Opequon Creek is an approximately 35 mile U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data
The National Map
accessed August 15, 2011

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 drai ...

stream A stream is a continuous body of surface water flowing within the bed and banks of a channel. Depending on its location or certain characteristics, a stream may be referred to by a variety of local or regional names. Long large streams ...

of the

Potomac River The Potomac River () drains the Mid-Atlantic United States, flowing from the Potomac Highlands into Chesapeake Bay. It is long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map. Retrieved Augu ...

. It flows into the Potomac northeast of Martinsburg in Berkeley County,

West Virginia West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States.The Census Bureau and the Association of American Geographers classify West Virginia as part of the Southern United States while the ...

, and its source lies northwest of the community of Opequon at the foot of

Great North Mountain Great North Mountain is a long mountain ridge within the Ridge-and-valley Appalachians in the U.S. states of Virginia and West Virginia. The ridge is located west of the Shenandoah Valley and Massanutten Mountain in Virginia, and east of t ...

in Frederick County,

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth are ...

. The Opequon forms part of the boundary between Frederick and

Clarke Clarke is a surname which means "clerk". The surname is of English and Irish origin and comes from the Latin . Variants include Clerk and Clark. Clarke is also uncommonly chosen as a given name. Irish surname origin Clarke is a popular surname i ...

counties in Virginia and also partially forms the boundary between Berkeley and Jefferson counties in West Virginia's Eastern Panhandle. Opequon is a name derived from an unidentified local Native American language.

Tributaries

Streams are listed from south (headwaters) to the north (mouth). *Stribling Run *Hoge Run *Wrights Run *Buffalo Lick Run *Sulphur Spring Run *Isaac Run * Abrams Creek **Town Run **Ash Hollow Run *Redbud Run *Dry Marsh Run *Lick Run *Littlers Run **Ross Run *Thomas Run *Abrils Run *Duncan Run *Silver Spring Run *Specks Run *Turkey Run * Mill Creek **Torytown Run **Sylvan Run *Three Run *Goose Creek * Middle Creek *Hopewell Run **Dry Run *Buzzard Run *Sulphur Spring Branch *Spa Run *Cold Spring Run *Evens Run * Tuscarora Creek *Eagle Run *Hoke Run

Flora and Fauna

The Opequon Creek is home to many species of

Crayfish Crayfish are freshwater crustaceans belonging to the clade Astacidea, which also contains lobsters. In some locations, they are also known as crawfish, craydids, crawdaddies, crawdads, freshwater lobsters, mountain lobsters, rock lobsters, m ...

and

Minnow Minnow is the common name for a number of species of small freshwater fish, belonging to several genera of the families Cyprinidae and Leuciscidae. They are also known in Ireland as pinkeens. Smaller fish in the subfamily Leusciscidae are c ...

. Many species of turtles also inhabit the creek, most notably the Eastern box turtle. Snakes are very common, with Copperheads and

Garter snake Garter snake is a common name for generally harmless, small to medium-sized snakes belonging to the genus ''Thamnophis'' in the family Colubridae. Native to North and Central America, species in the genus ''Thamnophis'' can be found from the sub ...

s being the most numerous. Many species of mammals live near the creek's water, the biggest being the

White-tailed deer The white-tailed deer (''Odocoileus virginianus''), also known as the whitetail or Virginia deer, is a medium-sized deer native to North America, Central America, and South America as far south as Peru and Bolivia. It has also been introduced t ...

. Plants types that live along the creek include grasses, water lilies, and aquatic plants.

Sycamore tree Sycamore is a name which has been applied to several types of trees, but with somewhat similar leaf forms. The name derives from the ancient Greek ' (''sūkomoros'') meaning "fig-mulberry". Species of trees known as sycamore: * ''Acer pseudoplata ...

Tulip Trees ''Liriodendron'' () is a genus of two species of characteristically large trees, deciduous tree, deciduous over most of their populations, in the magnolia family (biology), family (Magnoliaceae). These trees are widely known by the common name ...

, and Willow trees dig their roots along the creeks banks.

Water flow

Due to water runoff during rainfall, the water flow of the Opequon Creek varies. In the spring, the creek's output of water is very high due to wet conditions during spring. In the summer, the water flow is usually normal, with

Thunderstorm A thunderstorm, also known as an electrical storm or a lightning storm, is a storm characterized by the presence of lightning and its acoustic effect on the Earth's atmosphere, known as thunder. Relatively weak thunderstorms are some ...

s raising the water, and short-term droughts lowering the water. In the fall, the water level is usually below-normal due to dry conditions and lower rainfall. During the winter however, the creek is usually at its highest because of low evaporation caused by cold temperatures and thick cloud covers. The creek rarely freezes over, but sometimes stagnant water will freeze through.

Water quality

The water quality of Opequon Creek is very mixed. While the creek is in the North Mountain, its water quality is general good because of the low pollution and the low population of North Mountain. Its water quality dramatically drops once it joins the spring-fed streams because of agricultural run-off. Due to numerous dams though, this run-off doesn't always make it to the

. When it joins the Potomac, its water quality is good to moderate.

List of cities and towns along Opequon Creek

* Baker Heights * Bartonsville * Bedington * Blairton * Burnt Factory * Leetown * Martinsburg * Middleway * Opequon * Parkins Mills * Tarico Heights * Wadesville * Inwood *

Winchester Winchester is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city in Hampshire, England. The city lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government Districts of England, district, at the western end of the South Downs Nation ...

References