Coles Creek (also known as Cole's Creek
) is a tributary of
Fishing Creek, in
Columbia County, Pennsylvania
Columbia County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It is located in Northeastern Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 64,727. Its county seat is Bloomsburg. The county was created on March 22, 1813, from part ...
and
Sullivan County, Pennsylvania
Sullivan County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It is part of Northeastern Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 5,840, making it the second-least populous county in Pennsylvania. Its county seat is Laporte ...
, in the United States. It is long and is the first named tributary of Fishing Creek downstream of where
East Branch Fishing Creek
East Branch Fishing Creek is a tributary of Fishing Creek in Columbia County and Sullivan County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. It is long. The stream and its tributaries are acidic and contain aluminum. The area in the vicinity was firs ...
and
West Branch Fishing Creek
West Branch Fishing Creek is one of the northernmost major tributaries of Fishing Creek in Sullivan County, Pennsylvania and Columbia County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. It is long and flows through Davidson Township, Sullivan County a ...
meet to form Fishing Creek. The creek is on the edge of Columbia County and parts of its watershed are in
Luzerne County
Luzerne County is a county in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and is water. It is Northeastern Pennsylvania's second-largest county by total area. As of ...
.
The watershed of Coles Creek has an area of 11.6 square miles. There are of streams in the watershed. Most of the watershed is over rock of the
Catskill Formation
The Devonian Catskill Formation or the Catskill Clastic wedge is a unit of mostly terrestrial sedimentary rock found in Pennsylvania and New York. Minor marine layers exist in this thick rock unit (up to ). It is equivalent to the Hampshire For ...
, although a small part of it is over rocks of the Huntley Mountain Formation. The water temperature of the creek ranges from slightly under to slightly under . Coles Creek is named after Ezekiel Cole.
Course
Coles Creek begins on Central Mountain in southeastern Sullivan County, Pennsylvania and flows south into
Sugarloaf Township, Columbia County, near the border between Columbia County, Luzerne County, and
Sullivan County. The creek flows south, leaving Central Mountain behind, to
Pennsylvania Route 118
Pennsylvania Route 118 (PA 118) is a state route located in northeastern Pennsylvania. The western terminus of the route is at PA 405 in Hughesville. The eastern terminus is at PA 415 in Dallas. The road is known briefly as East Wa ...
, where it receives the tributary Chimneystack Run (which also starts on Central Mountain). It turns southwest and begins flowing parallel to
Pennsylvania Route 487
Pennsylvania Route 487 (PA 487) is a , north–south state highway running from PA 61 in Shamokin Township, Northumberland County, to PA 87 (near its intersection with US 220) in Dushore, Sullivan County. In Bloomsburg, PA 487 and US 11 ...
. It receives Ashelman Run and Fellow Hollow before flowing through the community of
Tri Mills. Downstream of Tri Mills, it receives Hess Hollow and continues southwest to the community of
Coles Creek. Shortly afterwards, the creek reaches its confluence with Fishing Creek.
Hydrology
Between May 2010 and July 2011, the water temperature of Coles Creek ranged from slightly under to nearly . The temperature was under in January 2011, February 2011, and March 2011, and approached in August 2010.
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 Coles Creek between May 2010 and July 2011 ranged from slightly under 7 milligrams per liter to just over 17 milligrams per liter. The dissolved oxygen concentration was just under 7 milligrams per liter in early June 2010 and was slightly over 7 milligrams per liter in August 2010. The concentration was over 17 milligrams per liter in late February 2011. This is the highest recorded concentration of dissolved oxygen at any point in the upper Fishing Creek watershed except Fishing Creek at
Benton. The dissolved oxygen concentration in Coles Creek was also over 16 milligrams per liter in January 2011 and March 2011.
The
pH of Coles Creek is sometimes only slightly above 6.0. However, it is usually between 6.5 and 7.5. The creek does not experience severe episodic acidification.
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 Coles Creek is usually less than two cubic meters per second. However, it is sometimes between two and four cubic meters per second and in isolated instances can be as high as seven to eight cubic meters per second. In the creek, the pH tends to be lower when the discharge is higher.
The concentration of dissolved
aluminum
Aluminium (aluminum in American and Canadian English) is a chemical element with the symbol Al and atomic number 13. Aluminium has a density lower than those of other common metals, at approximately one third that of steel. It has ...
in Coles Creek is usually between 0 and 20 micrograms per liter. In some cases, it is between 20 and 40 micrograms per liter and in one case the concentration has been measured at approximately 70 micrograms per liter. The maximum concentration of dissolved aluminum in the creek is higher than in any other location in the upper Fishing Creek watershed except for East Branch Fishing Cree and West Branch Fishing Creek.
Geology
Almost all of the watershed of Coles Creek lies over the
Catskill Formation
The Devonian Catskill Formation or the Catskill Clastic wedge is a unit of mostly terrestrial sedimentary rock found in Pennsylvania and New York. Minor marine layers exist in this thick rock unit (up to ). It is equivalent to the Hampshire For ...
. This rock formation consists of
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
siltstone
Siltstone, also known as aleurolite, is a clastic sedimentary rock that is composed mostly of silt. It is a form of mudrock with a low clay mineral content, which can be distinguished from shale by its lack of fissility.Blatt ''et al.'' 1980, p ...
and comes from the
Devonian
The Devonian ( ) is a geologic period and system of the Paleozoic era, spanning 60.3 million years from the end of the Silurian, million years ago (Mya), to the beginning of the Carboniferous, Mya. It is named after Devon, England, whe ...
period. The headwaters of the creek lie over the
Huntley Mountain Formation
The Huntley Mountain Formation is a late Devonian and early Mississippian mapped bedrock unit in Pennsylvania, in the United States.
