Little Mahanoy Creek facts for kids
Little Mahanoy Creek is a small stream, about 7.5 miles (12.1 km) long. It flows into Mahanoy Creek in Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania. This creek starts in the town of Frackville. It then travels to the town of Gordon, where it joins Mahanoy Creek.
Little Mahanoy Creek has one main smaller stream, called Rattling Run. The area of land that drains into Little Mahanoy Creek is about 11.6 square miles (30 km2). Unlike many other streams in the area, this creek is special because it is not affected by mining.
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Where the Creek Flows
Little Mahanoy Creek begins its journey in Frackville. From there, it flows west, passing by a pond or a small lake.
The creek then goes through a very steep and narrow valley. This valley is located between Ashland Mountain and Broad Mountain. After a short distance, the valley suddenly becomes much wider. The creek continues to flow along the northern side of Broad Mountain. Finally, it reaches the town of Gordon. Here, it meets Rattling Run before joining the larger Mahanoy Creek.
Rattling Run: A Tributary
Rattling Run is the only named stream that flows into Little Mahanoy Creek. It joins the creek in Gordon. This happens not far from where Little Mahanoy Creek itself flows into Mahanoy Creek. Rattling Run starts from natural springs found on the slopes of Broad Mountain.
The Creek's Land Area
The watershed is the area of land where all the rain and snowmelt drain into a particular stream or river. The watershed for Little Mahanoy Creek covers an area of about 11.6 square miles (30 km2).
This area includes the southern side of Ashland Mountain. It stretches between Frackville and the place where the creek ends.
Land and Rocks Around the Creek
Little Mahanoy Creek flows through a valley. This valley is located between Ashland Mountain and Broad Mountain. Near where the creek starts, the valley is very steep and narrow. But as the creek flows further downstream, the valley gets wider. Near the creek's end, it can be almost 2.0 miles (3.2 km) wide.
The ground under the creek is made of a type of red shale rock. Below this shale, there is a layer of hard sandstone. This sandstone also contains some black material, which is a form of carbon.
Water Quality
Little Mahanoy Creek is one of the few streams in the Mahanoy Creek area that is not affected by mining. Another clean stream in the region is Schwaben Creek.
Scientists measured the water flow of Little Mahanoy Creek. This was done in late 2008 and early 2009. The average amount of water flowing was about 8.02 cubic feet per second. The water flow generally increased from September 2008 to April 2009.
The water temperature was also measured during this time. It ranged from 39.2 °F (4.0 °C) to 54.3 °F (12.4 °C). The average temperature was 46.2 °F (7.9 °C). The water's electrical conductivity (how well it carries electricity) was also measured. This helps show what is dissolved in the water.
The amount of dissolved oxygen in the creek's water was measured too. This is important for fish and other water creatures. It ranged from 9.8 to 11.8 milligrams per liter. The creek's water is usually alkaline, meaning it's not acidic. The pH levels were mostly between 7.4 and 8.1.
The water also contained small amounts of sediment (like tiny bits of dirt). The average amount was 4.5 milligrams per liter.
Creek History
A sawmill was built on Little Mahanoy Creek in 1814. Sawmills are places where logs are cut into lumber. Later, in 1875, the town of Ashland bought some land along the creek. This land was in Butler Township. It was about two miles downstream from where the creek starts.
In 1882, some people tried to pump water from Little Mahanoy Creek. Their goal was to create a reservoir (a place to store water). They wanted to pipe this water to people who needed it. Around 1915, Little Mahanoy Creek became polluted. At that time, it was an important source of water for the town of Ashland.
In 1936, the Frackville Sewerage Company tried to build a sewer system in Frackville. But there was a disagreement about how to pay for it, so the project stopped. This caused a pumphouse to release dirty water into Little Mahanoy Creek. This led to several court cases. By 1938, releasing sewage into the creek was officially against the law.
More recently, in 2011, there was an Easter egg drop event in Little Mahanoy Creek. There were plans to make this a yearly tradition.
Animals in the Creek
Little Mahanoy Creek is known as a trout stream. This means you can go fishing for trout there all year round! The trout in the creek are often stocked. This means young trout are added to the creek so there are enough for fishing. For example, 600 trout were stocked in 2001.
Rainbow trout have also been seen in the creek in the past. In 1906, there were about 800 fish in the creek. These included young fish, year-old fish, and adult fish.
