Stroubles Creek facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Stroubles Creek |
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Stroubles Creek just upstream of the Virginia Tech Duck Pond
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| Country | United States |
| City | Blacksburg, Virginia |
| Physical characteristics | |
| River mouth | New River 1,700 feet (520 m) 37°11′25″N 80°31′39″W / 37.1903°N 80.5275°W |
| Length | 12 miles (19 km) |
| Basin features | |
| Basin size | 22.4 square miles (58 km2) |
| Landmarks | Virginia Tech |
| Tributaries |
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| Waterbodies | Virginia Tech Duck Pond |
Stroubles Creek is a stream about 12-mile-long (19 km) in Virginia. It flows through the town of Blacksburg and the Virginia Tech campus. Eventually, it joins the New River.
Many parts of Stroubles Creek in Blacksburg and on the Virginia Tech campus flow underground in pipes. However, the section that goes through Montgomery County, Virginia flows above ground. Since 2002, Stroubles Creek has been listed as a waterway that needs improvement because its water quality is not as healthy as it should be.
Contents
What is Stroubles Creek Like?
How the Stream Flows
Stroubles Creek flows into the New River. The New River then connects to the Kanawha River, which flows into the Ohio River. From there, the water goes into the Mississippi River and finally reaches the Gulf of Mexico.
Two smaller streams, called branches, meet at the Virginia Tech Duck Pond. These are the Main Branch and the Webb Branch. After the Duck Pond, other small streams, like Slate Branch and Walls Branch, join Stroubles Creek.
The Stroubles Creek Watershed
A watershed is an area of land where all the water drains into a single stream or river. The Stroubles Creek watershed is part of the larger New River watershed. It covers about 22.4 square miles (58 km2).
This watershed is split into two main parts: an upper section and a lower section. The Virginia Tech Duck Pond acts as the dividing line between them.
Upper Watershed Details
The Upper Stroubles Creek watershed is about 3 square miles (7.8 km2). This area is heavily affected by buildings and roads in Blacksburg and on the Virginia Tech campus. This is called urbanization.
Lower Watershed Details
The Lower Stroubles Creek watershed also has some developed areas near the western side of the Virginia Tech campus. However, it mostly flows through countryside until it reaches the New River.
Unique Ground Features
The land around Stroubles Creek is known as karst terrain. This means it has special features like limestone rocks, sinkholes (holes in the ground), and natural springs (where water flows out of the ground). The bottom of the stream is made of small rocks and pebbles. It also has layers of silt, clay, and sand from old floods.
A Look Back: History of Stroubles Creek
European settlers first came to the Stroubles Creek area in the 1740s. The creek was an important source of water for them. Today, the New River provides water for the area.
In 1798, the town of Blacksburg was started in the upper part of the Stroubles Creek watershed. Later, in 1851, the Preston and Olin Institute opened. This school would eventually become Virginia Tech.
In 1937, a large open field called the Drillfield was built at Virginia Tech. Because of this, the main branch of Stroubles Creek was put into culverts, which are large pipes that carry water underground. The Virginia Tech Duck Pond was also created around this time by building a dam where the two main branches of the creek met.
