Zerbe Run (also known as Zerbe Creek) 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 ...

Mahanoy Creek Mahanoy Creek is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed August 8, 2011 tributary of the Susquehanna River in Northumberland and Schuylkill counties, Pennsylvania. There are ...

Northumberland County, Pennsylvania Northumberland County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It is part of Northeastern Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 91,647. Its county seat is Sunbury. The county was formed in 1772 from parts of Lancas ...

, in the United States. It is approximately long and flows through Coal Township, Zerbe Township, and Little Mahanoy Township. 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 the stream has an area of . Part of the stream is impaired by

abandoned mine drainage Abandoned mine drainage (also known as AMD) is a form of water pollution involving water that has been polluted by contact with mines, typically coal mines. Although it is sometimes called "acid mine drainage", not all abandoned mine drainage i ...

, but its upper reaches are not impacted by mining. Several mine drainage discharges occur within the watershed. The stream is not far from the

Western Middle Anthracite Field The Western Middle Anthracite Field is a large basin containing veins of anthracite coal in Pennsylvania. The region is in the Appalachian Mountains and is the third-largest anthracite field in the anthracite region in Eastern Pennsylvania behind ...

. Zerbe Run is one of the major tributaries of Mahanoy Creek. Its watershed makes up 8.1 percent of the Mahanoy Creek drainage basin. A number of bridges have been constructed over the stream. Its watershed is designated as a Coldwater Fishery and a Migratory Fishery, but there are no fish in the stream. However, the Zerbe Run Rod And Gun Club Pond is stocked with trout and numerous

macroinvertebrate Invertebrates are a paraphyletic group of animals that neither possess nor develop a vertebral column (commonly known as a ''backbone'' or ''spine''), derived from the notochord. This is a grouping including all animals apart from the chordate s ...

taxa inhabit the stream. An area in its upper reaches is on the Northumberland County Natural Areas Inventory.

Course

Zerbe Run begins in a valley between two deep and broad ridges (Big Mountain and Little Mountain), in Coal Township. It flows west-southwest for a few tenths of a mile, entering Zerbe Township and 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 Trevorton. The stream continues flowing west-southwest through Zerbe Township and Trevorton for a few miles, eventually passing through a pond and crossing

Pennsylvania Route 890 Pennsylvania Route 890 (PA 890) is an state highway located in Northumberland County, Pennsylvania. The southern terminus is at PA 225 in Zerbe Township. The northern terminus is at PA 61 in Upper Augusta Township. The route runs through ru ...

. It then turns west-northwest for a few tenths of a mile, receiving an unnamed tributary from the

left Left may refer to: Music * ''Left'' (Hope of the States album), 2006 * ''Left'' (Monkey House album), 2016 * "Left", a song by Nickelback from the album ''Curb'', 1996 Direction * Left (direction), the relative direction opposite of right * L ...

before turning west-southwest, crossing

Pennsylvania Route 225 Pennsylvania Route 225 (PA 225) is a state highway located in Dauphin and Northumberland Counties in Pennsylvania. The southern terminus is at an interchange with U.S. Route 22 (US 22)/US 322 in Dauphin. The northern terminus is at PA 61 in S ...

, which it continues to flow alongside for several miles. After several tenths of a mile, the stream receives another unnamed tributary from the left and continues flowing west-southwest for several tenths of a mile. It then exits Trevorton and Zerbe Township and enters Little Mahanoy Township. Here, the stream turns southwest for more than a mile, receiving two more unnamed tributaries from the left as its valley broadens. It eventually reaches its confluence with Mahanoy Creek. Zerbe Run joins Mahanoy Creek upstream of its mouth.

Tributaries

Zerbe Run has no named tributaries. However, it does have four unnamed tributaries, of which the uppermost is by far the longest.

Hydrology

Some stream reaches in the watershed of Zerbe Run are designated as impaired waterbodies, but others are not.

Abandoned mine drainage Abandoned mine drainage (also known as AMD) is a form of water pollution involving water that has been polluted by contact with mines, typically coal mines. Although it is sometimes called "acid mine drainage", not all abandoned mine drainage i ...

is the source of impairment of impaired streams in the watershed. The stream's watershed has four abandoned mine drainage sites: the North Franklin Mine drift and Borehole, the North Franklin Mine seepage, the North Franklin Mine bank seepage, and the North Franklin Mine Sunshine Mine overflow. Passive treatment wetlands may be suitable for treating the North Franklin Mine drift and Borehole discharge. There are also large

silt Silt is granular material of a size between sand and clay and composed mostly of broken grains of quartz. Silt may occur as a soil (often mixed with sand or clay) or as sediment mixed in suspension with water. Silt usually has a floury feel when ...

