Dalmatia Creek 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 ...

of the

Susquehanna River The Susquehanna River (; Lenape: Siskëwahane) is a major river located in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, overlapping between the lower Northeast and the Upland South. At long, it is the longest river on the East Coast of the ...

Northumberland County, Pennsylvania Northumberland County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It is part of Northeastern Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 91,647. Its county seat is Sunbury. The county was formed in 1772 from parts of Lancas ...

, in the United States. It is approximately long and flows through Lower Mahanoy Township. The watershed of the creek has an area of . The creek has no named tributaries, but several unnamed ones. Both it and its tributaries are designated as impaired waterbodies due to sedimentation/siltation from crop-related agriculture and vegetation removal. Streambank erosion also occurs in the watershed. The creek is in the

Ridge and Valley The Ridge-and-Valley Appalachians, also called the Ridge and Valley Province or the Valley and Ridge Appalachians, are a physiographic province of the larger Appalachian division and are also a belt within the Appalachian Mountains extending ...

physiographic province. The main land use in the watershed of Dalmatia Creek is agricultural land, but forested land, low-intensity development, and transitional land are also present. The creek experienced flooding during

Tropical Storm Agnes The name Agnes has been used for a total of sixteen tropical cyclones worldwide: one in the Atlantic Ocean, thirteen in the Western North Pacific Ocean, one in the South-West Indian Ocean, and one in the South Pacific Ocean. In the Atlantic: * Hur ...

in 1972. A bridge carrying

Pennsylvania Route 147 Pennsylvania Route 147 (PA 147) is a north–south route that runs for along the east shore of the Susquehanna River in central Pennsylvania, United States. The southern terminus is at an interchange with U.S. Route 22 (US 22)/US 322 in Re ...

has been constructed across it in Dalmatia. The drainage basin of the creek is designated as a Warmwater Fishery and a Migratory Fishery.

Course

Dalmatia Creek begins at the base of a mountain in Lower Mahanoy Township. It flows north-northwest for a few tenths of a mile, entering a valley. The creek then flows west-southwest for a few tenths of a mile, receiving an unnamed tributary from the

left Left may refer to: Music * ''Left'' (Hope of the States album), 2006 * ''Left'' (Monkey House album), 2016 * "Left", a song by Nickelback from the album ''Curb'', 1996 Direction * Left (direction), the relative direction opposite of right * L ...

before turning west. After several tenths of a mile, it turns west-southwest again for several tenths of a mile, receiving two more unnamed tributaries from the left, one of them extremely short. The creek then turns west for a few tenths of a mile, receiving another two unnamed tributaries from the left, before turning west-southwest. After several tenths of a mile, it turns west for a few tenths of a mile, receiving two more unnamed tributaries from the left and entering the

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counterparts of incorporated places, such ...

Dalmatia Dalmatia (; hr, Dalmacija ; it, Dalmazia; see #Name, names in other languages) is one of the four historical region, historical regions of Croatia, alongside Croatia proper, Slavonia, and Istria. Dalmatia is a narrow belt of the east shore of ...

. Here, the creek turns northwest for a few tenths of a mile before turning west. A short distance further downstream, it crosses

and reaches its confluence with the Susquehanna River. Dalmatia Creek joins the Susquehanna River upstream of its mouth.

Tributaries

Dalmatia Creek has no named tributaries. However, it does have seven unnamed tributaries. They are known as Unt 17500, Unt 17501, Unt 17502, Unt 17503, Unt 17504, Unt 17505, and Unt 17506. All of these streams are designated as impaired waterbodies for the same reasons as the

main stem In hydrology, a mainstem (or trunk) is "the primary downstream segment of a river, as contrasted to its tributaries". Water enters the mainstem from the river's drainage basin, the land area through which the mainstem and its tributaries flow.. A ...

. Some tributaries suffer from little riparian buffering, or even none at all, and at least one has been plowed over. However, a tributary in the creek's upper reaches has some riparian buffering, reduced erosion, and relatively stable streambanks.

