Spring Run (also known as The Gut) 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 ...

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 Delaware Township and Watsontown. The watershed of the stream has an area of . The stream is designated as an impaired waterbody due to

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 ...

and unknown causes. The stream is classified as a Warmwater Fishery.

Course

Spring Run begins in a shallow valley in Delaware Township. It flows northwest for a few tenths of a mile before turning west-northwest for several tenths of a mile. The stream then heads in a west-southwesterly direction for several tenths of a mile, entering Watsontown. In Watsontown, it continues flowing west-southwest for several tenths of a mile, crossing a

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 ...

. The stream then turns west for a few tenths of a mile, reentering Delaware Township and 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 ...

. In then turns south-southwest for a short distance, reentering Watsontown and reaching its confluence with the West Branch Susquehanna River. Spring Run joins the West Branch Susquehanna River upstream of its mouth.

Hydrology

Spring Run is designated as an impaired waterbody. The causes of impairment are an unknown cause and

. The probable sources of impairment are

agriculture Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people to ...

and

urban runoff Urban runoff is surface runoff of rainwater, landscape irrigation, and car washing created by urbanization. Impervious surfaces (roads, parking lots and sidewalks) are constructed during land development. During rain , storms and other precipit ...

storm sewer A storm drain, storm sewer (United Kingdom, U.S. and Canada), surface water drain/sewer (United Kingdom), or stormwater drain ( Australia and New Zealand) is infrastructure designed to drain excess rain and ground water from impervious surface ...

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 Spring 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.

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 Spring 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 Milton. Its mouth is located at Watsontown. In the early 1970s, approximately , or 8.56 percent of the watershed of Spring Run, was residential land. Out of this, a total of were suburban, were mobile homes, and were rural non-farm areas. A total of , or 0.39 percent of the stream's watershed, was commercial land. The designated use for Spring 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 classified as a Warmwater Fishery.

History

Spring 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 1188261. The stream is also known as The Gut. This alternative name appears in various sources. In 2015, Warrior Run Community Corp was issued a permit to construct a new pedestrian bridge over Spring Run for an existing walking trail. The proposed bridge was described as being a timber pedestrian bridge with a length of . Moran Industries once applied for a 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.

References