Turkey Run 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

West Branch Susquehanna River The West Branch Susquehanna River is one of the two principal branches, along with the North Branch, of the Susquehanna River in the Northeastern United States. The North Branch, which rises in upstate New York, is generally regarded as the exte ...

Lycoming County, Pennsylvania Lycoming County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 114,188. Its county seat is Williamsport. Lycoming County comprises the Williamsport metropolitan statistical area. About northwest ...

, in the United States. It is approximately long and flows through Clinton Township. The watershed of the stream has an area of . The stream is not designated as an impaired waterbody. It is a relatively small stream and is located near

State Correctional Institution – Muncy State Correctional Institution – Muncy is a Pennsylvania Department of Corrections prison for women in Clinton Township, Lycoming County, near Muncy. SCI Muncy, a close security prison,

. The stream's watershed is designated as a Warmwater Fishery and a Migratory Fishery.

Course

Turkey Run begins at the base of a large mountain in Clinton Township. It flows east for a few tenths of a mile before turning south and passing through 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 ...

. After a few tenths of a mile, the stream turns southeast for several tenths of a mile, passing through another small pond, crossing

Pennsylvania Route 405 Pennsylvania Route 405 (PA 405) is a state highway that runs in the north-central part of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. The southern terminus of PA 61 in Sunbury. The route heads across the Susquehanna River to Northumberland and ...

, and crossing

railroad Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...

tracks. It then turns south-southwest for several tenths of a mile before reaching its confluence with the West Branch Susquehanna River. Turkey Run joins the West Branch Susquehanna River upstream of its mouth.

Hydrology

Turkey Run is not designated as an impaired waterbody.

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 Turkey Run 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's

source Source may refer to: Research * Historical document * Historical source * Source (intelligence) or sub source, typically a confidential provider of non open-source intelligence * Source (journalism), a person, publication, publishing institute o ...

is above sea level. Turkey Run was described as a "small stream" in an 1892 book of Lycoming County history. The stream is in a region known as the Black Hole Valley, along with

Black Hole Creek Black Hole Creek is a tributary of the West Branch Susquehanna River near Montgomery, in Lycoming County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. It is approximately long. The stream contains trout. It also is subject to significant increases in tem ...

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 Turkey Run has an area of . The stream is entirely within 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, ...

quadrangle of Muncy. Its mouth is located within of Seagers. The designated use for Turkey Run is

aquatic life An aquatic ecosystem is an ecosystem formed by surrounding a body of water, in contrast to land-based terrestrial ecosystems. Aquatic ecosystems contain communities of organisms that are dependent on each other and on their environment. The two ...

. The stream is not far from Williamsport, but is on the opposite bank of the West Branch Susquehanna River. The State Correctional Institution Muncy is located near the headwaters of Turkey Run.

History

Turkey Run 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 1189947. Peter Smith had a farm on Turkey Run by 1778. His wife and children were killed in July 1778. In August of that year, a group of soldiers and militia were sent to the farm to protect people helping Smith harvest his crop. Turkey Run provided power to

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 ...

s and

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 ...

s in the early days of settlement in the stream's vicinity. A bridge carrying

crosses Turkey Run. In 2013, an $85,000 bridge replacement was planned for 2014 to 2016. Turkey Run Partners once applied for and/or received a

National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System The Clean Water Act (CWA) is the primary federal law in the United States governing water pollution. Its objective is to restore and maintain the chemical, physical, and biological integrity of the nation's waters; recognizing the responsibiliti ...

permit to discharge

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 ...

into the stream during construction activities.

Biology

The drainage basin of Turkey Run is designated as a Warmwater Fishery and a Migratory Fishery. In the 1970s, the stream was described as being "moderately depressed" downstream of the State Correctional Institute Muncy.

References

{{authority control Rivers of Lycoming County, Pennsylvania Tributaries of the West Branch Susquehanna River Rivers of Pennsylvania