Hydrology and climate

Dalmatia Creek is designated as an impaired waterbody. The cause of impairment is

sedimentation Sedimentation is the deposition of sediments. It takes place when particles in suspension settle out of the fluid in which they are entrained and come to rest against a barrier. This is due to their motion through the fluid in response to the ...

siltation Siltation, is water pollution caused by particulate terrestrial clastic material, with a particle size dominated by silt or clay. It refers both to the increased concentration of suspended sediments and to the increased accumulation (temporary or ...

and the probable sources of impairment are crop-related agriculture and removal of vegetation. The peak annual

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 ...

at the mouth of Dalmatia Creek has a 10 percent chance of reaching . It has a 2 percent chance of reaching and a 1 percent chance of reaching . The peak annual discharge has a 0.2 percent chance of reaching . Some reaches of the creek are

intermittent Intermittency is a behavior of dynamical systems: regular alternation of phases of apparently periodic and chaotic dynamics. Intermittent or intermittency may also refer to: *Intermittent river or stream, the one that ceases to flow every year or ...

. As of 2013, the total annual

sediment Sediment is a naturally occurring material that is broken down by processes of weathering and erosion, and is subsequently transported by the action of wind, water, or ice or by the force of gravity acting on the particles. For example, sand an ...

load for Dalmatia Creek is . Cropland is by far the largest source, accounting for per year. It is distantly followed by hay and pastures, which account for . Forested land accounts for per year, while low-intensity development accounts for per year. Stream banks account for annually, while transitional land accounts for . Pastures have the highest unit area load, while forests have the lowest. 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 ...

for sediment in the creek is . The average annual rate of precipitation in the watershed of Dalmatia Creek over a 19-year period was . The average annual rate of runoff over a 19-year period 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 Dalmatia Creek 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 creek's

source Source may refer to: Research * Historical document * Historical source * Source (intelligence) or sub source, typically a confidential provider of non open-source intelligence * Source (journalism), a person, publication, publishing institute o ...

is above sea level. The highest elevations in the watershed are as high as , while the lowest occur at the creek's mouth. The southern edge of the watershed is on Fisher Ridge. Dalmatia Creek has been described as "a minute stream" and "barely a trickle" in A. Joseph Armstrong's 2000 book ''Trout Unlimited's Guide to Pennsylvania Limestone Streams''. Dalmatia Creek is in the

physiographic province. The slopes in the watershed generally have a low gradient. This, combined with the lack of vegetation in agricultural areas, causes excessive runoff during precipitation events. Unprotected stream banks in the watershed lead to stream bank erosion and slumping. The banks are also undercut and/or deteriorated in some reaches; they are described as "deteriating and slumping" at the headwaters. There are also excessive sediment deposits in the creek. The dominant hydrologic soil group in the watershed of Dalmatia Creek is B. The dominant surface geology is

schist Schist ( ) is a medium-grained metamorphic rock showing pronounced schistosity. This means that the rock is composed of mineral grains easily seen with a low-power hand lens, oriented in such a way that the rock is easily split into thin flakes o ...

, a

metamorphic rock Metamorphic rocks arise from the transformation of existing rock to new types of rock in a process called metamorphism. The original rock (protolith) is subjected to temperatures greater than and, often, elevated pressure of or more, causin ...

, which underlies the entire watershed. The surface geology has little influence on the sediment loads in the creek. The natural fluvial geomorphology is channelized in some reaches.

cobbles Cobblestone is a natural building material based on cobble-sized stones, and is used for pavement roads, streets, and buildings. Setts, also called Belgian blocks, are often casually referred to as "cobbles", although a sett is distinct fro ...

chert Chert () is a hard, fine-grained sedimentary rock composed of microcrystalline or cryptocrystalline quartz, the mineral form of silicon dioxide (SiO2). Chert is characteristically of biological origin, but may also occur inorganically as a prec ...

of varying sizes have been observed on the eastern bank of the Susquehanna River, not far from the creek.

