Coal Run is a tributary of

Shamokin Creek Shamokin Creek (also known as Great Shamokin Creek or Middle Branch Shamokin Creek) is a tributary of the Susquehanna River in Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. It is approximately long and flows through Mount Carmel, M ...

in Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. It is approximately long and flows through Mount Carmel Township, Coal Township, and Shamokin. The watershed of the stream has an area of . The stream is designated as an impaired waterbody due to metals from abandoned mine drainage. It is an ephemeral stream. Virtually all of the watershed is in coal mining regions. Various sawmills and coal mines have historically been constructed on Coal Run. A number of bridges have also been built across the stream. Its drainage basin is designated as a Coldwater Fishery and a Migratory Fishery and was historically inhabited by trout.

Course

Coal Run begins in a lake in Mount Carmel Township. It flows east-southeast through a valley for several tenths of a mile before entering Coal Township. The stream continues flowing east-southeast for more than a mile before turning south for a short distance. It then turns southwest for a few tenths of a mile before turning south for a few tenths of a mile. After this, the stream crosses Pennsylvania Route 61 and passes near the census-designated place of Ranshaw. The stream then flows in a west-northwesterly direction for several tenths of a mile, passing through the census-designated place of Marshalton before entering Shamokin. The stream then flows west for a few tenths of a mile until it reaches its confluence with Shamokin Creek. Coal Run joins Shamokin Creek upstream of its mouth.

Hydrology

The entire length of Coal Run is designated as an impaired waterbody. The cause of the impairment is metals and the source of the impairment is abandoned mine drainage. The stream is one of several in the watershed of Shamokin Creek to be impacted by abandoned mine drainage, although it is not seriously impacted. However, it is fairly consistently neutral or

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 an average pH of 6.5, though its pH can be as low as 4.8. The stream's water comes from mine discharges such as the Greenough Mine discharge, the Nielson Mine discharge, and the Luke Fidler Mine discharge. The stream is also impacted by raw

sewage Sewage (or domestic sewage, domestic wastewater, municipal wastewater) is a type of wastewater that is produced by a community of people. It is typically transported through a sewer system. Sewage consists of wastewater discharged from residenc ...

discharges. In the early 1900s, mine water from the Richards No. 4 Colliery entered the stream. Numerous other streams of black waste water from other collieries discharged into the stream as well. Coal Run is an ephemeral stream. In 1999 and 2000, its

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 ...

ranged from . The temperature of the stream ranged from and the specific conductance ranged between 613 and 627 micro-siemens per centimeter at . The concentration of

water hardness Hard water is water that has high mineral content (in contrast with "soft water"). Hard water is formed when water percolates through deposits of limestone, chalk or gypsum, which are largely made up of calcium and magnesium carbonates, ...

ranged from in the two times it was measured. The concentration of total suspended solids was in 2000, while the concentration of total dissolved solids was . The turbidity of the stream ranged from 0.0 to 4.0

Nephelometric Turbidity Unit Turbidity is the cloudiness or haziness of a fluid caused by large numbers of individual particles that are generally invisible to the naked eye, similar to smoke in air. The measurement of turbidity is a key test of water quality. Fluids can c ...

s. In 2000, the concentrations of recoverable sodium and potassium in Coal Run were . The concentrations of recoverable magnesium and calcium were . The concentrations of recoverable manganese and iron were , while the concentration of recoverable aluminum was less than . In 1999 and 2000, the concentration of dissolved oxygen in Coal Run ranged from , while the carbon dioxide concentration was both times it was measured. In 2000, the nitrogen concentration was . The phosphorus concentration was . The silica concentration in the stream's filtered water was , the sulfate concentration ranged from and the chloride concentration ranged from . 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 ...

was less than , while the ammonia concentration in unfiltered water was .

Geography and geology

The elevation near the

mouth In animal anatomy, the mouth, also known as the oral cavity, or in Latin cavum oris, is the opening through which many animals take in food and issue vocal sounds. It is also the cavity lying at the upper end of the alimentary canal, bounded on ...

of Coal Run is above sea level. The elevation of the stream's source is between above sea level. Coal deposits occur in the watershed of Coal Run. There are also underground mine complexes in the vicinity of the stream. Almost all of the watershed is in the Coal Region. In the early 1900s, fine culm was carried into Coal Run via waste water streams from collieries. However, there were no large culm deposits on the stream below the Hickory Ridge Colliery. Trash and sewage entered the stream at Shamokin.

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 Coal Run has an area of . The mouth of the stream is in the United States Geological Survey quadrangle of Shamokin. However, its source is in the quadrangle of Mount Carmel. The designated uses of Coal Run are coal water and migratory fishes.

History

Coal Run was entered into the Geographic Names Information System on August 2, 1979. Its identifier in the Geographic Names Information System is 1172073. The stream is also known as Coal Run Creek. John C. Boyd constructed a sawmill on Coal Run in the early 1800s. Coal mining was being occasionally done in the vicinity of the stream by 1825. In 1828, Daniel Derk opened a mine on Coal Run near a public road that crossed the stream. Derk was injured while working in this mine, making him the first miner to be injured in Northumberland County. A

railroad 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 ...

historically crossed Coal Run. In the early 1900s, J.H. & C.K. Eagle, Inc. requested permission to construct a coal dredging plant on the bank of the stream. In the early 1900s, there were several collieries and washeries in the watershed of Coal Run. These included the Hickory Ridge Colliery, the Luke Fiddler Colliery, the Hickory Swamp Washery, the Natalie Colliery, and the Colbert Colliery. The first three were owned by the

Susquehanna Coal Company Susquehanna may refer to: Places in the United States * Susquehanna River, the source of the Chesapeake Bay In Maryland * Susquehanna State Park (Maryland) In Pennsylvania * Susquehannock tribe, Native American tribe of Pennsylvania * Susquehanna ...

, the fourth was owned by the Colonial Collieries Company, and the fifth was owned by the Shipman Coal Company. A concrete slab bridge carrying State Route 2026 over Coal Run was built in 1938. It is long and is located in the village of Coal Run. A concrete channel beam bridge carrying State Route 2017 was built over the stream in 1952 and repaired in 2007. This bridge is long and is located in the village of

Springfield Springfield may refer to: * Springfield (toponym), the place name in general Places and locations Australia * Springfield, New South Wales (Central Coast) * Springfield, New South Wales (Snowy Monaro Regional Council) * Springfield, Queenslan ...

. A concrete culvert bridge was built over the stream south of Paxinos in 1970. This bridge is long and carries State Route 8001.

Biology

The drainage basin of Coal Run is designated as a Coldwater Fishery and a Migratory Fishery. Historically, in around 1840, the stream was "filled with trout".

References

{{authority control Rivers of Northumberland County, Pennsylvania Tributaries of Shamokin Creek Rivers of Pennsylvania