Lees Creek (also known as Shove 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 Lackawanna River in Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. It is approximately long and flows through Carbondale Township. The watershed of the creek has an area of . A reservoir known as the O and W Reservoir is located on it. The drainage basin of Lees Creek is designated as a Coldwater Fishery and a Migratory Fishery.

Course

Lees Creek begins in a

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on a

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in Carbondale Township. It flows south-southeast for a few tenths of a mile and passes through a

lake A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, surrounded by land, and distinct from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean, although, like the much large ...

before turning south and flowing down a steep slope. The creek passes through the O and W Reservoir and turns south-southeast for a few tenths of a mile. It then receives an unnamed tributary from the

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and turns southeast for several tenths of a mile, continuing down the slope. For some distance, it flows along the border between Carbondale Township and Mayfield before crossing a highway and reaching its confluence with the Lackawanna River. Lees Creek joins the Lackawanna River upriver of its mouth.

Hydrology

Lees Creek is not designated as an impaired stream. The creek is in "good condition" for most of its length. It experiences some flow loss upstream of US Business Route 6, but is still a perennial stream as far as the

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 ...

that carries it under that highway. It eventually loses its flow completely.

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 Lees 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 is between above sea level. The headwaters of Lees Creek are on

s on West Mountain. The creek has a high gradient for some distance downstream of the O and W Reservoir. It also crosses Business Route 6. In its lower reaches, the

channel Channel, channels, channeling, etc., may refer to: Geography * Channel (geography), in physical geography, a landform consisting of the outline (banks) of the path of a narrow body of water. Australia * Channel Country, region of outback Austral ...

of Lees Creek passes through

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 ...

waste, cinders, and railroad ballast.

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 Lees Creek has an area of . The creek is entirely within the

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quadrangle of Carbondale. It is a small

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stream. The O and W Reservoir, which has an area of is on the creek. The creek was described as a "moderate-quality aquatic resource" in the 1990s.

History

Lees 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 1179126. The creek is also known as Shove Creek. This name appears on some United States Geological Survey maps. Historically, the O and W Reservoir on Lees Creek was used as a

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 ...

for the Mayfield Rail Yard of the New York, Ontario and Western Railway. This use ended in 1957 and the reservoir is now privately owned. And old railyard site is at the creek's mouth. The site is owned by the Lackawanna Heritage Valley Authority, which also owns the mouth of the creek. In the early 2000s, the Lackawanna River Watershed Conservation Plan recommended that the lower of Lees Creek receive channel lining and restoration. This could have the effect of giving the creek a perennial flow. The conservation plan also recommended that Carbondale Township protect the creek.

Biology

Lees Creek is designated as a Coldwater Fishery and a Migratory Fishery.

References

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