Little Catawissa Creek is a tributary of

Catawissa Creek Catawissa Creek (colloquially known as The Cat) is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed August 8, 2011 tributary of the Susquehanna River in east-central Pennsylvania in th ...

in Columbia County and Schuylkill County, in

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

, in the United States. It is approximately long and flows through Conyngham Township in Columbia County and Union Township and North Union Township in Schuylkill County. The named tributaries of the creek include Stony Run and Trexler Run. The creek has some alkalinity and is slightly acidic. The main

rock formation A rock formation is an isolated, scenic, or spectacular surface rock outcrop. Rock formations are usually the result of weathering and erosion sculpting the existing rock. The term ''rock formation'' can also refer to specific sediment ...

s in the watershed of it are the

Mauch Chunk Formation The Mississippian Mauch Chunk Formation is a mapped bedrock unit in Pennsylvania, Maryland, and West Virginia. It is named for the township of Mauch Chunk, now known as borough of Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania and for nearby Mauch Chunk Ridge where th ...

, the

Pocono Formation The Mississippian Pocono Formation is a mapped bedrock unit in Pennsylvania, Maryland, and West Virginia, in the United States. It is also known as the Pocono Group in Maryland and West Virginia, and the upper part of the Pocono Formation is somet ...

, and the

Pottsville Formation The Pennsylvanian Pottsville Formation is a mapped bedrock unit in Pennsylvania, western Maryland, West Virginia, Ohio, and Alabama. It is a major ridge-former in the Ridge-and-Valley Appalachians of the eastern United States. The Pottsville Fo ...

. A number of other rock formations occur in small areas of the watershed as well. The main soils in the watershed are the Leck Kill soil and the Hazleton soil. The watershed of Little Catawissa Creek has an area of . A number of bridges cross the creek. There are a number of major roads in the watershed of the creek and most of the creek is within several hundred meters of a road. The creek is a High-Quality Coldwater Fishery and

Class A Wild Trout Waters Class A Wild Trout Waters are the highest biomass class given to streams in Pennsylvania by the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission. They are considered to contain the highest-quality naturally reproducing trout populations in Pennsylvania. Th ...

in some places. In other places, it is a Coldwater Fishery and Class D Wild Trout Waters. There are many species of

fish Fish are aquatic, craniate, gill-bearing animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish as well as various extinct related groups. Approximately 95% of li ...

inhabiting the creek, including brook trout, brown trout, and others. The creek has been surveyed at least nine times 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 ...

Course

Little Catawissa Creek looking downstream

Little Catawissa Creek begins in a narrow valley in Conyngham Township. It flows east for a few miles in the valley, flowing roughly parallel to Aristes Ringtown Road. The creek eventually exits Conyngham Township and Columbia County. Upon exiting Columbia County, Little Catawissa Creek enters Union Township, Schuylkill County. It continues east and its valley becomes narrower and shallower. Over the next several miles, the creek turns east-northeast and its valley gets broader again. It then turns abruptly north and passes through a

ridge A ridge or a mountain ridge is a geographical feature consisting of a chain of mountains or hills that form a continuous elevated crest for an extended distance. The sides of the ridge slope away from the narrow top on either side. The line ...

. The creek briefly turns northeast before turning north-northeast after a few hundred feet. Approximately a mile downstream, it receives its first named tributary, Trexler Run. At this point, the creek turns abruptly east-northeast. After some distance, it begins

meander A meander is one of a series of regular sinuous curves in the channel of a river or other watercourse. It is produced as a watercourse erodes the sediments of an outer, concave bank ( cut bank) and deposits sediments on an inner, convex bank ...

ing northeast for a few miles, receiving the tributary Stony Run. It then begins meandering east for a few miles, briefly entering North Union Township, Schuylkill County before reentering East Union Township. Shortly afterwards, the creek turns north-northeast, crosses into North Union Township again. A few tenths of a mile downstream, it reaches its confluence with Catawissa Creek. Little Catawissa Creek joins Catawissa Creek upstream of its mouth.

Tributaries

Little Catawissa Creek has a number of tributaries. These include Stony Run, Trexler Run, and an unnamed tributary known as "Trib 27584 To Little Catawissa Creek". Trexler Run flows through Roaring Creek Township, Columbia County and Union Township, Schuylkill County. Stony Run flows through Union Township, Schuylkill County. Stony Run joins Little Catawissa Creek upstream of its mouth. Its watershed has an area of . Trexler Run joins Little Catawissa Creek upstream of its mouth. Its watershed has an area of .

