Middle Branch Chillisquaque Creek is a tributary of

Chillisquaque Creek Chillisquaque Creek is a tributary of the West Branch Susquehanna River in Montour County and Northumberland County, in Pennsylvania, in the United States. It is approximately long and flows through Derry Township, Washingtonville, and Libert ...

in Columbia County and

Montour County Montour County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It is located in Northeastern Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 18,136. Its county seat is Danville. The county is named for Andrew Montour, a prominent Mét ...

, 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 Madison Township in Columbia County and Anthony and Derry Townships in Montour County. The creek's watershed has an area of . There are of streams in the watershed. Lake Chillisquaque is also in the creek. There are 122 features classified as "disturbances" on Middle Branch Chillisquaque Creek. Two bridges more than long cross the creek.

Course

Middle Branch Chillisquaque Creek in July 2015

Middle Branch Chillisquaque Creek begins in a valley in western Madison Township, Columbia County. It flows southwest through the valley into Anthony Township, Montour County, where it flows southwest for a few miles before leaving the valley and crossing

Pennsylvania Route 44 Pennsylvania Route 44 (PA 44) is a -long state highway in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. The route, which is signed north-south, is designated from Interstate 80 (I-80) and PA 42 in Buckhorn northwest to the New York state line near New York S ...

. The creek then turns south and flows through

Lake Chillisquaque Lake Chillisquaque (also known as Montour Lake) is a lake and reservoir in Montour County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. It has a surface area of 165 acres. The lake is situated on Middle Branch Chillisquaque Creek, which it is named after. ...

. South of the lake, the creek flows through a flat area for some distance. It then exits Anthony Township and enters Derry Township, Montour County. In Derry Township, the creek almost immediately meets East Branch Chillisquaque Creek to form Chillisquaque Creek. Middle Branch Chillisquaque Creek joins Chillisquaque Creek upstream of its mouth.

Hydrology

Middle Branch Chillisquaque Creek is ranked 6th in priority on the 305B Stream Listings in the watershed of Chillisquaque Creek. It experiences

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 ...

and has been subjected to hydromodifcation and flow alterations. The water temperature of Middle Branch Chillisquaque Creek ranges from approximately . 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 Middle Branch Chillisquaque Creek ranges from under 10 to over 70 milligrams per liter. The concentrations of

nitrate Nitrate is a polyatomic ion A polyatomic ion, also known as a molecular ion, is a covalent bonded set of two or more atoms, or of a metal complex, that can be considered to behave as a single unit and that has a net charge that is not zer ...

s and

phosphate In chemistry, a phosphate is an anion, salt, functional group or ester derived from a phosphoric acid. It most commonly means orthophosphate, a derivative of orthophosphoric acid . The phosphate or orthophosphate ion is derived from phospho ...

s are both high.

Geology and geography

The depth of Middle Branch Chillisquaque Creek near Pennsylvania Route 44 typically ranges between a few inches and a foot (30 centimeters), but is occasionally over . There are 122 features classified as "disturbances" on Middle Branch Chillisquaque Creek. 96 of these (78.7 percent) 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, 45 of which are on the creek's

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 ...

and 51 of which are on the creek'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 ...

. 14 of the "disturbances" are

gravel bar A bar in a river is an elevated region of sediment (such as sand or gravel) that has been deposited by the flow. Types of bars include mid-channel bars (also called braid bars and common in braided rivers), point bars (common in meandering ...

s, 7 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, 3 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. ...

, and 2 are pipes. There are nearly 30

stream 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 ...

s on East Branch Chillisquaque Creek that area between and long. Slightly more than 20 are less than high, 5 are high, and approximately two are over high. There are slightly over 30 banks on the creek that are long. Between 15 and 20 are under high, slightly more than 10 are high, and approximately three are over high. The creek has 25 banks that are long. Of these, there are approximately equal numbers of banks less than high and high and none higher than . There are several stream banks on East Branch Chillisquaque Creek that are between and . Five are less than high and two are over hingh. The creek also has several banks over long, all of which are less than high. The

streambed A stream bed or streambed is the bottom of a stream or river (bathymetry) or the physical confine of the normal water flow (channel). The lateral confines or channel margins are known as the stream banks or river banks, during all but flood st ...

of Middle Branch Chillisquaque Creek is publicly owned. The elevation of the creek 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 ...

. Near its source, the creek's elevation is between and .

Watershed

The watershed of Middle Branch Chillisquaque Creek has an area of . There are of streams in the watershed of Middle Branch Chillisquaque Creek. , or 89.6 percent, are classified as "not attaining".

is 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 ...

located on Middle Branch Chillisquaque Creek and is the largest lake in Montour County. It has an area of 165 acres. The lake is

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 ...

med by an

earth-fill dam An embankment dam is a large artificial dam. It is typically created by the placement and compaction of a complex semi-plastic mound of various compositions of soil or rock. It has a semi-pervious waterproof natural covering for its surface and ...

that is long and high. Middle Branch Chillisqauque Creek is the most significant tributary of Lake Chillisqauque.

History, recreation, and etymology

Lake Chillisquaque was created on Middle Branch Chillisquaque Creek in 1972. Its original purpose was as a supply of cooling water for a nearby

power plant A power station, also referred to as a power plant and sometimes generating station or generating plant, is an industrial facility for the generation of electric power. Power stations are generally connected to an electrical grid. Many pow ...

. Two bridges more than long cross the creek. One was built in 1923 and is long and the other was built in 1932 and is long. Both bridges are made of

concrete Concrete is a composite material composed of fine and coarse aggregate bonded together with a fluid cement (cement paste) that hardens (cures) over time. Concrete is the second-most-used substance in the world after water, and is the most wi ...

. The Chillisquagi Trail in the Montour Preserve crosses Middle Branch Chillisquaque Creek. The word ''chillisquaque'' in Middle Branch Chillisquaque Creek's name comes from either the Native American word ''chilisuagi'', which refers to a place commonly visited by

snowbirds The Snowbirds, officially known as 431 Air Demonstration Squadron (french: 431e Escadron de démonstration aérienne, links=no), are the military aerobatics flight demonstration team of the Royal Canadian Air Force. The team is based at 15 Wing ...

(specifically, a "place frequented by snowbirds") or the Native American word for "frozen duck".

Biology

Lake Chillisquaque is stocked 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 ...

. Middle Branch Chillisquaque Creek is designated as a warmwater fishery.

References

{{authority control Rivers of Columbia County, Pennsylvania Rivers of Montour County, Pennsylvania Tributaries of Chillisquaque Creek Rivers of Pennsylvania