Dry 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 ...

of the

Lehigh River The Lehigh River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed April 1, 2011 tributary of the Delaware River in eastern Pennsylvania. The river flows in a generally southward pat ...

Northampton County, Pennsylvania Northampton County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 312,951. Its county seat is Easton. The county was formed in 1752 from parts of Bucks County. Its namesake was Northamptonshire, En ...

, in the United States. It is approximately long and flows through Allen Township and

Northampton Northampton () is a market town and civil parish in the East Midlands of England, on the River Nene, north-west of London and south-east of Birmingham. The county town of Northamptonshire, Northampton is one of the largest towns in England; ...

. The stream is designated as a Coldwater Fishery and a Migratory Fishery. It is often dry.

Course

Dry Run begins in a flat area west of Sauerkraut Hill in Allen Township. It flows south for several tenths of a mile before crossing

Pennsylvania Route 329 Pennsylvania Route 329 (PA 329) is a Pennsylvania state highway that runs for through Lehigh and Northampton counties in the Lehigh Valley region of the state. It runs from PA 873 in the North Whitehall Township village of Neffs east to PA ...

and continuing to flow south. The stream eventually begins to gradually turn southwest and enters Northampton. Here, it flows west-southwest for a few tenths of a mile before turning southwest for several tenths of a mile. The stream then reaches its confluence with the Lehigh River. Dry Run joins the Lehigh River upstream of its mouth.

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 Dry 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 near the stream'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.

Watershed

The watershed of Dry Run has an area of . The stream is entirely within 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 Catasauqua. Polluted

stormwater Stormwater, also spelled storm water, is water that originates from precipitation (storm), including heavy rain and meltwater from hail and snow. Stormwater can soak into the soil ( infiltrate) and become groundwater, be stored on depressed la ...

in Allen Township has the potential to impact Dry Run. However, an NPDES permit was once issued for discharge of stormwater into the stream, associated with construction activities. The stream frequently is dry.

History

Dry Run 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 1173531. In 1787, Christian Schwartz constructed a large stone house at the mouth of Dry Run. A lost

Pratt through truss A truss bridge is a bridge whose load-bearing superstructure is composed of a truss, a structure of connected elements, usually forming triangular units. The connected elements (typically straight) may be stressed from tension, compression, or ...

bridge was once built over Dry Run for the Lehigh Valley Transit Co. Historically, a trolley bridge crossed the stream and a school was located near this bridge. In 2014, the

Delaware and Lehigh National Heritage Corridor The Delaware & Lehigh Canal National and State Heritage Corridor (D&L) is a National Heritage Area in eastern Pennsylvania in the United States. It stretches from north to south, across five counties and over one hundred municipalities. It follow ...

received $217,000 from the

Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development is a cabinet-level state agency in Pennsylvania. The mission of the department is to enhance investment opportunities for businesses and to improve the quality of life for residents. Th ...

to replace a pedestrian bridge over the stream.

Biology

The drainage basin of Dry Run is designated as a Coldwater Fishery and a Migratory Fishery.

References