows through West Abington Township in Lackawanna County and Overfield Township and Falls Township in Wyoming County.[1] The watershed of the creek has an area of 9.81 square miles (25.4 km2) and contains Lake Winola. The creek is not designated as an impaired waterbody. The surficial geology in its vicinity consists of alluvium, Wisconsinan Till, Wisconsinan Outwash, alluvial fan, Wisconsinan Ice-Contact Stratified Drift, Wisconsinan Bouldery Till, wetlands, and peat bogs.

Beaver Creek
Physical characteristics
Source 
 • locationwetland in West Abington Township, Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania
 • elevationbetween 1,160 and 1,180 feet (354 and 360 m)
Mouth 
 • location
Buttermilk Creek in Falls Township, Wyoming County, Pennsylvania
 • coordinates
41°29′01″N 75°49′49″W
 • elevation
765 ft (233 m)
Length5.5 mi (8.9 km)
Basin size9.81 sq mi (25.4 km2)
Basin features
ProgressionButtermilk Creek → Susquehanna River → Chesapeake Bay
Tributaries 
 • rightfive unnamed tributaries

Course

Beaver Creek begins in a wetland in West Abington Township, Lackawanna County. It flows southwest for a few tenths of a mile, receiving a very short unnamed tributary from the right along the way, and passes through a lake before turning northwest. Several tenths of a mile further downstream, the creek receives another unnamed tributary from the right and turns southwest, passing through a wetland and entering Overfield Township, Wyoming County. In this township, the creek continues flowing southwest, passing through more wetlands and receiving an unnamed tributary from the right. It continues flowing in a generally southwesterly direction along the border between Overfield Township and Falls Township for some distance, receiving two more unnamed tributaries from the right. It then turns south for several tenths of a mile and reaches its confluence with Buttermilk Creek.[1]

Beaver Creek joins Buttermilk Creek 2.58 miles (4.15 km) upstream of its mouth.[2]

Hydrology

Beaver Creek is not designated as an impaired waterbody.[3]

Geography and geology

The elevation near the mouth of Beaver Creek is 764 feet (233 m) above sea level.[4] The elevation of the creek's source is between 1,160 and 1,180 feet (354 and 360 m) above sea level.[1]

The surficial geology along the lower reaches of Beaver Creek mainly consists of alluvium, although Wisconsinan Till also occurs in the area. There are also a few small patches of Wisconsinan Outwash and alluvial fan.[5] Further upstream, alluvium and Wisconsinan Till are also prevalent. However, there is also a patch of Wisconsinan Ice-Contact Stratified Drift, another patch of Wisconsinan Bouldery Till, and a few patches of wetlands and peat bogs.[6]

Watershed

The watershed of Beaver Creek has an area of 9.81 square miles (25.4 km2).[2] The mouth of the creek is in the United States Geological Survey quadrangle of Ransom. However, its source is in the quadrangle of Factoryville.[4]

A dam known as the Winola Mill Pond Dam is in the watershed of Beaver Creek, on one of its tributaries.[7] Ronco Northeast, Inc. once applied for a permit to maintain fill in 0.3 acres (0.12 ha) of wetlands along Buttermilk Creek, near the mouth of Beaver Creek.[8] Lake Winola itself is on a tributary of the creek.[1]

History

Beaver Creek was entered into the Geographic Names Information System on August 2, 1979. Its identifier in the Geographic Names Information System is 1198387.[4]

A concrete tee beam bridge was constructed across Beaver Creek in 1924. It is 41.0 feet (12.5 m) long and is located in Falls Township, Wyoming County.[9]

See also

References
  1. United States Geological Survey, The National Map Viewer, archived from the original on March 29, 2012, retrieved September 6, 2015
  2. Pennsylvania Gazetteer of Streams (PDF), November 2, 2001, p. 31, retrieved September 6, 2015
  3. United States Environmental Protection Agency, Assessment Summary for Reporting Year 2006 Pennsylvania, Upper Susquehanna-Tunkhannock Watershed, archived from the original on November 21, 2015, retrieved September 6, 2015
  4. Geographic Names Information System, Feature Detail Report for: Beaver Creek, retrieved September 6, 2015
  5. Duane D. Braun (2006), Surficial geology of the Ransom 7.5-minute quadrangle, Lackawanna, Wyoming, and Luzerne Counties, Pennsylvania, p. 15, archived from the original on May 24, 2014, retrieved September 6, 2015
  6. Duane D. Braun (December 2006), Surficial geology of the Factoryville 7.5-minute quadrangle, Lackawanna and Wyoming Counties, Pennsylvania, p. 14, archived from the original on May 24, 2014, retrieved September 6, 2015
  7. Department of the Army, Baltimore District, Corps of Engineers (1979), Susquehanna River Basin Tributary to Beaver Creek, Wyoming County, Winola Mill Pond Dam: Phase 1 Inspection Report, National Dam Inspection Program, retrieved September 6, 2015
  8. "WATER OBSTRUCTIONS AND ENCROACHMENTS", Pennsylvania Bulletin, retrieved September 6, 2015
  9. Wyoming County, retrieved September 6, 2015
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