Buck Run is a tributary of West Branch Brandywine Creek in

Chester County, Pennsylvania Chester County (Pennsylvania Dutch language, Pennsylvania Dutch: ''Tscheschter Kaundi''), colloquially known as Chesco, is a County (United States), county in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It is located in the De ...

, in the United States. It is approximately long and flows through West Sadsbury Township, Sadsbury Township, Pomeroy, Highland Township, East Fallowfield Township, West Marlborough Township, and

Newlin Township Newlin Township is a township in Chester County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 1,285 at the 2010 census. Newlin Township was the hometown of explorer Josiah Harlan and Lenape healer Hannah Freeman. William Baldwin, the botanis ...

. The watershed of the stream has an area of . Its named tributaries include Doe Run and Birch Run. The stream's waters are slightly alkaline and contain various dissolved

metal A metal (from Greek μέταλλον ''métallon'', "mine, quarry, metal") is a material that, when freshly prepared, polished, or fractured, shows a lustrous appearance, and conducts electricity and heat relatively well. Metals are typicall ...

s and

nonmetal In chemistry, a nonmetal is a chemical element that generally lacks a predominance of metallic properties; they range from colorless gases (like hydrogen) to shiny solids (like carbon, as graphite). The electrons in nonmetals behave differentl ...

s. Rock formations of

shale Shale is a fine-grained, clastic sedimentary rock formed from mud that is a mix of flakes of clay minerals (hydrous aluminium phyllosilicates, e.g. kaolin, Al2 Si2 O5( OH)4) and tiny fragments (silt-sized particles) of other minerals, especial ...

sandstone Sandstone is a clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate grains. Sandstones comprise about 20–25% of all sedimentary rocks. Most sandstone is composed of quartz or feldspar (both silicates) ...

, and

limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...

occur in the watershed. Three covered bridges and several other bridges have been built over the stream. Additionally, a number of

mills Mills is the plural form of mill, but may also refer to: As a name * Mills (surname), a common family name of English or Gaelic origin * Mills (given name) *Mills, a fictional British secret agent in a trilogy by writer Manning O'Brine Places Uni ...

historically operated along the stream. Mayflies, stoneflies, and caddisflies inhabit the vicinity of the stream. Additionally, trout inhabit the stream.

Course

Buck Run begins south of State Hill in West Sadsbury Township. It flows southeast for several tenths of a mile, crossing

Pennsylvania Route 10 Pennsylvania Route 10 (PA 10) is a state route in southeastern Pennsylvania. Its southern terminus is at PA 472 in Oxford. Its northern terminus is at U.S. Route 222 Business (US 222 Bus.) in Reading. PA 10 is mostly a two-lane undivided road ...

and entering Sadsbury Township. The stream turns south, east, and south again, crossing

U.S. Route 30 U.S. Route 30 or U.S. Highway 30 (US 30) is an east–west main route in the system of the United States Numbered Highways, with the highway traveling across the northern tier of the country. With a length of , it is the third longest ...

. The stream then flows southeast for over a mile in a valley before turning south and flowing along the western border of Pomeroy. South of Pomeroy, it flows southeast on the border between Highland Township and East Fallowfield Township for a few miles before turning south and continuing to follow the border. In this area, the stream receives the tributary Birch Run. It then begins

meander A meander is one of a series of regular sinuous curves in the channel of a river or other watercourse. It is produced as a watercourse erodes the sediments of an outer, concave bank ( cut bank) and deposits sediments on an inner, convex bank ...

ing east-northeast for several miles in East Fallowfield Township and West Marlborough Township. After this, the stream turns southeast and receives the tributary Doe Run. Birch Run then turns northeast and enters Newlin Township, where it flows south-southeast for several miles until it reaches its confluence with Brandywine Creek. Buck Run joins Brandywine Creek upstream of its mouth.

Tributaries

Buck Run has two named tributaries: Birch Run and Doe Run. Birch Run joins Buck Run upstream of its mouth. Its watershed has an area of . Doe Run joins Buck Run upstream of its mouth. Its watershed has an area of .

