Monroe Creek (Tunkhannock Creek tributary)

Monroe Creek (also known as Bartholomew Creek) is a tributary of Tunkhannock Creek in Susquehanna County and Wyoming County, in Pennsylvania, in the United States. It is approximately 6.1 miles (9.8 km) long and flows through Springville Township in Susquehanna County and Nicholson Township in Wyoming County.[1] The watershed of the creek has an area of 6.64 square miles (17.2 km2). The creek is not designated as an impaired waterbody. The surficial geology in its vicinity consists mostly of alluvium, Wisconsinan Till, and other things. Its watershed is designated as a Coldwater Fishery and a Migratory Fishery.

Monroe Creek
Bartholomew Creek
Monroe Creek looking downstream
Physical characteristics
Source 
 • locationpond or small lake in Springville Township, Susquehanna County, Pennsylvania
 • elevationbetween 1,320 and 1,340 feet (402 and 408 m)
Mouth 
 • location
Tunkhannock Creek in Nicholson Township, Wyoming County, Pennsylvania at Starkville
 • coordinates
41°36′16″N 75°49′59″W
 • elevation
686 ft (209 m)
Length6.1 mi (9.8 km)
Basin size6.64 sq mi (17.2 km2)
Basin features
ProgressionTunkhannock Creek → Susquehanna River → Chesapeake Bay
Tributaries 
 • lefttwo unnamed tributaries
 • righttwo unnamed tributaries

Course
Monroe Creek looking upstream

Monroe Creek begins in a pond or small lake in Springville Township, Susquehanna County. It flows south-southeast for several tenths of a mile before turning southwest and passing through a wetland. The creek then turns south for more than a mile, passing through another wetland and entering Nicholson Township, Wyoming County. Here, it turns south-southeast and receives two unnamed tributaries from the right. After several tenths of a mile, it passes Pompey Hill and Dam Hill before turning east and then south-southeast for a few miles. In this reach, the creek receives two unnamed tributaries from the left. It then turns south for several tenths of a mile, leaves its valley, crosses Pennsylvania Route 92, and reaches its confluence with Tunkhannock Creek.[1]

Monroe Creek joins Tunkhannock Creek 11.38 miles (18.31 km) upstream of its mouth.[2]

Hydrology

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

Geography and geology

The elevation near the mouth of Monroe Creek is 686 feet (209 m) above sea level.[4] The elevation of the creek's source is between 1,320 and 1,340 feet (402 and 408 m) above sea level.[1]

The surficial geology near the mouth of Monroe Creek mainly consists of alluvium and alluvial terrace. Further upstream, it consists of alluvium and a till known as Wisconsinan Till, although bedrock consisting of sandstone and shale occurs in the surficial geology on some nearby hills.[5] Further upstream, the surficial geology is fairly similar, but there is a patch of alluvial fan and a wetland near the creek just north of the Susquehanna County line. In the creek's upper reaches, the surficial geology consists of Wisconsinan Till, except for a wetland at the headwaters.[6]

Watershed

The watershed of Monroe Creek has an area of 6.64 square miles (17.2 km2).[2] The mouth of the creek is in the United States Geological Survey quadrangle of Factoryville. However, its source is in the quadrangle of Hop Bottom.[4] The creek's mouth is located at Starkville.[2]

The designated use for Monroe Creek is aquatic life.[3] In 2006, the creek was a proposed flood debris cleanup site.[7]

History

Monroe Creek was entered into the Geographic Names Information System on August 2, 1979. Its identifier in the Geographic Names Information System is 1192954. The creek is also known as Bartholomew Creek.[4] 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.[8]

A concrete tee beam bridge carrying Pennsylvania Route 92 over Monroe Creek was built in Nicholson Township, Wyoming County in 1931 and is 30.8 feet (9.4 m) long.[9] This bridge is structurally deficient, as of 2013.[10]

Biology

The drainage basin of Monroe Creek is designated as a Coldwater Fishery and a Migratory Fishery.[11]

See also

References
  1. United States Geological Survey, The National Map Viewer, retrieved November 20, 2015
  2. Pennsylvania Gazetteer of Streams (PDF), November 2, 2001, p. 101, retrieved November 20, 2015
  3. United States Environmental Protection Agency, 2006 Waterbody Report for Monroe Creek, retrieved November 20, 2015
  4. Geographic Names Information System, Feature Detail Report for: Monroe Creek, retrieved November 20, 2015
  5. Duane D. Braun (2006), Surficial geology of the Factoryville 7.5-minute quadrangle, Wyoming and Lackawanna Counties, Pennsylvania, p. 15, archived from the original on May 24, 2014, retrieved November 20, 2015
  6. Duane D. Braun (2006), Surficial geology of the Hop Bottom 7.5-minute quadrangle, Susquehanna and Wyoming Counties, Pennsylvania, p. 13, archived from the original on May 24, 2014, retrieved November 20, 2015
  7. Josh Mrozinski (August 23, 2006), "$200k slated for stream bank work", Wyoming County Press Examiner, retrieved November 20, 2015
  8. Geographic Names Information System, Variant Citation, retrieved November 20, 2015
  9. Wyoming County, retrieved November 20, 2015
  10. Robert Swift (August 23, 2013), "State won't wait on bridge weights", The Times-Tribune, retrieved November 20, 2015
  11. "§ 93.9i. Drainage List I. Susquehanna River Basin in Pennsylvania Susquehanna River", Pennsylvania Code, retrieved November 20, 2015
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