Gardner Creek (also known as Gardiners Creek or Gardners Creek) is a tributary 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 ...

in Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. It is approximately long and flows through Newton Township and Ransom Township. The watershed of the creek has an area of . The creek is not designated as an impaired waterbody. The surficial geology in its vicinity mainly consists of alluvial terrace, alluvium, Wisconsinan Till, and bedrock. However, Wisconsinan Ice-Contact Stratified Drift, fill, alluvial fan, peat, and wetlands also occur. The creek is the main source of flooding in Ransom Township. The area at the mouth of Gardner Creek was settled as early as 1769. A number of mills, including a sawmill and a gristmill, were constructed on the creek in the early 19th century. Numerous bridges were built over it in the 20th century. The creek experienced

streambank In geography, a bank is the land alongside a body of water. Different structures are referred to as ''banks'' in different fields of geography, as follows. In limnology (the study of inland waters), a stream bank or river bank is the terrai ...

erosion 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. It is designated as a Coldwater Fishery and a Migratory Fishery. Wild trout naturally reproduce within it.

Course

Gardner Creek begins in a valley near Newton Ransom Boulevard in Newton Township. It flows southwest for a short distance and enters Corby Swamp. From the western end of the swamp, it flows west-southwest for a short distance before turning south and entering a much deeper valley. The creek then turns southwest for several tenths of a mile before 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 ...

. Its valley then becomes narrower and shallower as it turns south-southwest for a few miles, receiving one unnamed tributary from the left and another from the right. The creek turns south for more than a mile and its valley becomes broader and deeper again as it flows past the base of a mountain known as Pinnacle Rock. The creek receives another unnamed tributary from the left before turning west for several tenths of a mile, still flowing through a deep valley. It turns south-southwest for more than a mile and receives two more unnamed tributaries (one from the left and one from the right). It then abruptly turns west-northwest for several tenths of a mile before receiving an unnamed tributary from the right. It then turns south-southwest for more than a mile before leaving its valley and reaching its confluence with the Susquehanna River. Gardner Creek joins the Susquehanna River upriver of its mouth.

Hydrology

Gardner Creek is not designated as an impaired stream. Newton Township once requested a permit to discharge

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 ...

into the creek. 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 ...

of Gardner Creek at its mouth has a 10 percent chance of reaching 2350 cubic feet per second. It has a 2 percent chance of reaching 4850 cubic feet per second and a 1 percent chance of reaching 6450 cubic feet per second. The peak annual discharge has a 0.2 percent chance of reaching 12,500 cubic feet per second.

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 Gardner Creek is above sea level. The elevation of the creek's source is between above sea level. For most of the length of Gardner Creek, the

surficial geology Superficial deposits (or surficial deposits) refer to geological deposits typically of Quaternary age (less than 2.6 million years old). These geologically recent unconsolidated sediments may include stream channel and floodplain deposits, beach ...

on the floor of its valley consists mainly of alluvium. However,

alluvial terrace Fluvial terraces are elongated terraces that flank the sides of floodplains and fluvial valleys all over the world. They consist of a relatively level strip of land, called a "tread", separated from either an adjacent floodplain, other fluvial te ...

is present in the lower reaches. The valley walls and surrounding areas have surficial geology consisting of a glacial or resedimented till known as Wisconsinan Till and

bedrock In geology, bedrock is solid Rock (geology), rock that lies under loose material (regolith) within the crust (geology), crust of Earth or another terrestrial planet. Definition Bedrock is the solid rock that underlies looser surface mater ...

consisting of coal, conglomeratic sandstone, sandstone, and

shale Shale is a fine-grained, clastic sedimentary rock formed from mud that is a mix of flakes of clay minerals (hydrous aluminium phyllosilicates, e.g. kaolin, Al2 Si2 O5( OH)4) and tiny fragments (silt-sized particles) of other minerals, especial ...