Hydrology

Little Catawissa Creek is infertile in its upper reaches, from its headwaters to T431, upstream of its mouth. The creek is infertile and slightly acidic from T431 to T435 ( upstream of the mouth to upstream of the mouth). When the waters of the creek flow into Catawissa Creek, they help offset some of the acidity of the latter creek, contributing to relatively high water quality downstream of the confluence. At above its mouth, the concentration of

alkalinity Alkalinity (from ar, القلوي, al-qaly, lit=ashes of the saltwort) is the capacity of water to resist acidification. It should not be confused with basicity, which is an absolute measurement on the pH scale. Alkalinity is the strength of ...

in Little Catawissa Creek is milligrams per liter. The pH of the creek at this location is 6.4. The creek at this location is infertile and acidic, with the potential to be affected by

acid precipitation Acid rain is rain or any other form of precipitation that is unusually acidic, meaning that it has elevated levels of hydrogen ions (low pH). Most water, including drinking water, has a neutral pH that exists between 6.5 and 8.5, but aci ...

. Between T431 and T435, the creek's concentration of alkalinity ranges from and its pH ranges from 6.8 to 7.0. The concentration of

water hardness Hard water is water that has high mineral content (in contrast with "soft water"). Hard water is formed when water percolates through deposits of limestone, chalk or gypsum, which are largely made up of calcium and magnesium carbonates, bicarbo ...

in the creek's waters upstream of its mouth is . upstream of its mouth, the water hardness is and upstream of its mouth it is . The water hardness of the creek's waters upstream of its mouth is . At 1:00 P.M. on June 26, 1997, the air temperature in the vicinity of Little Catawissa Creek upstream of its mouth was . The water temperature of the creek at this place and time was . At 12:40 P.M. on June 27, 1997, the air temperature near the creek was and the water temperature was . At upstream of the creek's mouth, the air temperature was and the water temperature was on June 27, 1997 at 11:00 A.M. At 11:10 A.M. on June 30, 1997, the air temperature of the creek upstream of its mouth was and the water temperature was . The

specific conductivity Specific may refer to: * Specificity (disambiguation) * Specific, a cure or therapy for a specific illness Law * Specific deterrence, focussed on an individual * Specific finding, intermediate verdict used by a jury in determining the fina ...

of the waters of Little Catawissa Creek is 80 micro-mhos upstream of its mouth. The specific conductivity of the creek's waters and upstream of its mouth is 86 and 76 micro-mhos respectively. The specific conductivity upstream of its mouth is 80 micro-mhos.

Geography and geology

Little Catawissa Creek from the Schuylkill County Bridge No

The elevation near the mouth of Little Catawissa 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 and above sea level. Little Catawissa Creek flows over rock of the

for its entire length. Most of the rest of the watershed is also on this

. However, other rock formations also occur in the watershed. A substantial area of the

can be found in the northwestern part of the watershed and large areas of rock of the

occupy portions of the southern and western parts of the watershed. Small areas of the Spechty Kopf Formation and the Buddys Run Member of 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 ...

are found in the northwestern part of the watershed. Little Catawissa Creek flows over Leck Kill soil for most of its length. However, its headwaters are on Hazleton soil. Additionally, the westernmost and southernmost parts of the watershed are on Hazleton soil, as is the northwestern part of the watershed. Little Catawissa Creek is flanked by areas prone to flooding between the point where it enters Schuylkill County and its mouth. The tributary Stony Run also flows through some areas prone to flooding and a few areas near Trexler Run are susceptible to flooding as well. Other small areas prone to flooding are scattered throughout the watershed of the creek. Between the headwaters of Little Catawissa Creek and T431, the width of the creek is wide. Between T431 and T435, the creek is wide and between T435 and the creek's mouth, its width is . The gradient of the creek upstream of T431 is . The gradient between T431 and T435 is and the gradient between T435 and the mouth of the creek is meters per kilometer. There is a flooded

strip mine Surface mining, including strip mining, open-pit mining and mountaintop removal mining, is a broad category of mining in which soil and rock overlying the mineral deposit (the overburden) are removed, in contrast to underground mining, in which ...

in the western part of the watershed of Little Catawissa Creek. The headwaters of the creek are on a mountain known as Big Mountain. The creek 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 ...

