| Nanticoke Creek | |
|---|---|
 Nanticoke Creek looking downstream | |
 | |
| Etymology | named after the Nanticoke tribe, who once had a village in the area |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | |
| • location | valley on Penobscot Mountain in Hanover Township, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania |
| • elevation | between 1,000 and 1,020 feet (300 and 310 m) |
| Mouth | |
• location | Susquehanna River in Hanover Township, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania |
• coordinates | 41°12′44″N 75°58′50″W / 41.2122°N 75.9805°W |
• elevation | 515 ft (157 m) |
| Length | 4.4 mi (7.1 km) |
| Discharge | |
| • average | 0.019 to 40 cubic feet per second (0.00054 to 1.13267 m3/s) |
| Basin features | |
| Progression | Susquehanna River → Chesapeake Bay |
| Tributaries | |
| • left | Espy Run |
Nanticoke Creek is a tributary of the Susquehanna River in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. It is approximately 4.4 miles (7.1 km) long and flows through Hanover Township and Nanticoke.[1] The watershed of the creek has an area of 7.57 square miles (19.6 km2). The creek has one named tributary, which is known as Espy Run. Nanticoke Creek impaired by pH and metals due to abandoned mine drainage. Abandoned mine drainage discharges in the creek's watershed include the Truesdale Mine Discharge and the Askam Borehole. The creek is located in the Northern Middle Anthracite Field and is in the Anthracite Valley Section of the ridge and valley physiographic province. The main rock formations in the watershed include the Mauch Chunk Formation, the Pottsville Group, and the Llewellyn Formation. The surficial geology consists of coal dumps, surface mining land, alluvium, Wisconsinan Outwash, Wisconsinan Till, urban land, and bedrock.
The watershed of Nanticoke Creek is mainly forested, but urban land and mining land are also present. The city of Nanticoke is partially in the watershed and many unincorporated communities are there as well. The creek is named after the Nanticoke tribe, but was historically known as Muddy Run before appearing on maps with its present name by 1776. Extensive mining, both underground and on the surface, has been done in the creek's watershed. Numerous passive and active treatment systems have been installed in the watershed in recent times.
Nanticoke Creek is designated as a Coldwater Fishery and a Migratory Fishery. However, it is relatively lacking in aquatic life.
- ^ United States Geological Survey, The National Map Viewer, retrieved March 11, 2015