Little Buffalo Creek
| Little Buffalo Creek | |
|---|---|
Little Buffalo Creek looking upstream
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| Basin features | |
| Main source | base of a mountain in White Deer Township, Union County, Pennsylvania between 800 and 820 feet (240 and 250 m) |
| River mouth | Buffalo Creek in Kelly Township, Union County, Pennsylvania 456 ft (139 m) 40°59′09″N 76°55′41″W / 40.98589°N 76.92797°WCoordinates: 40°59′09″N 76°55′41″W / 40.98589°N 76.92797°W |
| Progression | Buffalo Creek → West Branch Susquehanna River → Susquehanna River → Chesapeake Bay |
| Basin size | 19.0 sq mi (49 km2) |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Length | 10 mi (16 km) |
Little Buffalo Creek is a tributary of Buffalo Creek in Union County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. It is approximately 10 miles (16 km) long and flows through White Deer Township and Kelly Township. The watershed of the creek has an area of 19.0 square miles (49 km2). The creek is impacted by nutrients, sediment, E. coli, and thermal radiation. Rock formations containing sandstone, shale, and limestone occur in the watershed.
Most of the watershed of Little Buffalo Creek is on forested land or agricultural land, but there are other land uses as well. A number of bridges have been constructed over the creek. In 2014, a $329,851 grant from the Growing Greener program was issued to the Union County Conservation District for agricultural best management practices in the its watershed. The creek's drainage basin is designated as a Coldwater Fishery and a Migratory Fishery and wild trout naturally reproduce in a reach of it. American eels have also been released into the creek.
Little Buffalo Creek begins at the base of a mountain in White Deer Township. It flows south for a short distance before turning east-northeast and then east-southeast. Several tenths of a mile further downstream, the creek turns east-northeast for a few miles before turning south-southeast and entering a valley. After several tenths of a mile, it turns south and enters Kelly Township. The creek continues flowing south for some distance before meandering east for several tenths of a mile. It then turns south again for a few tenths of a mile before turning southwest. The creek then turns south-southeast, then east-northeast, before finally turning southwest. Several tenths of a mile further downstream, it reaches its confluence with Buffalo Creek.
Little Buffalo Creek joins Buffalo Creek 3.30 miles (5.31 km) upstream of its mouth.
Little Buffalo Creek is impacted by nutrients, sediment, E. coli, and thermal radiation.
In 2000, the sediment load in Little Buffalo Creek was 2,565,051 pounds (1,163,488 kg), while in 2008, it was 2,430,940 pounds (1,102,660 kg). This equates to a unit area load of around 200 pounds per acre (220 kg/ha). However, in the future, the sediment load could be reduced by 66.94 percent to 803,723 pounds (364,563 kg) per year. The largest contributors of sediment to the creek in 2000 were streambank erosion (1,259,807 pounds (571,439 kg)) and row crops (962,287 pounds (436,486 kg)). Hay and pastures contributed 127,748 pounds (57,946 kg) and low-density urban land contributed 36,520 pounds (16,570 kg). 178,689 pounds (81,052 kg) came from other sources.
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