Buck Run is a tributary of

West Branch Brandywine Creek The West Branch Brandywine Creek is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed April 1, 2011 tributary of Brandywine Creek in Chester County, Pennsylvania in the United States.Ger ...

in Chester County, Pennsylvania, 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 metals 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, and limestone occur in the watershed. Three covered bridges and several other bridges have been built over the stream. Additionally, a number of mills 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 and entering Sadsbury Township. The stream turns south, east, and south again, crossing U.S. Route 30. 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 meandering 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 Discharge may refer to Expel or let go * Discharge, the act of firing a gun * Discharge, or termination of employment, the end of an employee's duration with an employer * Military discharge, the release of a member of the armed forces from serv ...

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 of its waters ranges from 231 to 285 micro-siemens per centimeter. The concentration of dissolved oxygen 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 and magnesium range between 7.9 and 11.6 and 7.7 and 9.4 milligrams per liter, respectively. The concentrations of dissolved potassium and calcium range between 1.90 and 3.17 and 19.1 and 27.5 milligrams per liter, respectively. The iron 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 ranges from 17.0 to 31.0 milligrams per liter. The concentration of silica ranges between 7.1 and 10.1 milligrams per liter and the orthophosphate concentration ranges between 0.004 and less than 0.020 milligrams per liter. The sulfate concentration ranges from 15.7 to 19.0 milligrams per liter. The concentration of ammonia 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. 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 ''Circuitous'' is an album by jazz pianist Pandelis Karayorgis, which was recorded in 2012 and released on Driff, an artist-run label co-founded by Karayorgis and Jorrit Dijkstra. He leads a new band with four Chicago-based musicians: saxophonists ...

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 ...

is sinuous. 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 sandstone. However, there are also some limestone formations in the vicinity of the stream. The average annual rate of precipitation in the watershed of Buck Run ranges from .

Watershed

The

watershed Watershed is a hydrological term, which has been adopted in other fields in a more or less figurative sense. It may refer to: Hydrology * Drainage divide, the line that separates neighbouring drainage basins * Drainage basin, called a "watershe ...

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 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.

History and industries

Buck Run was entered into the Geographic Names Information System on August 2, 1979. Its identifier in the Geographic Names Information System is 1170547. Numerous bridges 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 bridges 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 on Buck Run at Sadsbury shortly after 1722. Historically, there were six or seven papermills 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 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 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 Philadelphia and Lancaster Turnpike, first used in 1795, is the first long-distance paved road built in the United States, according to engineered plans and specifications. It links Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and Philadelphia at 34th Street, s ...

. 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 Parkesburg is a borough in Chester County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was counted as 3,866 at the 2020 census. The ZIP code is 19365. History Parkesburg was first known as the Fountain Inn, a tavern built ca. 1734. The inn cea ...

, Pomeroy, Doe Run, and Sadsburyville. In 1921, their populations were 2522, 365, 200, and 150, respectively.

Biology

The

taxa richness In biology, a taxon (back-formation from ''taxonomy''; plural taxa) is a group of one or more populations of an organism or organisms seen by taxonomists to form a unit. Although neither is required, a taxon is usually known by a particular nam ...

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 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 to cross US Route 30 in Chester County. Buck Run is considered to be approved trout 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