Watershed

I. Location  , , Delaware,  Part of the larger Watershed  Mouth empties into the Chesapeake Bay

II. Main Waterways in Pennsylvania  Susquehanna River: Total length= 444 miles   Pine Creek: located in the Allegheny Plateau, Pine Creek Gorge has been nicknamed the "Grand of Pennsylvania."  Other important waterways: , , 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 and caused one of the greatest 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. and Land Cover  Major cities: Scranton, Harrisburg, York, Lancaster, Williamsport, Blair, Wilkes-Barre  Intense areas of pasture and crop land with deciduous  On the whole, mainly residential and lands  Northern Hardwood Forest and Appalachian Forest including beech, hemlock, oak, birch, and pine trees  of  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 Types  Limestone, coal, and shale valleys with ridges  Area of drastic folding and faulting resulting from tectonic activity  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  One of the areas most prone to devastating flooding in the US

XII. Action in the Watershed  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, Project- www.wildlandspa..org  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 Conservancy- www.lancasterconservancy.org  LeTort Regional Authority- reviews development plans, makes recommendations for stream and watershed protection, manages trails, conservation programs and participates in monitoring- www.letort.org  Task Force  Muddy Creek Coalition  Northcentral Pennsylvania Conservancy- sustainable protection of watershed lands- www.npcweb.org  Octoraro Watershed Asociation- conservation and preservation, including 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 Trust- www.srwa.org  Yellow Breeches Anglers  Yellow Breeches Creek Alliance- www.lower-allen.pa.us

Creek Connections Watershed Module – Watershed Fact Sheets