Watershed

The watershed of Little Catawissa Creek has an area of . Most of the watershed is in Union Township, Schuylkill County. However, substantial portions are in Conyngham Township, Columbia County and Columbia County. Smaller parts of the watershed are in southern North Union Township, Schuylkill County and western Ringtown, also in Schuylkill County. Major roads in the watershed of Little Catawissa Creek include Zion Grove Road, Little Mountain Road, and Aristes Road. Additionally,

Pennsylvania Route 42 Pennsylvania Route 42 (PA 42) is a state route located in central Pennsylvania. The southern terminus of the route is at PA 61 in Centralia. The northern terminus is at U.S. Route 220 (US 220) in Laporte. The route heads north through Columbia ...

traverses the western edge of the creek's watershed. Between its headwaters and T431, none of the creek's length is within of a road, but all of its length is within of a road. Between T431 and T435, 29 percent of the creek's length is within of a road, 66 percent is within and 81 percent is within . Between T435 and the creek's mouth, 21 percent of the creek's length is within of a road, 40 percent is within of one, and 66 percent is within of one. In 1990, the

population density Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopul ...

of the upper reaches of the watershed of Little Catawissa Creek was 30 people per square kilometer. The population density in the middle reaches of the creek's watershed was 40 people per square kilometer and the density in the lower reaches of the watershed was 31 people per square kilometer. The creek is completely closed to public access between T435 and its mouth. There are large areas of

agricultural Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating Plant, plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of Sedentism, sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of Domestication, domesticated species created food ...

land in the middle reaches of the watershed of Little Catawissa Creek, but most of the agricultural operations in the watershed are relatively small. The main areas of residential development in the watershed are the communities of Aristes and Ringtown. 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. ...

has issued four mining permits in the watershed of the creek. All of these permits are for mining on a ridge on the northern edge of the watershed. There are a number of other land uses in the creek's watershed. These include

private Private or privates may refer to: Music * " In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorde ...

forests and rural residences. Little Catawissa Creek is on 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, ...

quadrangles of Ashland, Shenandoah, and Nuremberg. It is managed by the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission between T431, upstream of the mouth and T435, upstream of the mouth. A

reservoir A reservoir (; from French ''réservoir'' ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam. Such a dam may be either artificial, built to store fresh water or it may be a natural formation. Reservoirs can be created in a number of ways, including contro ...

known as the Ringtown Reservoir is on an unnamed tributary of Little Catawissa Creek.

History and etymology

Little Catawissa Creek is named for the fact that it is smaller than Catawissa Creek. Little Catawissa Creek was historically stocked with

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 ...

from near the border between Columbia County and Schuylkill County downstream to the mouth of the creek. The creek was surveyed by the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission nine times between 1939 and 1985. The first survey was performed in 1936. This was the first time that the creek was recommended for trout stocking. The creek was also surveyed by the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission several times in the 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. A number of

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 have been built over Little Catawissa Creek. A steel

stringer bridge Beam bridges are the simplest structural forms for bridge spans supported by an abutment or pier at each end. No moments are transferred throughout the support, hence their structural type is known as '' simply supported''. The simplest beam ...

was built over the creek in 1914 and restored in 1939. This bridge is long. Another bridge was built over the creek in 1930. It is a

concrete arch An arch bridge is a bridge with abutments at each end shaped as a curved arch. Arch bridges work by transferring the weight of the bridge and its loads partially into a horizontal thrust restrained by the abutments at either side. A viaduct ( ...

bridge that is long. In 1961, a prestressed box beam bridge was built across the creek. This bridge is long. A concrete slab bridge was built over the creek in 1973 and a prestressed box beam bridge was built over it in 1990. These bridges are and long, respectively. John Mourey constructed a

sawmill A sawmill (saw mill, saw-mill) or lumber mill is a facility where logs are cut into lumber. Modern sawmills use a motorized saw to cut logs lengthwise to make long pieces, and crosswise to length depending on standard or custom sizes (dimensi ...

and

gristmill A gristmill (also: grist mill, corn mill, flour mill, feed mill or feedmill) grinds cereal grain into flour and Wheat middlings, middlings. The term can refer to either the Mill (grinding), grinding mechanism or the building that holds it. Grist i ...

on Little Catawissa Creek west of Ringtown in 1853. Little Catawissa Creek was used as an emergency water supply in the early 1900s.

