Pond Creek (Little Wapwallopen Creek tributary) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Pond Creek |
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Pond Creek at Pond Hill Mountain Road
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| Physical characteristics | |
| Main source | southern side of Penobscot Mountain near the border between Slocum Township, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania and Newport Township, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania between 1,000 and 1,020 feet (300 and 310 m) |
| River mouth | Little Wapwallopen Creek in Conyngham Township, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania 522 ft (159 m) 41°05′57″N 76°06′22″W / 41.0992°N 76.1062°W |
| Length | 6.4 mi (10.3 km) |
| Basin features | |
| Progression | Little Wapwallopen Creek → Susquehanna River → Chesapeake Bay |
| Basin size | 9.69 sq mi (25.1 km2) |
| Tributaries |
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Pond Creek is a small river, also sometimes called Long Pond Creek. It flows through Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. This creek is about 6.4 miles (10.3 km) long. It eventually flows into Little Wapwallopen Creek.
Pond Creek runs through Slocum Township and Conyngham Township. The area of land that drains into the creek, called its watershed, is about 9.69 square miles (25.1 km2). This watershed is part of a larger system that flows into the Susquehanna River. A bridge was built over Pond Creek in 1956. Long ago, in the early 1900s, a company even planned to build a dam on the creek. The ground around Pond Creek has different types of soil and rocks, like sand, clay, and shale. There are also some wet areas, called wetlands.
Contents
Pond Creek's Journey: Where it Flows
Pond Creek starts on the southern side of Penobscot Mountain. This is close to the border between Slocum Township and Newport Township. The creek first flows west-southwest for a short distance. Then, it goes through a small body of water called Cranberry Pond. After that, it turns northwest.
The creek then changes direction again, heading west-southwest. It flows through Lily Lake, a larger lake. When it leaves Lily Lake, Pond Creek moves from Slocum Township into Conyngham Township. At the southern edge of the lake, it turns south briefly. Then it flows southwest for a while, entering a valley.
Pond Creek continues south for some distance. Along the way, it gets water from an unnamed stream that joins it from the left side. The creek then winds its way southwest. After a bit, it turns west and receives another unnamed stream, this time from the right side. It then flows directly south, and its valley becomes much deeper. Finally, the creek gets one more unnamed stream from the left. It then sharply turns west-southwest. After a short distance, it turns sharply east for a bit, leaving its valley. The creek then turns west-southwest one last time. Here, it meets and joins Little Wapwallopen Creek.
Pond Creek joins Little Wapwallopen Creek about 1.52 miles (2.45 km) before Little Wapwallopen Creek reaches its own end.
Pond Creek's Unnamed Streams
Pond Creek does not have any officially named smaller streams that flow into it. However, it does have several unnamed streams, also known as tributaries. These smaller streams add water to Pond Creek. One of these unnamed streams is about 3 miles (4.8 km) long. Another is about 0.4 miles (0.64 km) long, and a third is about 0.8 miles (1.3 km) long. In an old report from 1908, one of these streams was called Black Creek.
Pond Creek's Land and Rocks
The land where Pond Creek meets Little Wapwallopen Creek is about 522 feet (159 m) above sea level. Where Pond Creek begins, its source is much higher, between 1,000 and 1,020 feet (300 and 310 m) above sea level.
Pond Creek is located near the Wyoming mountains. It flows along the southern side of these mountains. In its lower parts, the creek flows through a narrow, deep valley, like a small gorge. In this gorge, the creek cuts through very strong rocks that have few cracks.
Most of the higher areas that drain into Pond Creek are covered by a type of soil and rock mixture called Wisconsinan Till. This was left behind by glaciers. However, on Penobscot Mountain, you can see natural rock formations called bedrock. These rocks are made of sandstone and shale. Closer to the creek, especially downstream from Lily Lake, there are small areas of alluvium (soil deposited by water) and boulder alluvium (alluvium with large rocks). In its lower valley, the creek mostly flows through alluvium and another glacial deposit called Wisconsinan Ice-Contact Stratified Drift. This drift is made of layers of sand and gravel, and sometimes large boulders. The valley is surrounded by bedrock of sandstone and shale. At the creek's mouth, there's an alluvial fan, which is a fan-shaped deposit of sediment.
Pond Creek's Watershed and Wildlife
The watershed of Pond Creek covers an area of about 9.69 square miles (25.1 km2). A watershed is all the land where water drains into a particular river or creek. The mouth of Pond Creek is shown on maps in the Sybertsville area. However, its source is in the Nanticoke area. The entire watershed of Pond Creek is part of the larger Lower North Branch Susquehanna drainage basin. Pond Creek generally flows towards the west.
There is a small pond called Mud Pond within the Pond Creek watershed. Mud Pond is on one of the smaller streams that flows into Pond Creek, not on the main creek itself. At the very beginning of Pond Creek, where it starts, there are areas of wetland. Wetlands are important areas where the land is covered by water, supporting unique plants and animals.
Interestingly, wild trout naturally live and reproduce in Pond Creek. This means the creek's water is clean and healthy enough for these fish to thrive without human help.
Pond Creek's History
Pond Creek was officially added to the Geographic Names Information System on August 2, 1979. This system keeps track of names and locations of places in the United States. Its special identification number in the system is 1184234.
A bridge was built over Pond Creek in 1956. This bridge is located about 1 mile (1.6 km) east of State Route 3006. It carries a local road called T-466 or Cemetery Road. Two other bridges were built over the smaller streams that flow into Pond Creek in 1956 and 1966.
In the early 1900s, a company called the Glen Brook Water Company had plans to build a large stone dam on Pond Creek. The dam was planned to be 65 feet (20 m) high. The lake that would form behind the dam, called the Pond Creek Reservoir, was intended to be 16 acres (6.5 ha) in size and hold a lot of water. The dam was going to be built about 0.25 miles (0.40 km) upstream from where the creek meets Little Wapwallopen Creek, in a deep gorge.
