Cross 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 drainage ...

Catawissa Creek Catawissa Creek (colloquially known as The Cat) is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed August 8, 2011 tributary of the Susquehanna River in east-central Pennsylvania in th ...

Luzerne County, Pennsylvania 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 ...

, in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. It is approximately long and flows through Hazle Township. 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 Conyngham. The stream has two reservoirs on it and has been used as a water supply for

Hazleton Hazleton may refer to: Places * Hazleton, British Columbia, Canada * Hazleton, Gloucestershire, a village in Gloucestershire, England ** Hazleton long barrows, Neolithic burial mounds at Hazleton, Gloucestershire, England ** Hazleton Abbey, a me ...

since at least the late 1800s or early 1900s. Both of the stream's reservoirs have

dam A dam is a barrier that stops or restricts the flow of surface water or underground streams. Reservoirs created by dams not only suppress floods but also provide water for activities such as irrigation, human consumption, industrial use, a ...

s. The stream has one unnamed tributary. Cross Run and its unnamed tributary are considered by the

Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) is the agency in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania responsible for protecting and preserving the land, air, water, and public health through enforcement of the state's environmental laws. ...

to be impaired for part of their lengths.

Course

Cross Run begins immediately east of Pismire Ridge in Hazle Township. The stream flows west-southwest for several hundred feet. It then turns south and after a few hundred feet enters a

reservoir A reservoir (; from French ''réservoir'' ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam. Such a dam may be either artificial, built to store fresh water or it may be a natural formation. Reservoirs can be created in a number of ways, including contro ...

. At the southwestern corner of the reservoir, the stream passes through the Upper Mount Pleasant Dam and almost immediately turns southeast, entering a second reservoir after a few hundred feet. At the southeastern corner of this reservoir, it flows south-southwest for several hundred feet before receiving an unnamed tributary and turning west. After several hundred feet, the stream enters a third lake and turns south-southwest. At the southern edge of the lake, the stream loses its flow for a few dozen feet before entering a fourth lake, where it reaches its confluence with Catawissa Creek.

Hydrology

A total of of Cross Run is considered by the

to be impaired 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 two ...

by abandoned mine drainage and

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. Its unnamed tributary is also considered to be impaired for the same reason for .

Geography and watershed

The elevation near the mouth of Cross 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 source of the stream is between and above sea level. There is a

ravine A ravine is a landform that is narrower than a canyon and is often the product of streambank erosion. A

coal Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock, formed as rock strata called coal seams. Coal is mostly carbon with variable amounts of other elements, chiefly hydrogen, sulfur, oxygen, and nitrogen. Coal is formed when dea ...

basin known as Coal Basin No. 2 has one terminus in the vicinity of the stream. This coal basin is associated with Dreck Creek. There are two

s on the stream near its headwaters, one upstream of the other. The upper reservoir is deep on average, with a maximum depth of . It has an area of approximately eight acres and has a volume of 26,500,000 gallons. The lower reservoir is deep on average, with a maximum depth of . It has a volume of 44,000,000 gallons. Both reservoirs are

med. Cross Run is in the

quadrangle of Conyngham. The stream is in the uppermost reaches of the watershed of Catawissa Creek. The stream is southwest of the city of

History

water supply Water supply is the provision of water by public utilities, commercial organisations, community endeavors or by individuals, usually via a system of pumps and pipes. Public water supply systems are crucial to properly functioning societies. Thes ...

known as the Mount Pleasant supply existed on Cross Run as early as the early 1900s. The Hazleton Water Company purchased from the Lehigh Valley Coal Company a pair of supply reservoirs on the stream on January 8, 1895. They were part of the Mount Pleasant Plant. The reservoirs were supplied by a deep well. Drilled wells at the headwaters of the stream were historically used as a water supply. Cross Run was listed in 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 January 1, 1990. The stream is also in the ''Atlas of the Anthracite Coalfields of Pennsylvania''. Cross Run was first listed as impaired in 1996. The

total maximum daily load A total maximum daily load (TMDL) is a regulatory term in the U.S. Clean Water Act, describing a plan for restoring impaired waters that identifies the maximum amount of a pollutant that a body of water can receive while still meeting water quali ...

date was 2003.

References

External links

Map of the Catawissa Creek watershed
{{authority control Rivers of Luzerne County, Pennsylvania Tributaries of Catawissa Creek Rivers of Pennsylvania