Boile Run (also known as Boyle Run) is a

tributary A tributary, or affluent, is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream or main stem (or parent) river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries and the main stem river drain the surrounding drai ...

of the Susquehanna River in

Northumberland County, Pennsylvania Northumberland County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It is part of Northeastern Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 91,647. Its county seat is Sunbury. The county was formed in 1772 from parts of Lancas ...

, in the United States. It is approximately long and flows through Lower Augusta Township. The watershed of the stream has an area of . The stream is not designated as an impaired waterbody and is a relatively small stream. There was a mill on Boile Run in the second half of the 1800s and several bridges have been built over the stream. Its watershed is designated as a Warmwater Fishery and a Migratory Fishery.

Course

Boile Run begins in a pond or small lake at the base of Little Mountain in Lower Augusta Township. It flows west-northwest into a valley for several tenths of a mile and passes through another pond or small lake before turning west-southwest for more than a mile, receiving two unnamed tributaries from the

right Rights are legal, social, or ethical principles of freedom or entitlement; that is, rights are the fundamental normative rules about what is allowed of people or owed to people according to some legal system, social convention, or ethical ...

. The stream then turns west for a short distance before receiving an unnamed tributary from the left and turning southwest. It flows in this direction for more than a mile, receiving another unnamed tributary from the right along the way, before meandering west, receiving another unnamed tributary from the left, and then turning south. It then leaves its valley, crosses Pennsylvania Route 147 and a railroad, and reaches its confluence with the Susquehanna River. Boile Run joins the Susquehanna River upriver of its mouth.

Hydrology

Boile Run is not designated as an impaired waterbody. At least one person has a

National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System The Clean Water Act (CWA) is the primary federal law in the United States governing water pollution. Its objective is to restore and maintain the chemical, physical, and biological integrity of the nation's waters; recognizing the responsibiliti ...

to discharge sewage into an unnamed tributary of the stream from a single residence. The peak annual discharge of Boile Run at its mouth has a 10 percent chance of reaching . It has a 2 percent chance of reaching and a 1 percent chance of reaching .

Geography and geology

The elevation near the mouth of Boile Run is above

sea level Mean sea level (MSL, often shortened to sea level) is an average surface level of one or more among Earth's coastal bodies of water from which heights such as elevation may be measured. The global MSL is a type of vertical datuma standardise ...

. The elevation of the stream's

source Source may refer to: Research * Historical document * Historical source * Source (intelligence) or sub source, typically a confidential provider of non open-source intelligence * Source (journalism), a person, publication, publishing institute o ...

is between above sea level. Boile Run is a small stream. Its headwaters are west of Resler and its mouth is south of Fishers Ferry.

Watershed

The watershed of Boile Run has an area of . The stream is entirely within the

United States Geological Survey The United States Geological Survey (USGS), formerly simply known as the Geological Survey, is a scientific agency of the United States government. The scientists of the USGS study the landscape of the United States, its natural resources, ...

quadrangle of Sunbury. Its designated use is for

aquatic life An aquatic ecosystem is an ecosystem formed by surrounding a body of water, in contrast to land-based terrestrial ecosystems. Aquatic ecosystems contain communities of organisms that are dependent on each other and on their environment. The tw ...

. Boile Run is one of two major creeks in Lower Augusta Township, the other being Hallowing Run.

Flood A flood is an overflow of water ( or rarely other fluids) that submerges land that is usually dry. In the sense of "flowing water", the word may also be applied to the inflow of the tide. Floods are an area of study of the discipline hydrol ...

ing occurred on Boile Run in June 1972.

History

Boile Run was entered into the

Geographic Names Information System The Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) is a database of name and locative information about more than two million physical and cultural features throughout the United States and its territories, Antarctica, and the associated states of ...

on August 2, 1979. Its identifier in the Geographic Names Information System is 1169949. The stream is also known as Boyle Run, a name which appears on a 1953 United States Geological Survey map. The original spelling of the stream's name was "Boile Run"; this was corrupted to "Boyle Run" on some maps, though the earlier name had appeared on maps as far back as 1874. In 1965, the USGS recommended that the name "Boile Run" be formally adopted. Many of the early settlers in the valley of Boile Run were of Scotch-Irish descent. John Snyder built a

mill Mill may refer to: Science and technology * * Mill (grinding) * Milling (machining) * Millwork * Textile mill * Steel mill, a factory for the manufacture of steel * List of types of mill * Mill, the arithmetic unit of the Analytical Engine early ...

on the stream in 1858 and operated it until it burned down in 1880. A concrete

tee beam A T-beam (or tee beam), used in construction, is a load-bearing structure of reinforced concrete, wood or metal, with a -shaped cross section. The top of the -shaped cross section serves as a flange or compression member in resisting compress ...

bridge carrying State Route 4022 over Boile Run was built in 1922 and is long. A steel stringer/multi-beam or girder bridge carrying the same road over the stream was built in 1934 and is long. Another bridge of that type and carrying State Route 4022 was built over the stream in 1934 and is long. A concrete slab bridge carrying that road over Boile Run was built in 1961 and is long. A concrete tee beam bridge carrying T-394 over the stream is long and was built in 1989. In 1991, a prestressed slab bridge carrying Pennsylvania Route 147 was built over the stream and is long. A bridge carrying State Route 4022 over Boile Run was slated for replacement in 2015.

Biology

The drainage basin of Boile Run is designated as a Warmwater Fishery and a Migratory Fishery.

References

{{authority control Rivers of Northumberland County, Pennsylvania Tributaries of the Susquehanna River Rivers of Pennsylvania