Warrior Creek (Pennsylvania) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Warrior Creek |
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Warrior Creek looking upstream
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| Physical characteristics | |
| Main source | northern base of Wilkes-Barre Mountain on the border between Warrior Run, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania and Sugar Notch, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania between 760 and 780 feet (230 and 240 m) |
| River mouth | Susquehanna River in Hanover Township, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania 531 ft (162 m) 41°12′47″N 75°58′28″W / 41.21295°N 75.97457°W |
| Length | 3.0 mi (4.8 km) |
| Basin features | |
| Progression | Susquehanna River → Chesapeake Bay |
| Basin size | 4.51 sq mi (11.7 km2) |
| Tributaries |
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Warrior Creek is a small river, also called a tributary, that flows into the big Susquehanna River in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania. It's about 3.0 miles (4.8 km) long. The creek flows through towns like Warrior Run, Sugar Notch, and Hanover Township. The land area that drains into this creek, called its watershed, is about 4.51 square miles (11.7 km2).
Warrior Creek is meant to be a home for coldwater fish. However, it has been affected by water coming from old, unused mines. The ground around the creek has different types of soil and rock, including areas that were once used for mining.
Contents
Where Does Warrior Creek Flow?
Warrior Creek starts at the northern base of Wilkes-Barre Mountain. This is right on the edge between Warrior Run and Sugar Notch.
- First, it flows west for a short distance along this border.
- Then, it turns north for a bit, still following the border.
- After that, it turns west again for a short time and enters Warrior Run.
- The creek then flows north-northwest for over a mile. It enters Hanover Township and goes under Pennsylvania Route 29.
- Next, it keeps going north-northwest and gets water from a small, unnamed stream joining it from the right side.
- Finally, the creek turns west-northwest for more than a mile. It crosses the Sans Souci Parkway and then meets the Susquehanna River.
Warrior Creek joins the Susquehanna River about 183.32 miles (295.02 km) before the Susquehanna reaches its own mouth.
Water Quality of Warrior Creek
Warrior Creek is considered to have problems with its water quality. The main issues are changes in how the water flows and too much silt or mud building up. These problems are likely caused by water draining from old, abandoned mines.
The creek doesn't have much natural water flow until it gets past Middle Road. However, the biggest amount of water coming from an old mine in this area can be as much as 75 gallons per minute. In 1975, the water in the creek downstream of Middle Road was found to be alkaline. This was due to untreated wastewater entering the creek.
Scientists measured the water flow of Warrior Creek several times in 1973 and 1974.
- At the end of a culvert (a pipe or tunnel carrying water) under Middle Road, the flow ranged from 0 to 70 gallons per minute.
- At the start of the same culvert, the flow was between 0 and 60 gallons per minute.
- At two pipes carrying the creek under a mining road, the creek was often dry during these measurements.
Water temperature was also measured in 1973 and 1974:
- At the end of the culvert on Middle Road, the water temperature ranged from 0 to 15 °C (32 to 59 °F).
- At the start of the culvert, it ranged from 0 to 27 °C (32 to 81 °F).
- The pH (how acidic or alkaline water is) at the end of the culvert ranged from 4.50 to 7.40.
- At the start of the culvert, the pH ranged from 6.55 to 8.45.
Land and Rocks Around the Creek
The land around where Warrior Creek meets the Susquehanna River is about 531 feet (162 m) above sea level. The place where the creek starts is higher, between 760 and 780 feet (230 and 240 m) above sea level.
The very beginning of Warrior Creek is in areas where mining has taken place. Most of the land that drains into the creek sits on top of coal layers. A mountain called Wilkes-Barre Mountain is also in the higher parts of the creek's area.
The ground and rocks around Warrior Creek are mostly:
- Land that has been changed by mining.
- Areas with city buildings.
- A type of soil left by glaciers, called Wisconsinan Till.
- Solid bedrock made of sandstone, shale, coal, and conglomerate (a rock with rounded pebbles). This bedrock is mostly found in the middle and upper parts of the creek.
- There are also some smaller areas of alluvium (silt, sand, and gravel deposited by flowing water) and fill (material used to raise the ground level).
Warrior Creek's Drainage Area
The watershed of Warrior Creek covers an area of 4.51 square miles (11.7 km2). This means all the rain and snow that falls in this area eventually flows into Warrior Creek. The creek is entirely located within the Wilkes-Barre West map area, as defined by the United States Geological Survey.
Warrior Creek is important for supporting aquatic life, meaning plants and animals that live in water.
History of Warrior Creek
Warrior Creek was officially added to the Geographic Names Information System on August 2, 1979. This system helps keep track of names for places like rivers and mountains. Its special ID number there is 1190603.
In 1952, a concrete culvert bridge was built over Warrior Creek. This bridge carries State Route 2002 and is 44.9 feet (13.7 m) long. It is located in Hanover Township.
The Bureau of Abandoned Mine Reclamation, which is part of the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, has permission to let stormwater flow into Warrior Creek. This happens when they are moving earth to fill in dangerous old mining pits. A big project, costing $750,000, was completed in the areas around Warrior Creek and Solomon Creek. This project, called Growing Greener, aimed to fix up land that was damaged by old mines.
Animals in Warrior Creek
The area around Warrior Creek is meant to be a home for coldwater fish and for fish that travel to different places (migratory fish). However, a report from 1978 noted that there were no fish living in the creek at that time.
