Long Run (Elk Run tributary) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Long Run |
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| Physical characteristics | |
| Main source | top of a deep valley in Davidson Township, Sullivan County, Pennsylvania between 2,360 and 2,380 feet (720 and 730 m) |
| River mouth | Elk Run in Davidson Township, Sullivan County, Pennsylvania 1,217 ft (371 m) 41°18′37″N 76°24′37″W / 41.31026°N 76.41018°W |
| Length | 2.4 mi (3.9 km) |
| Basin features | |
| Progression | Elk Run → West Branch Fishing Creek → Fishing Creek → Susquehanna River → Chesapeake Bay |
| Basin size | 1.92 sq mi (5.0 km2) |
| Tributaries |
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Long Run is a small stream, also called a tributary, located in Sullivan County, Pennsylvania. It flows into another stream called Elk Run. Long Run is about 2.4 miles (3.9 km) long. It flows through a place called Davidson Township.
The area that collects water for Long Run, known as its watershed, is about 1.92 square miles (5.0 km2). Long Run has four smaller streams that flow into it, but none of them have official names. Sadly, the water in Long Run is not as clean as it should be. This is due to pollution from the air and certain metals. The ground around the stream has special rocks and soil from ancient glaciers, like sandstone and shale.
Contents
Where Long Run Flows
Long Run starts high up in a deep valley in Davidson Township. It flows south for a short distance. Along the way, two unnamed streams join it from the left side.
The valley then gets much deeper as Long Run turns towards the south-southwest. It continues flowing south for more than a mile. Two more unnamed streams join it from the left. Finally, Long Run turns southwest, leaves its valley, and meets Elk Run. This meeting point is close to the border between Sullivan County and Columbia County.
Long Run joins Elk Run about 0.42 miles (0.68 km) before Elk Run reaches its own end.
Water Quality of Long Run
Long Run's water quality is not perfect. It is affected by pollution from the air, called atmospheric deposition, and by metals. About 4.25 miles (6.84 km) of Long Run and its smaller, unnamed streams have this problem. This amount makes up about 10.5 percent of all the polluted streams in the larger areas of West Branch Fishing Creek and East Branch Fishing Creek.
The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection has set rules for how clean streams should be. Long Run, and all four of its unnamed smaller streams, do not meet these important water quality rules.
Land and Rocks Around Long Run
The land near where Long Run meets Elk Run is about 1,217 feet (371 m) above sea level. The very beginning of Long Run, its source, is much higher. It's between 2,360 and 2,380 feet (720 and 730 m) above sea level.
Most of Long Run's valley sits on a type of soil and rock called Wisconsinan Bouldery Till. This is soil left behind by ancient glaciers. It has many large boulders made of sandstone, quartz, and conglomerate rock. The rest of the valley and its sides are made of solid bedrock. This bedrock is mostly shale and sandstone. Near where the stream starts, there's another type of glacial soil called Wisconsinan Till.
Long Run's Water Collecting Area
The watershed of Long Run covers an area of 1.92 square miles (5.0 km2). This means all the rain and snow that falls in this area eventually flows into Long Run. The entire stream is located within the Elk Grove map area, as mapped by the United States Geological Survey.
Long Run is one of twenty streams in the Upper Susquehanna-Lackawanna river system where the bottom of the stream, called the streambed, is owned by the public. This means everyone has a right to use and enjoy it. The streambeds of Hog Run and Gallows Run, which are also streams that flow into Elk Run, are also publicly owned. Even the streambed of Elk Run itself is publicly owned.
History of Long Run's Name
The name "Long Run" was officially added to the Geographic Names Information System on August 2, 1979. This system keeps track of names and locations for geographic features in the United States. Its special ID number in that system is 1179887.
