Snow Creek (Mahantango Creek tributary) facts for kids

Snow Creek is a small river, also called a tributary, that flows into Mahantango Creek. It's located in Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, USA. This creek is about 3.8 miles (6.1 km) long. It travels through two areas: Upper Mahanoy Township and Jordan Township.

The land area that drains into Snow Creek, called its watershed, covers about 4.72 square miles (12.2 km2). Snow Creek doesn't have any smaller rivers named after it that flow into it. It's also considered a healthy waterway, meaning it's not listed as polluted.

The Journey of Snow Creek

Snow Creek starts on a hill in Upper Mahanoy Township. It flows generally south, passing through a small pond. As it reaches the bottom of the hill, it gets water from a small, unnamed stream on its left side.

The creek then turns and flows west-southwest. It receives another unnamed stream from its right side. After this, it enters a valley. Snow Creek continues its journey through the valley for more than a mile before it enters Jordan Township.

Once in Jordan Township, the creek slowly turns south. It picks up two more unnamed streams, one from the right and one from the left. Then, it flows south-southwest, getting two more unnamed streams, one from each side.

Finally, Snow Creek turns southwest and crosses Klingerstown Road. A short distance later, it gets one last unnamed stream from the right. It then joins Mahantango Creek right on the border between Northumberland County and Schuylkill County. Snow Creek meets Mahantango Creek about 16.88 miles (27.17 km) before Mahantango Creek ends.

Creek's Height and Health

The place where Snow Creek joins Mahantango Creek is about 512 feet (156 meters) above sea level. Where the creek begins, its source, is much higher, at about 955 feet (291 meters) above sea level.

Good news for Snow Creek! As of 2004, no part of Snow Creek or any of its small, unnamed streams are considered "impaired." This means they are not polluted and are healthy for nature.

Snow Creek's Watershed Area

The watershed of Snow Creek covers an area of about 4.72 square miles (12.2 km2). This is the total land area where all the rain and snow eventually flow into Snow Creek. The entire creek is located within the United States Geological Survey map area called Klingerstown.

The mouth of Snow Creek is less than 1 mile (1.6 km) from the town of Klingerstown. There are about 10.75 miles (17.30 km) of streams in the whole watershed of Snow Creek. People have even suggested creating a 6.4-mile (10.3 km) long greenway along Snow Creek. A greenway is a natural path or corridor, often used for recreation.

History of Snow Creek

Snow Creek was officially added to the Geographic Names Information System on August 2, 1979. This system helps keep track of names and locations of places in the United States. Its special ID number in the system is 1187945.

A concrete bridge was built over Snow Creek in 1938. This bridge carries State Route 3018. It is about 35.1 feet (10.7 meters) long and is located about 6 miles (9.7 km) east of Pillow.