Description
The formation is composed of relatively soft grayish-red shale and olive-gray sandstone. It is lo ...
. The Huntley Mountain Formation consists of sandstone and siltstone and comes from the
Mississippian and Devonian periods.
There is a
moraine
A moraine is any accumulation of unconsolidated debris (regolith and rock), sometimes referred to as glacial till, that occurs in both currently and formerly glaciated regions, and that has been previously carried along by a glacier or ice shee ...
at the confluence of Coles Creek with Fishing Creek. This causes there to be
cone
A cone is a three-dimensional geometric shape that tapers smoothly from a flat base (frequently, though not necessarily, circular) to a point called the apex or vertex.
A cone is formed by a set of line segments, half-lines, or lines con ...
-shaped hills in the area.
Watershed
The watershed of Coles Creek has an area of 11.6 square miles. The
drainage density
Drainage density is a quantity used to describe physical parameters of a drainage basin. First described by Robert E. Horton, drainage density is defined as the total length of channel in a drainage basin divided by the total area, represented by t ...
of the watershed is 1.3 per mile. There are of streams in the watershed. Most of the area along the creek is forested or residential. There are also scattered patches of agricultural land in the watershed. Additionally, there is a small patch of industrial land in the lower reaches of the creek. It occupies less than 0.09 square miles.
Major roads in the watershed of Coles Creek include
Pennsylvania Route 118
Pennsylvania Route 118 (PA 118) is a state route located in northeastern Pennsylvania. The western terminus of the route is at PA 405 in Hughesville. The eastern terminus is at PA 415 in Dallas. The road is known briefly as East Wa ...
and
Pennsylvania Route 487
Pennsylvania Route 487 (PA 487) is a , north–south state highway running from PA 61 in Shamokin Township, Northumberland County, to PA 87 (near its intersection with US 220) in Dushore, Sullivan County. In Bloomsburg, PA 487 and US 11 ...
. A community known as
Coles Creek is located at the confluence of the creek with Fishing Creek.
History
Coles Creek was likely named between 1800 and 1810 after
Ezekiel Cole, a mill owner in the area.
A fish habitat made of log cross vanes was installed in the headwaters of Coles Creek in 2012.
Biology
The
biodiversity
Biodiversity or biological diversity is the variety and variability of life on Earth. Biodiversity is a measure of variation at the genetic (''genetic variability''), species (''species diversity''), and ecosystem (''ecosystem diversity'') l ...
level of Coles Creek is similar to parts of the upper reaches of the main stem of Fishing Creek.
In 2011, the habitat quality of upper Fishing Creek and its tributaries were rated on a scale of 1 to 200 (with a higher rating indicating better habitability) by Point Park University and the Fishing Creek Sportsmans' Association. The lower reaches of the creek were given a score of 166 to 200, indicating an optimal habitat. The
Hilsenhoff Biotic Index The Hilsenhoff Biotic Index (HBI) is a quantitative method of evaluating the abundance of arthropod fauna in stream ecosystems as a measurement of estimating water quality based on the predetermined pollution tolerances of the observed taxa. This bi ...
of the creek is 2.6, which is higher than average. The creek's
Shannon Diversity Index is 2.3, which is slightly above average.
The
Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission
The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission is an independent state agency responsible for the regulation of all fishing and boating in the state of Pennsylvania within the United States of America. Unlike many U.S. states, Pennsylvania has a separ ...
has designated Coles Creek to be
Class A Wild Trout Waters
Class A Wild Trout Waters are the highest biomass class given to streams in Pennsylvania by the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission. They are considered to contain the highest-quality naturally reproducing trout populations in Pennsylvania. Th ...
between its source and the mouth of Marsh Run. Coles Creek and all of its tributaries support wild
brook trout
The brook trout (''Salvelinus fontinalis'') is a species of freshwater fish in the char genus ''Salvelinus'' of the salmon family Salmonidae. It is native to Eastern North America in the United States and Canada, but has been introduced elsewhere ...
and wild
brown trout
The brown trout (''Salmo trutta'') is a European species of salmonid fish that has been widely introduced into suitable environments globally. It includes purely freshwater populations, referred to as the riverine ecotype, ''Salmo trutta'' morph ...
.
There are nearly 200 aquatic macroinvertebrates per square meter in Coles Creek.
See also
*
East Branch Fishing Creek
East Branch Fishing Creek is a tributary of Fishing Creek in Columbia County and Sullivan County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. It is long. The stream and its tributaries are acidic and contain aluminum. The area in the vicinity was firs ...
*
List of rivers of Pennsylvania
This is a list of streams and rivers in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania.
By drainage basin
This list is arranged by drainage basin, with respective tributaries indented under each larger stream's name.
Delaware Bay
Chesapeake Bay
*''E ...
*
West Branch Fishing Creek
West Branch Fishing Creek is one of the northernmost major tributaries of Fishing Creek in Sullivan County, Pennsylvania and Columbia County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. It is long and flows through Davidson Township, Sullivan County a ...
*
West Creek (Pennsylvania)
West Creek is a tributary of Fishing Creek, in Columbia County and Sullivan County, in Pennsylvania, in the United States. It is long and flows through Davidson Township in Sullivan County and Jackson Township, Sugarloaf Township, Benton Town ...
References
External links
{{authority control
Tributaries of Fishing Creek (North Branch Susquehanna River)
Rivers of Columbia County, Pennsylvania
Rivers of Sullivan County, Pennsylvania
Rivers of Pennsylvania