White Clay Creek

White Clay Creek
Tributary to Christina River
White Clay Creek running through Newark, Delaware
White Clay Creek is located in Delaware
White Clay Creek
Location of White Clay Creek mouth
White Clay Creek is located in the United States
White Clay Creek
White Clay Creek (the United States)
Location
CountryUnited States
StatePennsylvania, Delaware
CountiesChester, New Castle
CityNewark, DE
Physical characteristics
SourceWest Branch White Clay Creek
 • locationPenn Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania
 • coordinates39°48′57″N 75°52′09″W / 39.81583°N 75.86917°W / 39.81583; -75.86917
2nd sourceMiddle Branch White Clay Creek
 • locationLondonderry Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania
 • coordinates39°51′40″N 75°52′20″W / 39.86111°N 75.87222°W / 39.86111; -75.87222
Source confluence 
 • locationLondon Britain, Chester County, Pennsylvania
 • coordinates39°45′59″N 75°47′41″W / 39.76639°N 75.79472°W / 39.76639; -75.79472
 • elevation259 ft (79 m)
MouthChristina River
 • location
New Castle County, Delaware
 • coordinates
39°41′51″N 75°37′19″W / 39.69750°N 75.62194°W / 39.69750; -75.62194
 • elevation
0 ft (0 m)
Length18.5 mi (29.8 km)
Basin size107 sq mi (280 km2)
Basin features
ProgressionChristina RiverDelaware RiverDelaware BayAtlantic Ocean[1]
Tributaries 
 • leftEast Branch White Clay Creek, Bogy Run, Middle Run, Pike Creek, Mill Creek, Red Clay Creek
TypeScenic, Recreational
DesignatedOctober 24, 2000

White Clay Creek is an 18.5-mile-long (29.8 km)[2] tributary of the Christina River in southern Pennsylvania and northern Delaware in the United States. It is renowned for its scenic character and is largely federally protected.

The 107-square-mile (280 km2) White Clay Creek watershed is home to nearly 100,000 people and includes parts of Chester County, Pennsylvania and New Castle County, Delaware. The Pennsylvania portion still retains a rural character while the Delaware portion is more suburbanized. Sediment eroded from the rolling hills of Chester County is carried into the White Clay, probably accounting for the creek's name.

The majority of the stream is in the Piedmont region which is characterized by rolling hills, plateaus, and stream valleys. The southern portion of the stream, near Newark is in the Atlantic Coastal Plain, a relatively flat area that is dotted with large tidal wetlands. The White Clay Creek empties into the Christina River at Churchman's Marsh.

  1. ^ "ArcGIS Web Application". epa.maps.arcgis.com. US EPA. Retrieved 29 February 2020.
  2. ^ U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data. The National Map, accessed April 1, 2011