Lackawanna River

Lackawanna River
Gachanai,[1] Hazirok[1] L'chau-hanne,[2] Lackawannok,[3] Lechau-hanné,[4] Lechau-hannek,[2] Lechauwah-hannek.[2]
Lackawanna River as seen from Coxton Road Bridge, looking towards the Lackawanna-Susquehanna confluence
Map of northeastern Pennsylvania, with county borders indictated and the Lackawanna and Lackawaxen watersheds highlighted in yellow.
The watersheds of the Lackawanna and Lackawaxen Rivers
EtymologyLenape word Lechauwa-hannek meaning "the river that forks"[2]
Location
CountryUnited States
StatePennsylvania
CountiesLackawanna, Luzerne, Susquehanna, and Wayne Counties[5]
Physical characteristics
SourceConfluence of east and west branch
 • elevation1,341 ft (409 m)
2nd source 
 • locationEast Branch:[5]
Bone Pond,[6] Dunn Pond,[7] Independent Lake,[8] Lake Lorain[9]
 • elevationEast Branch: 1,572 ft (479 m)[10]
3rd source 
 • locationWest Branch:[5]
Fiddle Lake,[11] Lewis Lake,[12] Lake Lowe[13]
 • elevationWest Branch: 1,575 ft (480 m)[14]
Mouth 
 • location
Susquehanna River (North Branch)[15]
 • coordinates
41°20′28″N 75°47′35″W / 41.3412°N 75.7931°W / 41.3412; -75.7931
 • elevation
540 ft (160 m)
Length42 mi (68 km)[5]
Basin size350 sq mi (910 km2)[5]
Basin features
Tributaries 
 • rightRoaring Brook[16][17]

The Lackawanna River is a 42-mile-long (68 km)[18] tributary of the Susquehanna River in Northeastern Pennsylvania. It flows through a region of the northern Pocono Mountains that was once a center of anthracite coal mining in the United States. It starts in north Wayne County, Pennsylvania and ends in east Luzerne County, Pennsylvania in Duryea, Pennsylvania. The lower reaches of the river flow through the urban areas of Scranton, which grew around its banks in the 19th century as an industrial center. Its name comes from a Lenape word meaning "stream that forks".[19]

The river rises in two branches, the West and East branches, along the boundary between Susquehanna and Wayne counties. The branches, each about 12 miles (19 km) long, flow south, closely parallel to each other, and join at the Stillwater Lake reservoir in Union Dale. The combined river flows southwest past Forest City, Carbondale, Mayfield, Jermyn, Archbald, Jessup, Blakely, Olyphant, Dickson City, Throop, Scranton, Taylor, Moosic, Old Forge, and Duryea. It joins the Susquehanna River at the northern boundary of Pittston about 8 miles (13 km) west-southwest of Scranton. As part of the Susquehanna River, it ultimately flows to Chesapeake Bay.

By the mid-20th century, the river was severely polluted from mine drainages in its watershed. The decline of industry in the region, as well as federal, state, and private efforts, have improved the water quality. Still, the Lackawanna River is the largest point source of pollution in the Chesapeake Bay.[20] The upper reaches of the river are a popular destination for fly fishing of trout. It was designated as an American Heritage River in 1997.

  1. ^ a b Craft, David (1891). History of Scranton, Penn: With Full Outline of the Natural Advantages, Accounts of the Indian Tribes, Early Settlements, Connecticut's Claim to the Wyoming Valley, the Trenton Decree, Down to the Present Time. Dayton: United Brethren Publishing House. p. 34. Retrieved 1 December 2014.
  2. ^ a b c d Craft. p. 18.
  3. ^ Mahr, August C. (November 1959). "Practical Reasons for Algonkian Indian Stream and Place Names". Ohio Journal of Science. 59 (6). Ohio Academy of Science: 368. hdl:1811/4658.
  4. ^ Trumbull, J. Hammond (1870). The Composition of Indian Geographical Names, Illustrated from the Algonkin Languages. Hartford: Press of Case, Lockwood & Brainard. p. 12. Retrieved 1 December 2014.
  5. ^ a b c d e McGurl, Bernard (2002). Arthur Popp (ed.). The Lackawanna River Guide (PDF) (Report). Daniel Townsend, PhD, Len Gorney, Dominic Totaro, Jack McDonough, Pamela Lomax, Deilsie Heath Kulesa (2 ed.). The Lackawanna River Corridor Association. p. 1. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 17 November 2014.
  6. ^ "Bone Pond". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. 2 August 1979. Retrieved 1 December 2014.
  7. ^ "Dunn Pond". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey. 2 August 1979. Retrieved 1 December 2014.
  8. ^ "Independent Lake". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey. 2 August 1979. Retrieved 1 December 2014.
  9. ^ "Lake Lorain". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey. 2 August 1979. Retrieved 1 December 2014.
  10. ^ "East Branch Lackawanna River". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey. 2 August 1979. Retrieved 1 December 2014.
  11. ^ "Fiddle Lake". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey. 2 August 1979. Retrieved 1 December 2014.
  12. ^ "Lewis Lake". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey. 2 August 1979. Retrieved 1 December 2014.
  13. ^ "Lowe Lake". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey. 2 August 1979. Retrieved 1 December 2014.
  14. ^ "West Branch Lackawanna River". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey. 2 August 1979. Retrieved 1 December 2014.
  15. ^ McGurl. p. 2.
  16. ^ "Roaring Brook". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. 2 August 1979. Retrieved 1 December 2014.
  17. ^ McGurl. p. 20.
  18. ^ U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data. The National Map Archived 2012-03-29 at the Wayback Machine, accessed August 8, 2011
  19. ^ Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States. Government Printing Office. pp. 178.
  20. ^ David Falchek (26 December 2012). "Old Forge borehole drains mines for 50 years". The Scranton Times Tribune. Retrieved 18 March 2013.