piles along the stream near Trevorton. The effect that the abandoned mine drainage discharges have on the

water quality Water quality refers to the chemical, physical, and biological characteristics of water based on the standards of its usage. It is most frequently used by reference to a set of standards against which compliance, generally achieved through tr ...

of the stream depends on how much unimpacted water is flowing from the stream's upper reaches. In 2001, Zerbe Run was found to be acidic during low base-flow conditions, but was nearly neutral during high base-flow conditions. In March 2001 and August 2001, 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 the stream was , respectively, while further downstream, the discharges were , respectively. In March and August 2001, the net

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 ...

of the stream near Trevorton was , while the net alkalinity further downstream was . In March and August 2001, the net pH of the stream near Trevorton was 7.0 to 7.2, while the net alkalinity further downstream was 4.3 to 6.0. In March 2001, the concentration of

aluminum Aluminium (aluminum in American and Canadian English) is a chemical element with the symbol Al and atomic number 13. Aluminium has a density lower than those of other common metals, at approximately one third that of steel. It has ...

in Zerbe Run near Trevorton was , while in August 2001, it was . downstream, the concentration was in March 2001 and in August 2001. The

manganese Manganese is a chemical element with the symbol Mn and atomic number 25. It is a hard, brittle, silvery metal, often found in minerals in combination with iron. Manganese is a transition metal with a multifaceted array of industrial alloy use ...

concentration of the stream near Trevorton was in March and August 2001, respectively. The manganese concentration further downstream was in March and August 2001, respectively. The concentration of

dissolved oxygen Oxygen saturation (symbol SO2) is a relative measure of the concentration of oxygen that is dissolved or carried in a given medium as a proportion of the maximal concentration that can be dissolved in that medium at the given temperature. It ca ...

in the stream near Trevorton was in March and August 2001, while further downstream, it was . In March 2001, the

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 ...

concentration in Zerbe Run near Trevorton was in March and August 2001, while the concentrations were . The

phosphorus Phosphorus is a chemical element with the symbol P and atomic number 15. Elemental phosphorus exists in two major forms, white phosphorus and red phosphorus, but because it is highly reactive, phosphorus is never found as a free element on Ear ...

concentration near Trevorton was both times, but further downstream, it was in March and in August. The

sulfate The sulfate or sulphate ion is a polyatomic anion with the empirical formula . Salts, acid derivatives, and peroxides of sulfate are widely used in industry. Sulfates occur widely in everyday life. Sulfates are salts of sulfuric acid and many ar ...

concentration in March was near Trevorton and further downstream, while it was near Trevorton in August and further downstream. In the early 1900s, the

channel Channel, channels, channeling, etc., may refer to: Geography * Channel (geography), in physical geography, a landform consisting of the outline (banks) of the path of a narrow body of water. Australia * Channel Country, region of outback Austral ...

of Zerbe Run was colored yellow by

sulfur Sulfur (or sulphur in British English) is a chemical element with the symbol S and atomic number 16. It is abundant, multivalent and nonmetallic. Under normal conditions, sulfur atoms form cyclic octatomic molecules with a chemical formula ...

pollution. A 1909 report by the Commissioner of Health of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania stated that "there will be no harm to public health by the discharge of

sewage Sewage (or domestic sewage, domestic wastewater, municipal wastewater) is a type of wastewater that is produced by a community of people. It is typically transported through a sewer system. Sewage consists of wastewater discharged from residenc ...

into Zerbe Run at Trevorton".

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 Zerbe 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. A thick

coal Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock, formed as rock strata called coal seams. Coal is mostly carbon with variable amounts of other elements, chiefly hydrogen, sulfur, oxygen, and nitrogen. Coal is formed when dea ...

vein was discovered on Zerbe Run once. The valley of Zerbe Run is situated between Big Mountain on the north and Little Mountain on the south. The stream's valley is approximately wide and contains the community of Trevorton. In the early 1900s, Zerbe Run was wide and deep at its mouth. Its flow rate was about . During this time period, there were culm banks in the vicinity of the stream at Trevorton. There was also a stone

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 ...

with a height of on the stream. The headwaters of the stream are located in springs east of Trevorton. The upper reaches of the stream's watershed are not impacted by mining. A mine drainage discharge south of Trevorton empties into the stream, causing it to be significantly polluted from Trevorton downstream to its mouth. Zerbe Run is located just outside the

. The dried

sediment Sediment is a naturally occurring material that is broken down by processes of weathering and erosion, and is subsequently transported by the action of wind, water, or ice or by the force of gravity acting on the particles. For example, sand an ...

of the stream near Trevorton is dark brown on the

Munsell color system In colorimetry, the Munsell color system is a color space that specifies colors based on three properties of color: hue (basic color), chroma (color intensity), and value ( lightness). It was created by Professor Albert H. Munsell in the first ...

