Spring Run is a tributary of

Solomon Creek Solomon Creek is a tributary of the Susquehanna River in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. It is approximately long and flows through Fairview Township, Hanover Township, and Wilkes-Barre. The creek is affected by acid mine d ...

in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. It is approximately long and flows through Wilkes-Barre and Hanover Township. The watershed of the stream has an area of . The stream is considered to be impaired by abandoned mine drainage. It is designated as a Coldwater Fishery, but is devoid of fish life. However, it does have some macroinvertebrates. Coal was mined in the stream's watershed in the past. At least one bridge crosses the stream.

Course

Spring Run begins in Wilkes-Barre, near Pennsylvania Route 309 and nor far from the village of Georgetown. It flows west-southwest for a short distance before turning northwest and then west-southwest again. After a few tenths of a mile, the stream turns southwest for a few tenths of a mile and then turns west. After several tenths of a mile, it turns west-southwest, exiting Wilkes-Barre and entering Hanover Township. The stream then turns south for several hundred feet before turning west and reaching its confluence with Solomon Creek. Spring Run joins Solomon Creek upstream of its mouth.

Tributaries

Spring Run has no named tributaries. However, it does have an unnamed tributary which joins Spring Run at the corner of Blackman Street and New Frederick Street. It also has a tributary known locally as Sulfur Run.

Hydrology

The entire length of Spring Run is considered by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection to be impaired. The source of the impairment is abandoned mine drainage and the cause is metals and siltation. The abandoned mine drainage in the watershed has caused the stream to have a low pH and high levels of

suspended solids Suspended solids refers to small solid particles which remain in suspension in water as a colloid or due to motion of the water. Suspended solids can be removed by sedimentation if their size or density is comparatively large, or by filtration. It ...

. The concentration of iron in the waters of Spring Run is 3.30 milligrams per liter and the daily load is . It requires an 87 percent reduction to meet the stream's total maximum daily load requirements. The concentration of manganese in the stream is 0.36 milligrams per liter and the load is . It requires an 11 percent reduction to meet the stream's total maximum daily load requirements. The aluminum concentration is 0.69 milligrams per liter and the daily load is per day. It requires an 85 percent reduction to meet the stream's total maximum daily load requirements. The concentration of alkalinity in the waters of Spring Run is 97.5 milligrams per liter. The daily load of it is per day. The pH of the stream ranges from 6.5 to 6.7. The

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 Spring Run is 4.66 million gallons per day. However, it is an intermittent stream, only flowing during storm flows or rainfall. The watershed is mostly dry because the stream loses its flow to mine voids and permeable stream channels. The peak annual discharge of the stream has a 10 percent chance of reaching 540 cubic feet per second and a 2 percent chance of reaching 1025 cubic feet per second. It has a 1 percent chance of reaching 1325 cubic feet per second and a 0.2 percent chance of reaching 2200 cubic feet per second. The Solomon Creek Coldwater Conservation Plan described Spring Run as "one of the most degraded tributaries assessed in the Solomon Creek watershed".

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 Spring Run is above sea level. The elevation of the stream's source is between above sea level. In the total maximum daily load document for Solomon Creek, Spring Run is described as being a small stream. It loses most of its water to underground mine pools. Both

surface 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 ...

s and deep mines occur in the watershed of Spring Run. Abandoned mining lands are present in the watershed. A

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 ...

known as Prospect Rock is located near the uppermost reaches of the watershed of Spring Run at an elevation of above sea level and above the Susquehanna River. It is approximately southeast of Public Square in Wilkes-Barre. Prospect Rock is a small and irregularly-shaped rock ledge made of very light grayish

conglomerate Conglomerate or conglomeration may refer to: * Conglomerate (company) * Conglomerate (geology) * Conglomerate (mathematics) In popular culture: * The Conglomerate (American group), a production crew and musical group founded by Busta Rhymes ** Co ...

. Nearly all of the Wyoming Valley can be seen from the rock.

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 Spring Run has an area of . The mouth of the stream is in the United States Geological Survey quadrangle of Wilkes-Barre West. However, its source is in the quadrangle of Wilkes-Barre East. There are a total of of streams in the watershed. Most of the watershed of Spring Run drains the northwestern part of Wilkes-Barre Mountain as well as the communities of Georgetown, Laurel Run, and Wilkes-Barre Township. The stream is one source of flooding in Hanover Township. Pennsylvania Route 309 and Interstate 81 pass through the watershed of Spring Run in an east-to-west direction. A tract of Pinchot State Forest is in the stream's watershed. Spring Run and its watershed are situated in the northeastern part of the watershed of Solomon Creek. The stream's watershed is located immediately to the north of that of Pine Creek, another tributary of Solomon Creek.

History

Spring Run was entered into the Geographic Names Information System on August 2, 1979. Its identifier in the Geographic Names Information System is 1188273.

Coal mining Coal mining is the process of extracting coal from the ground. Coal is valued for its energy content and since the 1880s has been widely used to generate electricity. Steel and cement industries use coal as a fuel for extraction of iron from ...

has been done in the watershed of Spring Run. The Empire Silk Mill also once operated in the stream's watershed. It is the last standing mill in Wilkes-Barre. A prestressed box beam bridge carrying South Empire Street over Spring Run was constructed in 1972. It is long. A concrete

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 ...

bridge carrying McLean Street over the stream was constructed in 1991. It is long.

Biology

Spring Run is considered to be a Coldwater Fishery. However, no trout inhabit the stream. Twenty percent of the macroinvertebrate taxa inhabiting Spring Run are of the orders '' Ephemeroptera'', ''

Plecoptera Plecoptera is an order of insects, commonly known as stoneflies. Some 3,500 species are described worldwide, with new species still being discovered. Stoneflies are found worldwide, except Antarctica. Stoneflies are believed to be one of the mo ...

'', and '' Trichoptera''. None of the taxa are mayflies.

References

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