Susquehanna River Watershed
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Susquehanna River Watershed I. Location Pennsylvania, New York, Delaware, Maryland Part of the larger Chesapeake Bay Watershed Mouth empties into the Chesapeake Bay II. Main Waterways in Pennsylvania Susquehanna River: Total length= 444 miles Juniata River Pine Creek: located in the Allegheny Plateau, Pine Creek Gorge has been nicknamed the "Grand Canyon of Pennsylvania." Other important waterways: Conodoguinet Creek, Yellow Breeches Creek, Bald Eagle Creek III. History Named the "Sisquehanna" by the Native Americans, which means "muddy stream." In June 1972, the Susquehanna River flooded as a result of Hurricane Agnes and caused one of the greatest flood disasters in US history. IV. Watershed Area and Size Total Watershed Area= 27,580 square miles including, 21,038 square miles in PA 76% of the entire watershed is in PA and it covers 46% of PA's land area The Susquehanna River Basin is the largest watershed in PA. Of all PA's watersheds, the Susquehanna has the greatest volume of runoff. The Susquehanna River is the 16th largest river in the US. A part of the larger Chesapeake Bay Watershed V. Surrounding Environment 1. Land Use and Land Cover Major cities: Scranton, Harrisburg, York, Lancaster, Williamsport, Blair, Wilkes-Barre Intense areas of pasture and crop land with deciduous forests On the whole, mainly residential and forest lands Northern Hardwood Forest and Appalachian Oak Forest including beech, hemlock, oak, birch, and pine trees Mining of coal Agriculture- areas of pastures/crops Industries State Park Land including: Susquehanna State Park Creek Connections Watershed Module – Watershed Fact Sheets Susquehanna River Watershed VI. Population 3,499,000 people reside in the Susquehanna Watershed in PA VII. Bedrock and Soil Types Limestone, coal, and shale valleys with sandstone ridges Area of drastic folding and faulting resulting from tectonic activity Anthracite coal fields Appalachian Mountain Plateau with other areas of high elevation VIII. Emissions into Water 1. Past PCB's 2. Present Metals Sediment IX. Regulations Concerning Watershed No watershed specific regulations at this time. X. Water Usage Public, commercial, domestic, industrial, thermoelectric, mining, livestock, irrigation, wastewater treatment, reservoir Drinking water Recreation Hydropower XI. Threats Habitat destruction affecting macroinvertebrates and other aquatic life pH levels due to acid mine drainage One of the areas most prone to devastating flooding in the US XII. Action in the Watershed Chest Creek Watershed Association Codorus Monitoring Network- restoration by providing habitat and recreational facilities for communities- www.amrivers.org Conodoguinet Creek Watershed Association- www.ship.edu Fishing Creek Green Alliance Hazelton Greenfire Coalition, Nescopeck Creek Project- www.wildlandspa..org Lackawanna River Corridor Association- protection and restoration- www.lrca.org Creek Connections Watershed Module – Watershed Fact Sheets Susquehanna River Watershed (XII. Action in the Watershed cont.) Lancaster County Conservancy- www.lancasterconservancy.org LeTort Regional Authority- reviews development plans, makes recommendations for stream and watershed protection, manages trails, conservation programs and participates in water quality monitoring- www.letort.org Meshoppen Creek Task Force Muddy Creek Coalition Northcentral Pennsylvania Conservancy- sustainable protection of watershed lands- www.npcweb.org Octoraro Watershed Asociation- conservation and preservation, including wetland restoration- www.landstudies.com/projects Pine Creek Headwaters Protection Group- www.penweb.org/pinecreek Pine Creek Valley Watershed Association- www.pinecreekwatershed.org Schuylkill River Greenway Association- www.schuylkillrivergreenway.org Susquehanna River Country- public education Susquehanna River Basin Association- www.srbc.net Susquehanna River Basic Committee Susquehanna Tri-State Association Susquehanna River Watch- planning , design, development of projects to create public awareness of watershed quality- www.amrivers.org Susquehanna River Wetlands Trust- www.srwa.org Yellow Breeches Anglers Yellow Breeches Creek Alliance- www.lower-allen.pa.us Creek Connections Watershed Module – Watershed Fact Sheets .