Hydrology

The discharge of Buck Run ranges from 3.9 to 44 cubic feet per second, with an average of 20.3 cubic feet per second. Between 1998 and 2013, the temperature of the stream on October, November, and December mornings ranged from to . The stream is generally slightly

alkaline In chemistry, an alkali (; from ar, القلوي, al-qaly, lit=ashes of the saltwort) is a base (chemistry), basic, ionic compound, ionic salt (chemistry), salt of an alkali metal or an alkaline earth metal. An alkali can also be defined as ...

, with a pH ranging from 7.0 to 7.8. The

specific conductance Electrical resistivity (also called specific electrical resistance or volume resistivity) is a fundamental property of a material that measures how strongly it resists electric current. A low resistivity indicates a material that readily allow ...

of its waters ranges from 231 to 285 micro-siemens per centimeter. The concentration of

dissolved oxygen Oxygen saturation (symbol SO2) is a relative measure of the concentration of oxygen that is dissolved or carried in a given medium as a proportion of the maximal concentration that can be dissolved in that medium at the given temperature. It ca ...

in the waters of Buck Run ranges from 9.2 to 14.5 milligrams per liter. The concentration of dissolved

boron Boron is a chemical element with the symbol B and atomic number 5. In its crystalline form it is a brittle, dark, lustrous metalloid; in its amorphous form it is a brown powder. As the lightest element of the ''boron group'' it has th ...

in the waters of Buck Run ranges from 9 to 27 micrograms per liter. The concentrations of dissolved

sodium Sodium is a chemical element with the symbol Na (from Latin ''natrium'') and atomic number 11. It is a soft, silvery-white, highly reactive metal. Sodium is an alkali metal, being in group 1 of the periodic table. Its only stable iso ...

and

magnesium Magnesium is a chemical element with the symbol Mg and atomic number 12. It is a shiny gray metal having a low density, low melting point and high chemical reactivity. Like the other alkaline earth metals (group 2 of the periodic ta ...

range between 7.9 and 11.6 and 7.7 and 9.4 milligrams per liter, respectively. The concentrations of dissolved

potassium Potassium is the chemical element with the symbol K (from Neo-Latin ''kalium'') and atomic number19. Potassium is a silvery-white metal that is soft enough to be cut with a knife with little force. Potassium metal reacts rapidly with atmosphe ...

and

calcium Calcium is a chemical element with the symbol Ca and atomic number 20. As an alkaline earth metal, calcium is a reactive metal that forms a dark oxide-nitride layer when exposed to air. Its physical and chemical properties are most similar to ...

range between 1.90 and 3.17 and 19.1 and 27.5 milligrams per liter, respectively. The

iron Iron () is a chemical element with symbol Fe (from la, ferrum) and atomic number 26. It is a metal that belongs to the first transition series and group 8 of the periodic table. It is, by mass, the most common element on Earth, right in f ...

concentration ranges from 21 to 138 milligrams per liter. The concentration of

fluoride Fluoride (). According to this source, is a possible pronunciation in British English. is an inorganic, monatomic anion of fluorine, with the chemical formula (also written ), whose salts are typically white or colorless. Fluoride salts typ ...

s in the waters of Buck Run ranges from less than 0.04 to less than 0.17 milligrams per liter and the concentration of

chlorides The chloride ion is the anion (negatively charged ion) Cl−. It is formed when the element chlorine (a halogen) gains an electron or when a compound such as hydrogen chloride is dissolved in water or other polar solvents. Chloride salts ...

ranges from 17.0 to 31.0 milligrams per liter. The concentration of

silica Silicon dioxide, also known as silica, is an oxide of silicon with the chemical formula , most commonly found in nature as quartz and in various living organisms. In many parts of the world, silica is the major constituent of sand. Silica is one ...

ranges between 7.1 and 10.1 milligrams per liter and the

orthophosphate A phosphoric acid, in the general sense, is a phosphorus oxoacid in which each phosphorus (P) atom is in the oxidation state +5, and is bonded to four oxygen (O) atoms, one of them through a double bond, arranged as the corners of a tetrahedron. ...

