Tangascootack Creek

Tangascootack Creek
Show map of the United States Show map of Pennsylvania
Etymology	Native American word for "a foe", also a Nanticoke chief's name
Location
Country	United States
State	Pennsylvania
County	Clinton
Physical characteristics
Source
• location	Beech Creek Township
Mouth
• location	West Branch Susquehanna River, Colebrook Township
Length	11.4 mi (18.3 km)
Basin size	36.5 sq mi (95 km2)
Basin features
Progression	West Branch Susquehanna River, Susquehanna River, Chesapeake Bay
Tributaries
• left	North Fork Tangascootack Creek, Muddy Run

Tangascootack Creek (also known as Scootack or Tangascootac Creek) is a tributary of the West Branch Susquehanna River in Clinton County, Pennsylvania in the United States. Tangascootack Creek stretches for 11.4 miles (18.3 km) through Bald Eagle, Beech Creek and Colebrook Townships. Its watershed covers 36.5 square miles. Among its tributaries are North Fork Tangascootack Creek and Muddy Run, and there is also a swamp called Bear Swamp near the headwaters. Coal mining, including strip mining, was common in the watershed throughout the 1800s and 1900s. The creek experiences acid mine drainage, much of which comes from Muddy Run.^[1][2]

The watershed is mostly forest and sparsely populated. Historically, the area supports industry in agriculture, lumbering, and coal and iron mining. Native American crucibles have been discovered along the Creek.

Minerals in the watershed are mostly bituminous coal, fireclay, sandstone and slate. The daily loads of aluminum and manganese are both many times higher than the creek's total maximum daily load. The conductance of the creek ranges from 93.7 to 549 micro-siemens per centimeter. The creek is one of the most downstream tributaries of the West Branch Susquehanna River contributing acid mine drainage to it.

Pocono sandstone can also be found in the watershed, and bituminous coal formations known as the Clarion Formation, the Lower Kittanning Formation and the Eagleton Coal field also exist in the creek's watershed. The valley of Tangascootack Creek is the only place in Bald Eagle Township where there are significant deposits of minerals.

The middle and upper reaches of Tangascootack Creek are nearly devoid of life due to acid mine drainage. However, the headwaters have some aquatic life, as they are further upstream. Brook trout and three other species of fish inhabit the creek. 13 species of benthic macroinvertebrate also inhabit it.