Winfield Creek (also known as Dry 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 ...

Union County, Pennsylvania Union County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 42,681. Its county seat is Lewisburg. The county was created on March 22, 1813, from part of Northumberland County. Its name is an allusio ...

, in the United States. It is approximately long and flows through Union Township. The watershed of the creek has an area of . The creek is designated as an impaired stream, with the causes being habitat alteration and sedimentation/siltation. The creek is designated as a Warmwater Fishery and a Migratory Fishery, but is not a trout fishery.

Course

Winfield Creek begins in a valley on a ridge in Union Township. It flows southwest for a short distance before turning south and entering a much broader valley. The creek then turns south-southeast for a few tenths of a mile, crossing Pennsylvania Route 304 before turning east-northeast. It flows in this direction through the valley for several miles, running alongside Pennsylvania Route 304 and entering the

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counterparts of incorporated places, such ...

of Winfield. However, the creek eventually turns northeast and crosses

US Route 15 U.S. Route 15 (US 15) is a -long United States highway, designated along South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and New York. The route is signed north–south, from U.S. Route 17 Alternate in Walterboro, South Car ...

before turning east. A short distance further downstream, it reaches its confluence with the West Branch Susquehanna River. Winfield Creek joins the West Branch Susquehanna River upriver of its mouth, making it the final named tributary of the river.

Tributaries

Winfield Creek has no named tributaries. However, it does have four unnamed tributaries. Three join the creek on its right bank and one joins it on its

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 ...

Hydrology

Winfield Creek is designated as an impaired stream. The causes of the impairment are habitat alteration and

sedimentation Sedimentation is the deposition of sediments. It takes place when particles in suspension settle out of the fluid in which they are entrained and come to rest against a barrier. This is due to their motion through the fluid in response to the ...

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 ...

. The probably sources of the impairment are channelization and crop-related agriculture.

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 Winfield 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 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 between above sea level. Winfield Creek joins the West Branch Susquehanna River on its

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 ...

. Winfield Creek is a very small stream and flows through a

limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...

valley. The creek flows through a narrow valley, which is bordered by

Shamokin Mountain Shamokin may refer to the following: Geographical locations * Shamokin, Pennsylvania, a city in Northumberland County * Shamokin Dam, Pennsylvania, a borough in Snyder County * Shamokin Township, Northumberland County, Pennsylvania * Shamokin (vill ...

on the north and highlands on the south.

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 Winfield Creek has an area of . The mouth of the creek is in 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 Northumberland. However, its source is in the quadrangle of Lewisburg.

History

Winfield Creek 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 1191593. The creek has also been known as Dry Run. In 1774, John Lee, a major in Pennsylvania's militia, received a patent from John and Thomas Penn for a tract of land known as "Lees Adventure", which was located near Winfield Creek. John Aurandt also historically owned land in the creek's vicinity. The Winfield Creek massacre occurred in 1782. A concrete

tee beam A T-beam (or tee beam), used in construction, is a load-bearing structure of reinforced concrete, wood or metal, with a -shaped cross section. The top of the -shaped cross section serves as a flange or compression member in resisting compressiv ...

bridge carrying US Route 15 over Winfield Creek was constructed in 1930 and repaired in 1962. It is long and is situated in Winfield. A two-span 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 State Route 2009 over the creek was built in 1991. It is long and is also in Winfield.

Biology

The drainage basin of Winfield Creek is designated as a Warmwater Fishery and a Migratory Fishery. The creek is not a

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 ...

fishery. A. Joseph Armstrong described the creek as "not worth further investigation" in his book ''Trout Unlimited's Guide to Pennsylvania Limestone Streams''.

References

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