concentration ranges between 0.004 and less than 0.020 milligrams per liter. The

sulfate The sulfate or sulphate ion is a polyatomic anion with the empirical formula . Salts, acid derivatives, and peroxides of sulfate are widely used in industry. Sulfates occur widely in everyday life. Sulfates are salts of sulfuric acid and many ar ...

concentration ranges from 15.7 to 19.0 milligrams per liter. The concentration of

ammonia Ammonia is an inorganic compound of nitrogen and hydrogen with the formula . A stable binary hydride, and the simplest pnictogen hydride, ammonia is a colourless gas with a distinct pungent smell. Biologically, it is a common nitrogenous was ...

ranges from less than 0.010 to approximately 0.040 milligrams per liter, the

nitrate Nitrate is a polyatomic ion A polyatomic ion, also known as a molecular ion, is a covalent bonded set of two or more atoms, or of a metal complex, that can be considered to behave as a single unit and that has a net charge that is not zer ...

concentration ranges between 2.76 and 5.94 milligrams per liter, and the concentration of

nitrite The nitrite polyatomic ion, ion has the chemical formula . Nitrite (mostly sodium nitrite) is widely used throughout chemical and pharmaceutical industries. The nitrite anion is a pervasive intermediate in the nitrogen cycle in nature. The name ...

s ranges between 0.004 and 0.016 milligrams per liter.

Geography and geology

The elevation near the mouth of Buck 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 standardised g ...

. The elevation of the stream's source is between and above sea level. The gradient of Buck Run between its source and its mouth is per mile. The course of Buck Run is described as circuitous in a 1921 book. The stream generally flows in a southeasterly direction. Its

channel Channel, channels, channeling, etc., may refer to: Geography * Channel (geography), in physical geography, a landform consisting of the outline (banks) of the path of a narrow body of water. Australia * Channel Country, region of outback Austral ...

sinuous Sinuosity, sinuosity index, or sinuosity coefficient of a continuously differentiable curve having at least one inflection point is the ratio of the curvilinear length (along the curve) and the Euclidean distance (straight line) between the ...

. The topography of the stream's watershed has been described as "broken and hilly". However, in some places, the stream flows through a narrow valley flanked by steep hills. Buck Run mostly flows through

rock formation A rock formation is an isolated, scenic, or spectacular surface rock outcrop. Rock formations are usually the result of weathering and erosion sculpting the existing rock. The term ''rock formation'' can also refer to specific sediment ...

s consisting of

and

. However, there are also some

formations in the vicinity of the stream. The average annual rate of

precipitation In meteorology, precipitation is any product of the condensation of atmospheric water vapor that falls under gravitational pull from clouds. The main forms of precipitation include drizzle, rain, sleet, snow, ice pellets, graupel and hail. ...

in the watershed of Buck Run ranges from .

Watershed

The watershed of Buck Run has an area of . There are of streams in the watershed of Buck Run. The watershed occupies portions of 11 municipalities. The mouth of the stream is in 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 Coatesville. However, its source is in the United States Geological Survey quadrangle of Parkesburg. In the early 1900s, the predominant land use in the watershed of Buck Run was

agriculture Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people to ...

History and industries

Buck 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 1170547. Numerous

bridge A bridge is a structure built to span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or rail) without blocking the way underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, which is usually somethi ...

s have been built over Buck Run. One was constructed in 1881 and two more were built in 1914, one of which was repaired in 2012. A bridge was built over the stream and its tributary Doe Run in 1915. Another five bridges were built over the stream between 1926 and 1930 and two more in 1937 and 1940. The three newest bridges over it were constructed in 1969, 1975, and 2002. Additionally, there are three

covered bridge A covered bridge is a timber-truss bridge with a roof, decking, and siding, which in most covered bridges create an almost complete enclosure. The purpose of the covering is to protect the wooden structural members from the weather. Uncovered woo ...

s over the creek. Two of them, the Mary Ann Pyle Bridge and the Hayes Clark Bridge are on

private property Private property is a legal designation for the ownership of property by non-governmental legal entities. Private property is distinguishable from public property and personal property, which is owned by a state entity, and from collective or ...