. Further downstream, the sediment is strong brown on the Munsell color system.

Watershed

The

of Zerbe Run has an area of . The mouth of the stream 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 Sunbury. However, its source is in the quadrangle of Shamokin. The stream also passes through the quadrangle of Trevorton. The mouth of the stream is located within of Hunter. Zerbe Run is one of major streams in the watershed of Mahanoy Creek. Its watershed occupies a total of 8.3% of the Mahanoy Creek drainage basin. Most of the abandoned mine land in the watershed occurs to the south of the stream. A number of swamps/marshes and lakes/ponds occur in the watershed, as does a reservoir. Areas along Zerbe Run can be significantly impacted by

flood A flood is an overflow of water ( or rarely other fluids) that submerges land that is usually dry. In the sense of "flowing water", the word may also be applied to the inflow of the tide. Floods are an area of study of the discipline hydrol ...

ing. There are two

groundwater Groundwater is the water present beneath Earth's surface in rock and soil pore spaces and in the fractures of rock formations. About 30 percent of all readily available freshwater in the world is groundwater. A unit of rock or an unconsolidate ...

withdrawals in the stream's watershed.

History and recreation

Zerbe 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 1191948. The stream is also known as Zerbe Creek. It was mistakenly referred to as "Zerbe Creek" in a 1965 United States Geological Survey map. Despite this,

civil engineer A civil engineer is a person who practices civil engineering – the application of planning, designing, constructing, maintaining, and operating infrastructure while protecting the public and environmental health, as well as improving existing ...

Stephen P Pousardien found in 1969 that all other references referred to the stream as "Zerbe Run", and that locals called the stream "Zerbe Run" as well. The stream was also once known as Little Mahanoy Creek, although there is another tributary of Mahanoy Creek called

Little Mahanoy Creek Little Mahanoy Creek is a tributary of Mahanoy Creek in Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania. It starts in the borough of Frackville and joins Mahanoy Creek in the borough of Gordon, Pennsylvania, Gordon. Its one named tributary is Rattling Run. The c ...

. There were historically mining operations on Zerbe Run at Trevorton. A steel stringer/multi-beam or girder bridge carrying 8th Street over Zerbe Run in Trevorton was built in 1904 and repaired in 1997 and has a length of . 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

across the stream was built in Trevorton in 1934 and is long. A steel stringer/multi-beam or girder bridge carrying State Route 3004 was built over the stream in Raker in 1950 and was repaired in 2010; the bridge 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 T-409 over Zerbe Run southwest of Trevorton was built in 1996 and is long. Part of Pennsylvania State Game Lands Number 165 is in the northeastern corner of the watershed of Zerbe Run.

Biology

The drainage basin of Zerbe Run is designated as a Coldwater Fishery and a Migratory Fishery. In 2001,

s were observed in the stream at Trevorton and near Dornsife, but no

fish Fish are aquatic, craniate, gill-bearing animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish as well as various extinct related groups. Approximately 95% of li ...

were observed. The stream has the potential to be stocked with

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 ...

. A lake known as the Zerbe Run Rod And Gun Club Pond is located in the stream's watershed and is stocked with trout. In 2001, the

taxa ''

Hydropsychidae The Hydropsychidae are a family-level taxon consisting of net-spinning caddisflies. Hydropsychids are common among much of the world's streams, and a few species occupy the shorelines of freshwater lakes. Larvae of the hydropsychids construct ...

'' and ''

Philopotamidae Philopotamidae is a family of insects in the order Trichoptera, the caddisflies. They are known commonly as the finger-net caddisflies.Leuctridae The Leuctridae are a family of stoneflies. They are known commonly as rolled-winged stoneflies

'', ''

Perlidae The Perlidae are a family of stoneflies, with more than 50 genera and 1,100 described species. The majority of the Perlidae are found in eastern North America, but they occur worldwide except for Antarctica and parts of Africa. Their lifecycle ...

'', ''

Elmidae Elmidae, commonly known as riffle beetles, is a family (biology), family of beetles in the superfamily Byrrhoidea described by John Curtis (entomologist), John Curtis in 1830. Both adults and larvae are usually aquatic, living under rocks in fas ...