Biology

Little Catawissa Creek is considered by the

to be a High-Quality Coldwater Fishery between its headwaters and Reservoir Road. Between Reservoir Road and the mouth of the creek, it is considered to be a Coldwater Fishery. The upper reaches of the creek, between its headwaters and a point slightly downstream of where it enters Schuylkill County are considered by the

to be Class A Wild Trout Waters and the rest of the creek's length is considered to be Approved Trout Waters. The upper reaches of the creek were Class A Wild Trout Waters in 1976 before becoming Class D Wild Trout Waters in 1984. This change was due to

acid mine drainage Acid mine drainage, acid and metalliferous drainage (AMD), or acid rock drainage (ARD) is the outflow of acidic water from metal mines or coal mines. Acid rock drainage occurs naturally within some environments as part of the rock weathering ...

and

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 ...

buildup. However, the creek rebounded to Class A Wild Trout Waters by 1997. The creek is considered to be Class D Wild Trout Waters between T431 and T435. The tributary Trexler Run is also considered to be Class A Wild Trout Waters throughout its length. Wild

brook trout The brook trout (''Salvelinus fontinalis'') is a species of freshwater fish in the char genus ''Salvelinus'' of the salmon family Salmonidae. It is native to Eastern North America in the United States and Canada, but has been introduced elsewhere ...

naturally reproduce in Little Catawissa Creek. However, introducing

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 ...

into the creek is forbidden, although they were historically stocked there by the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission.

River chub The river chub (''Nocomis micropogon'') is a minnow in the family Cyprinidae. It is one of the most common fishes in North American streams. Appearance and anatomy The river chub is a robust minnow, dark olivaceous above to dusky yellow below, ...

s were historically present in the creek, but have disappeared. The reason for this disappearance is unknown. Between the headwaters of Little Catawissa Creek and upstream of its mouth, at T431, there are three species of fish:

creek chub ''Semotilus'' is the genus of creek chubs, ray-finned fish in the family Cyprinidae. The term "creek chub" is sometimes used for individual species, particularly the common creek chub, ''S. atromaculatus''. The creek chub species of minnows can ...

, and

eastern blacknose dace Eastern blacknose dace (''Rhinichthys atratulus'') is a species of ray-finned fish in the genus ''Rhinichthys''. Its name originates from the Old French word "dars" which is the nominative form of the word "dart" in reference to their swimming pat ...

White sucker The white sucker (''Catostomus commersonii)'' is a species of freshwater cypriniform fish inhabiting the upper Midwest and Northeast in North America, but it is also found as far south as Georgia and as far west as New Mexico. The fish is commonl ...

s were also observed in this part of the creek in 1976. There are twelve species of fish in the creek between T431 and T435, including

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

green sunfish The green sunfish (''Lepomis cyanellus'') is a species of freshwater fish in the sunfish family (Centrarchidae) of order Perciformes. A panfish popular with anglers, the green sunfish is also kept as an aquarium fish by hobbyists. They are us ...

. Additionally, numerous more have been historically observed in this stretch of the creek, but are not any more. Eight fish species, including brown trout, were observed on the creek between T435 and its mouth during a 1976 survey. The brown trout ranged from . The

biomass Biomass is plant-based material used as a fuel for heat or electricity production. It can be in the form of wood, wood residues, energy crops, agricultural residues, and waste from industry, farms, and households. Some people use the terms bi ...

of wild trout in Little Catawissa Creek upstream of T431 is . This includes of brook trout that are less than long and of brook trout that are more than long. The trout in this part of the creek range from . The biomass of wild trout in the creek between T431 and T405 is . kilograms per hectare come from brown trout (including from brown trout shorter than and from brown trout longer than 175 millimeters) and come from brook trout over long. The brown trout range from long and the brook trout range from long. Between the headwaters of Little Catawissa Creek and T431, there are 799 brook trout per square kilometer that are shorter than 175 millimeters and 23 per kilometer that are longer. There are 2997 brook trout per hectare that are less than 175 millimeters long and 88 that are more than 175 millimeters long. In the creek between T431 and T435, there is one brook trout per kilometer that is less than 175 millimeters long and one per kilometer that is more than 175 millimeters long. On the other hand, there are 197 brown trout per kilometer less than 175 millimeters long and 25 per kilometer that are more than 175 millimeters long. There is one brook trout per hectare that are less than 175 millimeters long and one that is more than 175 millimeters long. There are 230 brook trout per hectare that are less than 175 millimeters long and 31 that are more than 175 millimeters long. A 1997 report stated that Little Catawissa Creek was a poor site for angling. Little Catawissa Creek has a diverse population of aquatic

macroinvertebrate Invertebrates are a paraphyletic group of animals that neither possess nor develop a vertebral column (commonly known as a ''backbone'' or ''spine''), derived from the notochord. This is a grouping including all animals apart from the chordate s ...

References

External links

Map of the Catawissa Creek watershed
{{authority control Rivers of Columbia County, Pennsylvania Rivers of Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania Tributaries of Catawissa Creek Rivers of Pennsylvania