Kase Run is a tributary of Mahoning Creek in

Montour County, Pennsylvania Montour County is a County (United States), county in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It is located in Northeastern Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 18,136. Its count ...

, in the United States. It is approximately long and flows through West Hemlock Township and Valley Township. The stream's watershed has an area of . The stream and a number of its tributaries are considered by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection to be impaired by

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 ...

due to agriculture. The rock in the watershed of Kase Run is of several rock formations, including the Wills Creek Formation, the Trimmers Rock Formation, the Catskill Formation, the Hamilton Group, and others. The

soil series Soil series as established by the National Cooperative Soil Survey of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service are a level of classification in the USDA Soil Taxonomy classification system hierar ...

in the stream's watershed include the Leck Kill-Minersville-Calvin series and the Berks-Weikert-Bedington series. Kase Run may have been named after Abraham Kase. It is designated as a coldwater fishery.

Course

Kase Run begins in a small

pond A pond is an area filled with water, either natural or artificial, that is smaller than a lake. Defining them to be less than in area, less than deep, and with less than 30% emergent vegetation helps in distinguishing their ecology from th ...

immediately south of Styer Road in eastern West Hemlock Township. The stream flows southwest into a valley for approximately before turning south and staying in the valley. Further downstream, it turns southwest and then south again before leaving the valley. Here, it turns west and eventually enters Valley Township. It continues west for a distance before turning southwest and crossing

Interstate 80 Interstate 80 (I-80) is an east–west transcontinental freeway that crosses the United States from downtown San Francisco, California, to Teaneck, New Jersey, in the New York metropolitan area. The highway was designated in 1956 as one o ...

. Less than a mile downstream of this point, the stream reaches its confluence with Mahoning Creek. Kase Run joins Mahoning Creek upstream of its mouth.

Hydrology

The water temperature of Kase Run has been described as "not particularly warm or cold" by A. Joseph Armstrong in his book ''Trout Unlimited's Guide to Pennsylvania Limestone Streams''. Kase Run is 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 its entire length except for its upper reaches. Several of its tributaries are also considered to be impaired. The stream and a number of its unnamed tributaries experience

due to

agriculture Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people to ...

. In 2010, at various points in the watershed of Kase Run, the

runoff curve number The runoff curve number (also called a curve number or simply CN) is an empirical parameter used in hydrology for predicting direct runoff or infiltration from rainfall excess. The curve number method was developed by the USDA Natural Resources Con ...

s ranged from 58.9 to 62.4, with an average of 61.3. By 2020, the runoff curve numbers are predicted to range from 60.0 to 65.0 at these sites. The lag time for

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 ...

at various points in the watershed ranged from 45.5 to 79.1 minutes in 2010. The average lag time was 66.8 minutes. The lag time is predicted to range from 45.4 to 79.0 minutes in 2020. The predicted average lag time in this year is 65.1 minutes.

Geology

The lower reaches of Kase Run lie over rock of the

Wills Creek Formation Wills Creek Formation is a mapped Silurian bedrock unit in Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia. Description The Wills Creek is defined as a moderately well bedded greenish-gray shale containing local limestone and sandstone zon ...

. The middle reaches of the stream are on rock of the

Hamilton Group The Hamilton Group is a Devonian-age geological group in the Appalachian region of the United States. It is present in New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Ohio, West Virginia, northwestern Virginia and Ontario, Canada. It is mainly composed of mar ...

, while the upper reaches are over rock of the

Trimmers Rock Formation Trimmer may refer to: * Trimmer (construction), beam used in construction * Trimmer (electronics), small electrical component * Trimmer (gardening), gardening power tool * Trimmer (surname) * Trimmer, California, community in Fresno County * Lam ...

and 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 ...

. The stream's southern tributaries are on rock of the Bloomsburg and

Mifflintown Mifflintown is a borough (Pennsylvania), borough in and the county seat of Juniata County, Pennsylvania, Juniata County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 842 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. Geography Mifflintown is ...

Formation and the

Clinton Group The Clinton Group (also referred to as the Clinton Formation or the Clinton Shale) is a mapped unit of sedimentary rock found throughout eastern North America. The interval was first defined by the geologist Lardner Vanuxem, who derived the name f ...