'', and '' Crydalidae'' were "common" (10 to 24 individuals). The taxa ''

Cambaridae The Cambaridae are the largest of the four families of freshwater crayfish, with over 400 Species. Most of the species in the family are native the United States east of the Great Divide and Mexico, but fewer range north to Canada, and south to ...

'', ''

Chironomidae The Chironomidae (informally known as chironomids, nonbiting midges, or lake flies) comprise a family of nematoceran flies with a global distribution. They are closely related to the Ceratopogonidae, Simuliidae, and Thaumaleidae. Many species ...

'' (red), ''Chironomidae'' (other), and ''

Aeshnidae The Aeshnidae, also called aeshnids, hawkers, or darners, is a family of dragonflies. The family includes the largest dragonflies found in North America and Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its o ...

'' were "present" (3 to 9 individuals). The taxa ''

Tipulidae Crane fly is a common name referring to any member of the insect family (biology), family Tipulidae. Cylindrotominae, Limoniinae, and Pediciinae have been ranked as subfamilies of Tipulidae by most authors, though occasionally elevated to family ...

'', ''

Simuliidae A black fly or blackfly (sometimes called a buffalo gnat, turkey gnat, or white socks) is any member of the family Simuliidae of the Culicomorpha infraorder. It is related to the Ceratopogonidae, Chironomidae, and Thaumaleidae. Over 2,200 speci ...

'', and ''

Baetidae Baetidae is a family of mayfly, mayflies with about 1000 described species in 110 genera distributed worldwide. These are among the smallest of mayflies, adults rarely exceeding 10 mm in length excluding the two long slender tails and someti ...

'' were "rare" (1 to 2 individuals). Only four macroinvertebrate taxa (''Tipulidae'', ''Hydropsychidae'', ''

Sialidae Alderflies are megalopteran insects of the family Sialidae. They are closely related to the dobsonflies and fishflies as well as to the prehistoric Euchauliodidae. All living alderflies – about 66 species all together – are part of the subf ...

'', and ''

Gomphidae The Gomphidae are a family of dragonflies commonly referred to as clubtails or club-tailed dragonflies. The family contains about 90 genera and 900 species found across North and South America, Europe, Asia, and Australia. The name refers to the ...

'') were observed in the stream further downstream, and all were "rare". The family-level

Hilsenhoff Biotic Index The Hilsenhoff Biotic Index (HBI) is a quantitative method of evaluating the abundance of arthropod fauna in stream ecosystems as a measurement of estimating water quality based on the predetermined pollution tolerances of the observed taxa. This bi ...

value of Zerbe Run near Trevorton was observed to be 3.75 in 2001 ("very good"/"excellent"). Further downstream, it was observed to be 4.75 ("good"). Grass-leaved rush, screw stem, and downy lettuce occur along Zerbe Run in Zerbe Township and Coal Township.

Eastern hemlock ''Tsuga canadensis'', also known as eastern hemlock, eastern hemlock-spruce, or Canadian hemlock, and in the French-speaking regions of Canada as ''pruche du Canada'', is a coniferous tree native to eastern North America. It is the state tree of ...

red maple ''Acer rubrum'', the red maple, also known as swamp maple, water maple, or soft maple, is one of the most common and widespread deciduous trees of eastern and central North America. The U.S. Forest Service recognizes it as the most abundant nativ ...

yellow birch ''Betula alleghaniensis'', the yellow birch, golden birch, or swamp birch, is a large tree and an important lumber species of birch native to northeastern North America. Its vernacular names refer to the golden color of the tree's bark. In the pa ...

cinnamon fern ''Osmundastrum'' is genus of leptosporangiate ferns in the family Osmundaceae with one living species, ''Osmundastrum cinnamomeum'', the cinnamon fern. It is native to the Americas and eastern Asia, growing in swamps, bogs and moist woodlands. I ...

, regal fern, a

sedge The Cyperaceae are a family of graminoid (grass-like), monocotyledonous flowering plants known as sedges. The family is large, with some 5,500 known species described in about 90 genera, the largest being the "true sedges" genus ''Carex'' wit ...

, goldthread, and

mayflower ''Mayflower'' was an English ship that transported a group of English families, known today as the Pilgrims, from England to the New World in 1620. After a grueling 10 weeks at sea, ''Mayflower'', with 102 passengers and a crew of about 30, r ...

also occur in the area. A reach of Zerbe Run near its headwaters is listed on the Northumberland County Natural Areas Inventory.

References

{{authority control Rivers of Northumberland County, Pennsylvania Tributaries of Mahanoy Creek Rivers of Pennsylvania

Course

Tributaries

Hydrology

Geography and geology

Watershed

History and recreation

Biology

See also

References