Hunkydory Creek facts for kids

Hunkydory Creek is a small stream located in Schuylkill County and Luzerne County, in Pennsylvania. It flows into Catawissa Creek. The creek is about 1.4 miles (2.3 km) long. It flows through Kline Township in Schuylkill County and Hazle Township in Luzerne County. The area of land that drains into the creek, called its watershed, is about 3.65 square miles (9.5 km²). Hunkydory Creek is known as a Coldwater Fishery, which means its water is cold enough for certain types of fish. However, it's thought that no fish actually live in this creek.

Where Hunkydory Creek Flows

Hunkydory Creek begins at a place called the Number Eight Reservoir in Kline Township, Schuylkill County. It flows north for a short distance, then turns towards the west-northwest. After flowing for a bit, the creek turns north again. A little further downstream, it leaves Kline Township and Schuylkill County.

After leaving Schuylkill County, Hunkydory Creek enters Hazle Township, Luzerne County. Here, the creek flows east-northeast, staying somewhat close to the border between Luzerne and Schuylkill counties. It passes through a small pond and then a much larger pond or small lake. Sometimes, the creek's water disappears for a short distance before showing up again in another pond. Near the northern edge of this last pond, the creek's flow disappears again for a short while. Finally, it reaches where it joins Catawissa Creek.

Hunkydory Creek meets Catawissa Creek about 40.86 miles (65.76 km) before Catawissa Creek reaches its own end.

The Creek's Water Quality

The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection says that Hunkydory Creek is affected by pollution from old mines. This pollution impacts about 0.26775 miles (0.43090 km) of the creek. The creek is supposed to support aquatic life, which means plants and animals that live in water. However, the creek's water quality is not good enough to meet these standards.

Land and Rocks Around the Creek

The land around Hunkydory Creek has been heavily mined. For most of its length, the creek flows through areas with spoil piles, which are piles of waste rock from mining, and land that hasn't been fixed after mining.

Even with the mining, there are different types of rocks in the creek's watershed. For example, the western and southern parts have a rock type called the Mauch Chunk Formation. This rock includes siltstone, sandstone, and a type of rock called conglomerate. Other areas have the Pottsville Formation, which contains claystone and limestone. Some eastern parts have the Llewellyn Formation. Most of the land around the creek is on a type of coal called anthracite.

The creek flows over a type of soil called Udorthents for its entire length. The very southern part of the watershed has Hazleton soil.

The place where Hunkydory Creek joins Catawissa Creek is in an active strip mine. This is a type of mine where minerals are dug up from the surface. The lower parts of the creek in Luzerne County are in areas that can easily flood during a very big flood, like a 100 year flood. The land south of the Number Eight Reservoir can also flood easily.

Hunkydory Creek is a small stream. It doesn't drop much in height as it flows, which means it has a "low gradient." This is the lowest gradient of any stream that flows into Catawissa Creek. In some places, the creek's water completely disappears because it flows into old deep mines. The water then goes into mining pits or broken ground, and eventually flows into the Audenried Tunnel. From there, it goes into Catawissa Creek as acid mine drainage, which is polluted water from mines.

The Creek's Watershed Area

The watershed of Hunkydory Creek covers an area of 3.65 square miles (9.5 km²). Most of this area is in Kline Township, Schuylkill County. However, smaller parts of the watershed are in East Union Township, Schuylkill County, Hazle Township, Luzerne County, and Banks Township, Carbon County. The entire town of McAdoo is also within the creek's watershed.

The lower parts of Hunkydory Creek are close to the community of Kelyres. The Number 8 Reservoir, where the creek starts, is in the upper part of its watershed. The creek is located in the Conyngham area, according to the United States Geological Survey.

Major roads in the watershed include Pennsylvania Route 309 and Interstate 81. Pennsylvania Route 309 runs north-south through the eastern part, and Interstate 81 runs north-south through the western part. A large portion of the creek's length is very close to a road.

In 1990, the watershed of Hunkydory Creek had a population density of 238 people per square kilometer. This made it the most crowded sub-watershed in the entire Catawissa Creek area. No part of Hunkydory Creek is open to the public.

History and Industries

Almost all the land in Hunkydory Creek's watershed has been mined at some point. In 2003, a plan called a TMDL suggested fixing the land around the creek and restoring its stream channels. The goal was to reduce the amount of polluted water flowing from the Audenreid Tunnel.

Wildlife and Fishing

The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection considers Hunkydory Creek a Coldwater Fishery and a Migratory Fishery. This means it has the right conditions for cold-water fish and fish that travel. However, a report from 1997 said that it was unlikely to have any fish. Researchers couldn't actually check for fish because the creek is entirely on private mining land. Because of this, the creek is closed to fishing.