Little Mahantango Creek facts for kids

Little Mahantango Creek is a smaller stream, also known as a tributary, that flows into Mahantango Creek. It is located in Schuylkill County and Northumberland County, in Pennsylvania, United States. The creek is about 9.6 miles (15.4 km) long. It flows through several townships, including Eldred and Upper Mahantongo in Schuylkill County, and Upper Mahanoy in Northumberland County.

The area of land that drains into the creek, called its watershed, covers about 15.1 square miles (39 km²). Little Mahantango Creek and its many smaller streams (tributaries) are considered "impaired." This means they are not as healthy as they should be. The main problem is too much sediment and silt, mostly from farming activities in the area.

The land around Little Mahantango Creek has different types of rocks and soils. The main way people use the land here is for farming. However, there are also forests and some developed areas. Several bridges have been built over the creek to help people cross it.

Creek's Journey: Where Little Mahantango Creek Flows

Little Mahantango Creek starts its journey near Line Mountain in Eldred Township, Schuylkill County. It first flows south-southeast, then turns west-southwest. Along the way, it picks up water from many smaller, unnamed streams.

The creek continues generally west-southwest for several miles. It then turns northwest, crossing Pennsylvania Route 125, and enters Upper Mahanoy Township in Northumberland County.

After a short time in Northumberland County, the creek turns south and flows back into Eldred Township, Schuylkill County. It then moves southwest and enters Upper Mahantongo Township. Here, it turns west-southwest, then west-northwest, and finally west-southwest again. The creek receives more unnamed streams as it winds its way. Eventually, it turns south-southeast and meets up with Mahantango Creek.

Little Mahantango Creek joins Mahantango Creek about 23.24 miles (37.40 km) before Mahantango Creek reaches its own end.

Creek's Health: Understanding Little Mahantango Creek's Water

Parts of Little Mahantango Creek are officially listed as an "impaired waterbody." This means the water quality is not good enough to support healthy aquatic life, like fish and plants. The main reason for this impairment is too much sedimentation (dirt settling) and siltation (fine dirt settling) in the water. This problem mostly comes from farming activities nearby. All of Little Mahantango Creek and its smaller streams are affected.

Scientists have measured the water in Little Mahantango Creek. For example, in July 1998, the water temperature near Pitman was 20.7 °C (69.3 °F). Near Line Mountain, it was 19.8 °C (67.6 °F). They also measured how much water was flowing, which was 1.4 cubic feet per second (0.040 m³/s) near Pitman and 1.9 cubic feet per second (0.054 m³/s) at Line Mountain. These measurements help experts understand the creek's condition.

Land and Rocks: The Geography of Little Mahantango Creek

The land around the end of Little Mahantango Creek is about 604 feet (184 m) above sea level. Where the creek begins, its source, the elevation is higher, around 1,004 feet (306 m) above sea level.

The ground around Little Mahantango Creek is made up of different types of rock formations. These include the Irish Valley Member and the Trimmers Rock Formation. Near the middle and upper parts of the creek, you can find the Sherman Creek Member. At the very beginning of the creek, the rocks are from the Duncannon Member.

The main soil type found near Little Mahantango Creek is called Leck Kill-Minersville-Calvin soil. Other soil types, like Berks-Weikert-Beddington and Hazelton-Dekalb-Buchnnan, are found in different parts of the creek's area.

Creek's Area: The Little Mahantango Creek Watershed

The watershed of Little Mahantango Creek is the entire area of land where all the rain and snowmelt eventually drain into the creek. This area covers about 15.1 square miles (39 km²). The end of the creek is shown on a United States Geological Survey map called the Valley View quadrangle. The beginning of the creek is on the Tremont quadrangle map. The creek's mouth is close to the town of Valley View.

Most of the land around Little Mahantango Creek is used for agriculture, meaning farming. However, there are also areas covered by forests and some smaller spots where people have built things. The creek is important for supporting aquatic life, which means all the plants and animals that live in the water.

Creek's Past: A Look at Little Mahantango Creek's History

Little Mahantango Creek was officially added to the Geographic Names Information System, a database of place names, on August 2, 1979. Its special ID number in this system is 1192805.

Back in 1793, a person named David Klock received a special paper, called a warranty deed, for a 343-acre (139 ha) piece of land near Little Mahantango Creek. This land was even nicknamed "Beauty"! In the past, there was also a carding or fulling mill on the creek. These were places where wool was processed to make it ready for spinning into yarn or cloth.

Over the years, several bridges have been built across Little Mahantango Creek:

• A steel bridge for Pennsylvania Route 125 was built in 1932 and fixed in 1956. It is 29.9 feet (9.1 m) long.
• Another steel bridge for State Route 4014 was built in 1949 and is 54.1 feet (16.5 m) long.
• In 1963, a steel bridge for Tannenbaum Road was built, measuring 29.9 feet (9.1 m) long.
• A concrete bridge for Mill Road was constructed in 1973 and is 32.2 feet (9.8 m) long.
• The newest bridge mentioned is a concrete one for T-468 (Hepler Road), built in 2009, and it is 34.1 feet (10.4 m) long.