. Wisconsinan Ice-Contact Stratified Drift, fill, alluvial fan, peat, and wetlands also occur in the surficial geology in the vicinity of 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 Gardner Creek has an area of . The creek's mouth is in the United States Geological Survey quadrangle of Ransom. However, its source is in the quadrangle of Scranton. Gardner Creek is the main source of flooding in Ransom Township. The creek is typically "placid" but can be transformed into a "raging torrent" by flooding. The watershed of Gardner Creek is one of three major watersheds in Lackawanna County that is in the Chesapeake Bay drainage basin. The others are the Lackawanna River and Tunkhannock Creek.

History

Gardner Creek was entered into the Geographic Names Information System on August 2, 1979. Its identifier in the Geographic Names Information System is 1198784. The creek is also known as Gardiners Creek and Gardners Creek. John and Richard Gardner settled at their father's farm at the mouth of Gardner Creek in 1769. The Gardner Ferry was established downstream of the mouth of the creek in 1795. It was renamed to the Ransom Ferry in 1923, but still existed in 1937. Elias Smith came from New Jersey and settled in an undeveloped part of Newton Township in 1816 and purchased a tract of along Gardner Creek. Smith also built the first Newton Township's first sawmill on the creek in 1821. Additionally, the first gristmill in Ransom Township was built on the creek by Phineas Sherwood in 1825. Sherwood sold the mill to Absolom Young, who sold it to Jacob Dershimer. In 1844, Dershimer constructed a new mill on the site. Historically, an aqueduct carried the Tunkhannock Line, a canal running from

Wyalusing Creek Wyalusing Creek is a tributary of the Susquehanna River in Susquehanna and Bradford counties, Pennsylvania, in the United States. It is approximately long and flows through Rush township in Susquehanna County and Stevens Township, Tuscarora Tow ...

to the

Wyoming Division Canal The Wyoming Division Canal was an anthracite canal in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. It was a branch of the North Branch Canal, which was one of only two major canals in Pennsylvania to be owned by the state. The creek went fr ...

, crossed over Gardner Creek. The aqueduct had one span and was long. A concrete stringer/multi-beam or girder bridge carrying State Route 3005 was constructed over Gardner Creek in 1932. It is long and is in Ransom Township. A steel stringer/multi-beam or girder bridge carrying State Route 3006 was built over the creek in Newton Township in 1951. It is long. A prestressed box beam or girders bridge carrying the same road was built over the creek in 1958. This bridge is also in Newton Township and is long. A bridge of the same type, but carrying State Route 3002, was built across the creek in 1970. This bridge is long and is situated in Ransom Township. A concrete slab bridge with a length of long and carrying State Route 3009 was built over the creek in 1988 in Ransom Township. A prestressed box beam or girders bridge with a length of long and carrying State Route 3007/Evergreen Road was built across the creek in 1999 in Ransom Township. Gardner Creek experienced significant flooding during

in 1972. The flood also caused streambank erosion and the inundation of basements and first floors of homes near the creek. Further rains and

flash flood A flash flood is a rapid flooding of low-lying areas: washes, rivers, dry lakes and depressions. It may be caused by heavy rain associated with a severe thunderstorm, hurricane, or tropical storm, or by meltwater from ice or snow flowing o ...

ing in October 1976 caused more streambank erosion. For this reason, Ransom Township received $7000 in

Federal Disaster Assistance Administration Funds Federal or foederal (archaic) may refer to: Politics General *Federal monarchy, a federation of monarchies *Federation, or ''Federal state'' (federal system), a type of government characterized by both a central (federal) government and states or ...

to restore the creek's streambanks.

Biology

The drainage basin of Gardner Creek is designated as a Coldwater Fishery and a Migratory Fishery. Wild trout naturally reproduce in the creek from its upper reaches downstream to its mouth. It is considered by 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 ...

to be approved trout waters. The creek has been stocked with

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 ...

and

rainbow trout The rainbow trout (''Oncorhynchus mykiss'') is a species of trout native to cold-water tributaries of the Pacific Ocean in Asia and North America. The steelhead (sometimes called "steelhead trout") is an anadromous (sea-run) form of the coasta ...

References

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