West Branch Mahantango Creek is a tributary of Mahantango Creek in

Snyder County Snyder County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 39,736. The county seat is Middleburg. Snyder County was formed in 1855 from parts of Union County. Snyder County comprises the Selins ...

and

Juniata County Juniata County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 23,509. Its county seat is Mifflintown. The county was created on March 2, 1831, from part of Mifflin County and named for the Juniata Riv ...

, in Pennsylvania, in the United States. It is approximately in length. The creek starts on Shade Mountain in Snyder County. It ends at its confluence with Mahantango Creek. Most of the land in the watershed is devoted to forest or agriculture. Trout and minnows have been observed in the creek, which is stocked with trout. A covered bridge was built over it in 1908.

Course

West Branch Mahantango Creek starts in the Allen Gap on

Shade Mountain Shade, Shades or Shading may refer to: * Shade (color), a mixture of a color with black (often generalized as any variety of a color) * Shade (shadow), the blocking of sunlight * Shades or sunglasses * Shading, a process used in art and graphic d ...

Bald Eagle State Forest Bald Eagle State Forest is a Pennsylvania state forest in Pennsylvania Bureau of Forestry District #7. The main office is located in Laurelton in Union County, Pennsylvania. The forest is found in Centre, Clinton, Mifflin, Snyder, and Union ...

. The source is located in West Perry Township, Snyder County. The creek flows southeast down the mountain to the Snyder County/Juniata County line. From here, the creek turns eastward and follows the county line, as well as roughly following

Pennsylvania Route 35 Pennsylvania Route 35 (PA 35) is a state highway located in central Pennsylvania. The southern terminus of the route is at U.S. Route 522 (US 522) near Shade Gap. The northern terminus is at US 11/US 15 in Selinsgrove. Route de ...

. After about , the creek turns southward, following the county line, but no longer paralleling Pennsylvania Route 35. It passes by Forrey Ridge before turning eastward again after about one mile. After several miles, the creek meanders past the Pennsylvania State Game Lands Number 194. At this point, the stream, along with North Branch Mahantango Creek, flows into Mahantango Creek. Mahantango Creek continues approximately two miles eastward before flowing into the

Susquehanna River The Susquehanna River (; Lenape: Siskëwahane) is a major river located in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, overlapping between the lower Northeast and the Upland South. At long, it is the longest river on the East Coast of the ...

Watershed and tributaries

West Branch Mahantango Creek is entirely located in West Perry Township, Snyder County, and Monroe Township, Juniata County. The creek and all its tributaries make up a total of 19.98 stream miles. The upper part of the watershed is considered "impaired" by the state of Pennsylvania. The impaired section of the watershed occupies 9.83 square miles. Out of the impaired upper portion of the West Branch Mahantango Creek watershed, 66% of the land is forest, 28% is devoted to agriculture, and 6% has other uses. In the impaired area of the watershed, hay and pastureland make up 741 acres. Cropland takes up 1018 acres and the forest takes up 4154 acres. Wetland occupies 32 acres and low-intensity development occupies 336 acres. There are 5 acres of land in transition and 5 acres of high-intensity development. Several of the tributaries of West Branch Mahantango Creek have sources on Shade Mountain.

Hydrology

A total of of sediment flow through West Branch Mahantango Creek every day. This equates to a load of of sediment per year. The average annual rainfall in the West Branch Mahantango Creek watershed between 1992 and 2011 was . The average annual runoff was . Snyder County considers it possible that small amounts of flooding can cause damage to structures located along the creek.

Geography

West Branch Mahantango Creek is located at an elevation of above sea level. Downstream of Richfield, West Branch Mahantango Creek is to wide.

History

The 69-foot (21-meter) long Oriental Bridge was built over West Branch Mahantango Creek in 1908 and was renovated in 1987. It is open to traffic. A dam called the Meiser's Mill Dam was once built along the creek, but it was destroyed.

Biology

The waters of West Branch Mahantango Creek are approved trout waters. Minnows also live in the creek. Dozens of vernal pools are located near one area of the creek in Monroe Township. These vernal pools are located at the bottom of a wooded ridge. Two of the pools are home to the plant '' Leucothoe racemosa''. The Richfield Marsh is also located on West Branch Mahantango Creek. The plant '' Schoenoplectus acutus'', which is endangered in Pennsylvania, was found in the Richfield Marsh in 1987. This marsh is one to two acres in size. It is also home to speckled alder and poison sumac. Smallmouth bass have been known to live in the creek. The creek has been stocked with

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

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 ...

References

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