. The soil near the headwaters of Kase Run is of the Leck Kill-Minersville-Calvin

. The soil in the rest of the stream's watershed is of the Berks-Weikert-Bedington soil series. All of the 34

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 ...

s on Kase Run are less than high. Six of the banks on the stream have angles of less than 45 degrees, 12 have angles that are between 45 and 90 degrees, and 16 have angles of over 90 degrees. 9 of the stream's banks are made of small

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

s and 25 are made of

sand Sand is a granular material composed of finely divided mineral particles. Sand has various compositions but is defined by its grain size. Sand grains are smaller than gravel and coarser than silt. Sand can also refer to a textural class of s ...

and

clay Clay is a type of fine-grained natural soil material containing clay minerals (hydrous aluminium phyllosilicates, e.g. kaolin, Al2 Si2 O5( OH)4). Clays develop plasticity when wet, due to a molecular film of water surrounding the clay par ...

Geography

The width of Kase Run ranges from . The stream is a

freestone stream In fly fishing, a freestone stream flows seasonally, based on the water supply. In the summer and fall, freestone streams grow warm and have reduced flow because water from snow melt is less readily available. In contrast to limestone streams, which ...

. The elevation of Kase Run near its mouth 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 stream at its source is approximately above sea level. There are 78 features on Kase Run that are classified as "disturbances". 34 of these are

erosion Erosion is the action of surface processes (such as water flow or wind) that removes soil, rock, or dissolved material from one location on the Earth's crust, and then transports it to another location where it is deposited. Erosion is distin ...

sites (17 of which are on the stream's

left bank 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 ...

and 17 of which are on its

right bank 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 ...

), 24 are deposition bars, and eight are tributaries. Three are

bridge A bridge is a structure built to span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or rail) without blocking the way underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, which is usually somethi ...

s, three are pipes, two are

riprap Riprap (in North American English), also known as rip rap, rip-rap, shot rock, rock armour (in British English) or rubble, is human-placed rock or other material used to protect shoreline structures against scour and water, wave, or ice erosion. ...

, one is a

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 ...

, and one is a

ford Ford commonly refers to: * Ford Motor Company, an automobile manufacturer founded by Henry Ford * Ford (crossing), a shallow crossing on a river Ford may also refer to: Ford Motor Company * Henry Ford, founder of the Ford Motor Company * Ford F ...

Watershed

The watershed of Kase Run has an area of . The watershed is mostly in Montour County, but part of it is also in Columbia County. Much of the land along the stream is agricultural or developed land, but there are forested areas near the headwaters. There are of streams in the watershed of Kase Run. , or 8.7 percent, are listed as "not attaining".

History and etymology

Kase Run is likely named after Abraham Kase. In the early 1800s, Kase owned a tract of land along the stream. Three bridges over Kase Run were built in 1963. One is long, one is long, and one is long. The latter two carry Interstate 80. In January 2007, 190 gallons of

heating oil Heating oil is any petroleum product or other oil used for heating; a fuel oil. Most commonly, it refers to low viscosity grades of fuel oil used for furnaces or boilers use for home heating and in other buildings. Home heating oil is often a ...

were spilled at a private residence and eventually contaminated a tributary of Kase Run. As a result of the spill, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection issued an $8500 fine to the Leighow Oil Company. Historically, Kase Run was larger than it is in modern times.

Biology

Although ''

Isonychia ''Isonychia'' is a genus of brushlegged mayflies in the family Isonychiidae, the sole genus of the family. There are more than 30 described species in ''Isonychia''. Species These 36 species belong to the genus ''Isonychia'': * '' Isonychia ar ...

'' mayflies inhabit Kase Run, no

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 ...

do. The stream is designated as a coldwater fishery. The Montour County Natural Areas Inventory has recommended planting

native Native may refer to: People * Jus soli, citizenship by right of birth * Indigenous peoples, peoples with a set of specific rights based on their historical ties to a particular territory ** Native Americans (disambiguation) In arts and entert ...

trees on Kase Run. The stated purpose for this is to decrease non-point source pollution. One of the 34 streambanks on Kase Run is more than 60 percent covered by vegetation. 22 are between 30 and 60 percent covered by vegetation and 11 are covered less than 30 percent by vegetation.

References

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