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 Dalmatia Creek has an area of . The mouth of the creek 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 Dalmatia. However, its source is in the quadrangle of Pillow. The creek's mouth is located at

. The settlement of Hickory Corners is also in the watershed. Dalmatia Creek is entirely within Lower Mahanoy Township, as are all of its tributaries. There are approximately of streams in the watershed. The dominant

land use Land use involves the management and modification of natural environment or wilderness into built environment such as settlements and semi-natural habitats such as arable fields, pastures, and managed woods. Land use by humans has a long h ...

in the watershed of Dalmatia Creek is agricultural land, including

cropland Agricultural land is typically land ''devoted to'' agriculture, the systematic and controlled use of other forms of lifeparticularly the rearing of livestock and production of cropsto produce food for humans. It is generally synonymous with bot ...

and hay/pastures; agricultural land occupies 56.9 percent of the watershed.

Forest A forest is an area of land dominated by trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, and ecological function. The United Nations' ...

ed land makes up 34.0 percent of the watershed. Low-intensity development accounts for 8.7 percent of the watershed's area, while transitional land accounts for 0.2 percent.

Tillage Tillage is the agricultural preparation of soil by mechanical agitation of various types, such as digging, stirring, and overturning. Examples of human-powered tilling methods using hand tools include shoveling, picking, mattock work, hoein ...

is done in the creek's agricultural areas, even in some intermittent reaches of the creek itself. The agricultural land includes slightly more hay and pastures than cropland, versus . Dalmatia Creek, along with numerous other streams in the area, experienced

flood A flood is an overflow of water ( or rarely other fluids) that submerges land that is usually dry. In the sense of "flowing water", the word may also be applied to the inflow of the tide. Floods are an area of study of the discipline hydrol ...

ing during

in June 1972. Sometime after Tropical Storm Agnes, stream restoration was considered and/or carried out on Dalmatia Creek, in addition to reseeding of stream banks in an effort to reduce erosion and siltation.

History

Dalmatia Creek 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 1172900. A concrete

culvert A culvert is a structure that channels water past an obstacle or to a subterranean waterway. Typically embedded so as to be surrounded by soil, a culvert may be made from a pipe, reinforced concrete or other material. In the United Kingdom ...

bridge carrying

was constructed across Dalmatia Creek in 2011 in Dalmatia and is long. In July 2012, the Lower Mahanoy Township Municipal Authority received a Water Obstructions and Encroachments permit to built, maintain, and operate an elevated platform for the control panel of the Dalmatia Creek grinder Pump Station near Dalmatia Creek itself. In August 2012, 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. ...

invited comments on its proposed Total Maximum Daily Load plan for Dalmatia Creek. However, no public comments were received.

Biology

The drainage basin of Dalmatia Creek is designated as a Warmwater Fishery and a Migratory Fishery. The creek's designated use is

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 ...

. In 2016, 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 ...

passed regulations affecting Dalmatia Creek from its mouth to a point upstream. This regulation forbade any attempt to target or catch

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in the bass range: ** Bass (instrument), including: ** Acoustic bass gui ...

between May 1 and June 17, with immediate

catch and release Catch and release is a practice within recreational fishing where after capture, often a fast measurement and weighing of the fish is performed, followed by posed photography as proof of the catch, and then the fish are unhooked and returned ...

being in effect for bass the rest of the year. However, the creek is not a

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 ...

fishery. The

riparian buffer A riparian buffer or stream buffer is a vegetated area (a "buffer strip") near a stream, usually forested, which helps shade and partially protect the stream from the impact of adjacent land uses. It plays a key role in increasing water quality i ...

s of Dalmatia Creek are limited or nonexistent in agricultural areas.

Cropland Agricultural land is typically land ''devoted to'' agriculture, the systematic and controlled use of other forms of lifeparticularly the rearing of livestock and production of cropsto produce food for humans. It is generally synonymous with bot ...

mowing occurs right up to the creek's banks in some areas. Additionally,

livestock Livestock are the domesticated animals raised in an agricultural setting to provide labor and produce diversified products for consumption such as meat, eggs, milk, fur, leather, and wool. The term is sometimes used to refer solely to animals ...

have access to the creek, and barn waste is flushed into the headwaters.

References

{{authority control Rivers of Northumberland County, Pennsylvania Tributaries of the Susquehanna River Rivers of Pennsylvania