. They were built in 1881 and 1971, respectively. The third covered bridge is the Speakman Bridge. William Dickie owned 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 Buck Run at Sadsbury shortly after 1722. Historically, there were six or seven

papermill A paper mill is a factory devoted to making paper from vegetable fibres such as wood pulp, old rags, and other ingredients. Prior to the invention and adoption of the Fourdrinier machine and other types of paper machine that use an endless belt ...

s on the stream in one township. One of these mills, the Rokeby Papermill, was said to be at the same location as the first

rolling mill In metalworking, rolling is a metal forming process in which metal stock is passed through one or more pairs of rolls to reduce the thickness, to make the thickness uniform, and/or to impart a desired mechanical property. The concept is simil ...

in the United States. Two rolling mills known as the Rokeby Rolling Mill and the Laurel Rolling Mill also historically existed on the stream. The former was built in 1795 and the latter was built in 1825. The Laurel Rolling Mill was located at the mouth of Buck Run. Additionally, a

slitting mill The slitting mill was a watermill for slitting bars of iron into rods. The rods then were passed to nailers who made the rods into nails, by giving them a point and head. The slitting mill was probably invented near Liège in what is now Belg ...

constructed by Isaac Pennock was constructed on the stream. The East Sadsbury Meeting was established in the vicinity of Buck Run and the Lancaster Pike. The meeting was typically small and eventually was no longer held. Buck Run was historically considered to be the north branch of Doe Run. In the early 1900s, the main industry in the watershed of Buck Run was agriculture. Additionally, the tributary Doe Run served as water power for several mills. Historically, the

Pennsylvania Railroad The Pennsylvania Railroad (reporting mark PRR), legal name The Pennsylvania Railroad Company also known as the "Pennsy", was an American Class I railroad that was established in 1846 and headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was named ...

crossed the watershed of Buck Run and ran alongside it between Pomeroy and the community of Buck Run. In the early 1900s, major communities in the watershed included Parkesburg, Pomeroy, Doe Run, and Sadsburyville. In 1921, their populations were 2522, 365, 200, and 150, respectively.

Biology

The taxa richness of Buck Run at Doe Run ranges from 40 to 55. The EPT taxa richness (the number of

mayfly Mayflies (also known as shadflies or fishflies in Canada and the upper Midwestern United States, as Canadian soldiers in the American Great Lakes region, and as up-winged flies in the United Kingdom) are aquatic insects belonging to the ord ...

stonefly Plecoptera is an order of insects, commonly known as stoneflies. Some 3,500 species are described worldwide, with new species still being discovered. Stoneflies are found worldwide, except Antarctica. Stoneflies are believed to be one of the mo ...

, and

caddisfly The caddisflies, or order Trichoptera, are a group of insects with aquatic larvae and terrestrial adults. There are approximately 14,500 described species, most of which can be divided into the suborders Integripalpia and Annulipalpia on the ...

taxa) ranges from 18 to 28. The HBI value of the stream at this location ranges from 3.50 to 4.28. All of these values indicate "excellent stream quality". The stream is the only

wildlife corridor A wildlife corridor, habitat corridor, or green corridor is an area of habitat connecting wildlife populations separated by human activities or structures (such as roads, development, or logging). This allows an exchange of individuals between ...

to cross

US Route 30 U.S. Route 30 or U.S. Highway 30 (US 30) is an east–west main route in the system of the United States Numbered Highways, with the highway traveling across the northern tier of the country. With a length of , it is the third longest ...

in Chester County. Buck Run is considered to be approved

trout Trout are species of freshwater fish belonging to the genera '' Oncorhynchus'', ''Salmo'' and ''Salvelinus'', all of the subfamily Salmoninae of the family Salmonidae. The word ''trout'' is also used as part of the name of some non-salmoni ...

waters. However, it is not considered to be a High-Quality Coldwater Fishery or Exceptional Value stream.

References

{{authority control Rivers of Chester County, Pennsylvania Tributaries of the Christina River Rivers of Pennsylvania