Butler Creek (Nine Partners Creek tributary) facts for kids

Butler Creek is a cool stream that flows into Nine Partners Creek in Susquehanna County, Pennsylvania. It's about 12 miles (19 km) long. The creek flows through three towns: Jackson Township, Gibson Township, and Harford Township.

The land area that drains into Butler Creek, called its watershed, is about 20.6 square miles (53 km²). It has one smaller stream joining it, called Little Butler Creek. Butler Creek is considered a healthy stream and is not listed as polluted.

In some parts, the creek's valley looks like a "string of beads." This is because thick layers of rock and soil, left by ancient glaciers, partly block the valley. Butler Creek starts at a lake called Butler Lake. Many bridges cross over the creek. Wild trout live and reproduce here, and thick forests grow along its banks.

Where Does Butler Creek Flow?

Butler Creek starts from a small pond on a hill in Jackson Township. It flows south for a short distance. Then, it enters a wetland (a marshy area) and turns east. After a little way, it goes through another wetland and then flows into Butler Lake.

From the southern end of Butler Lake, the creek flows southwest. It then turns west for a short bit before heading southwest again. After a while, it crosses Pennsylvania Route 492. It continues southwest and then turns southeast, then southwest again. Here, its smaller stream, Little Butler Creek, joins it from the right side.

The creek then flows southwest into Gibson Township. After more than a mile, it turns southwest again before entering Harford Township. In Harford Township, it flows southwest for a few miles. Then it turns southeast and then south. After a short distance, it turns southwest again. Finally, it crosses Interstate 81 and joins Nine Partners Creek.

Butler Creek is about 12 miles (19 km) long. It meets Nine Partners Creek about 1.40 miles (2.25 km) upstream from where Nine Partners Creek ends.

What Streams Join Butler Creek?

Butler Creek has one main named stream that flows into it: Little Butler Creek. Little Butler Creek joins Butler Creek about 8.20 miles (13.20 km) upstream from its mouth, near the town of Gibson. The area that drains into Little Butler Creek is about 1.63 square miles (4.2 km²).

How Much Water is in Butler Creek?

Butler Creek is considered a healthy stream. It is not listed as an "impaired waterbody," which means it's not seriously polluted.

The amount of water flowing in Butler Creek changes throughout the year. Between 1974 and 1979, the average amount of water flowing per year at Gibson ranged from 11.9 cubic feet per second (0.34 m³/s) in 1976 to 17.5 cubic feet per second (0.50 m³/s) in 1979.

The creek usually has the most water in March and January. During these months, the average flow was around 31 cubic feet per second (0.88 m³/s) and 24 cubic feet per second (0.68 m³/s). The lowest water levels are usually in August and July, with average flows of about 2.4 cubic feet per second (0.068 m³/s) and 2.3 cubic feet per second (0.065 m³/s).

What is the Land Around Butler Creek Like?

The land around where Butler Creek meets Nine Partners Creek is about 892 feet (272 m) above sea level. Near where the creek starts, the land is much higher, about 1,780 feet (540 m) above sea level.

Near the creek's mouth, the ground is mostly made of alluvium. This is soil and rock deposited by flowing water. The sides of the valley have a type of till (rocky material left by glaciers) called Wisconsinan Till. There are also some areas of solid bedrock made of sandstone and shale on nearby hills.

Further upstream, the ground along the creek is still mostly alluvium. But there are also areas of Wisconsinan Ice-Contact Stratified Drift, which is material left by glaciers. The valley sides still have Wisconsinan Till, and bedrock is on the hills. In the upper parts of the creek, the ground is mostly Wisconsinan Till, but also has areas of alluvium and wetlands. Where the creek begins, you'll find Butler Lake and more wetlands and peat bogs.

In some areas, the alluvium in Butler Creek's valley can be as thick as 12 feet (3.7 m). The valley of Butler Creek, especially in its upper parts, is a "beaded valley." This means that large amounts of glacial till partly or fully block off parts of the valley. This makes the valley look like a string of beads.

What is the Butler Creek Watershed?

The watershed of Butler Creek covers an area of 20.8 square miles (54 km²). The mouth of the creek is in the Lenoxville area on maps. However, its source is in the Thompson area. The creek also flows through the Harford area. Its mouth is less than 1 mile (1.6 km) from a place called Harding Corners.

Butler Lake, a 24-acre (9.7 ha) lake, is located on Butler Creek in its upper parts. There is a special measuring station, called a stream gage, on Butler Creek at Gibson. At this station, the watershed area is 7.38 square miles (19.1 km²).

History and Fun Facts

Butler Creek was officially named and added to the Geographic Names Information System on August 2, 1979.

By the 1870s, there was a small village called Burrow's Hollow near Butler Creek.

Many bridges have been built over Butler Creek over the years:

• A steel bridge on T-548/Podunk Road was built in 1920 and repaired in 1982. It's 37.1 feet (11.3 m) long.
• Two bridges for Interstate 81 were built in 1961. They are 215.9 feet (65.8 m) long. One was fixed in 1984, the other in 2009.
• Another steel bridge on T-548/Podunk Road was built in 1968. It's 53.2 feet (16.2 m) long.
• A concrete bridge for Pennsylvania Route 547 was built in 1999. It's 38.1 feet (11.6 m) long.
• A steel bridge on T-582/Penny Hill Road was built in 2009. It's 50.9 feet (15.5 m) long.

Butler Lake, which is on Butler Creek, has several boat docks. Some people have suggested removing these and building one main boat launch in the lake's northeastern corner. There's also a discussion about protecting the bog habitat around the lake.

Animals and Nature

Wild trout naturally reproduce in Butler Creek. They live from where the creek starts all the way down to a small stream called Gibson Creek, a distance of 6.07 miles (9.77 km). The creek acts as a changing zone between very cold streams at its source and warmer, larger creeks further down. Brook trout were seen in the creek back in the 1930s.

Butler Lake is an important natural area. It's a bog habitat, even though some houses are built along its edge. There's a large floating mat of bog plants in the southern part of the lake.

One of the biggest areas of forest in Harford Township is found along Butler Creek and its smaller streams. This forest is very important for protecting the land along the creek. There's also a large forest area along the creek in Gibson Township.