Collins Creek (Pennsylvania)
| Collins Creek | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | |
| • location | near the base of a hill in Pittston Township, Pennsylvania |
| • elevation | between 1,260 and 1,280 feet (380 and 390 m) |
| Mouth | |
• location | Mill Creek in Dupont, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania |
• coordinates | 41°18′35″N 75°44′55″W / 41.3098°N 75.7485°W |
• elevation | 873 ft (266 m) |
| Length | 2.8 mi (4.5 km) |
| Basin size | 1.39 sq mi (3.6 km2) |
| Discharge | |
| • average | 0.10 to 3.70 cubic feet per second (0.0028 to 0.1048 m3/s) |
| Basin features | |
| Progression | Mill Creek → Lackawanna River → Susquehanna River → Chesapeake Bay |
Collins Creek is a tributary of Mill Creek in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. It is approximately 2.8 miles (4.5 km) long and flows through Pittston Township and Dupont.[1] The watershed of the creek has an area of 1.39 square miles (3.6 km2). The creek has no named tributaries, but several drainage ditches flow into it. It is a Coldwater Fishery and is not impaired. The creek is one source of flooding in Pittston Township.
Course
[edit]Collins Creek begins near the base of a hill in Pittston Township. It flows north for a short distance before turning northwest for several tenths of a mile. It then turns west before turning southwest and then west again. Several tenths of a mile further downstream, the creek enters Dupont and turns southwest for a few tenths of a mile, reentering Pittston Township. It then turns west-southwest for several tenths of a mile before reaching its confluence with Mill Creek.[1]
Collins Creek joins Mill Creek 3.66 miles (5.89 km) upstream of its mouth.[2]
Tributaries
[edit]Collins Creek has no named tributaries.[1] However, a number of drainage ditches lead into the creek.[3]
Hydrology
[edit]Collins Creek is not considered to be impaired.[4] Pittston Township and the borough of Dupont have permits to discharge stormwater into the creek.[5]
The peak annual discharge of Collins Creek at its mouth has a 10 percent chance of reaching 230 cubic feet per second. It has a 2 percent chance of reaching 390 cubic feet per second and a 1 percent chance of reaching 470 cubic feet per second. It has a 0.2 percent chance of reaching 680 cubic feet per second.[6]
The peak annual discharge of Collins Creek at the border between Pittston Township and Dupont has a 10 percent chance of reaching 200 cubic feet per second. It has a 2 percent chance of reaching 340 cubic feet per second and a 1 percent chance of reaching 400 cubic feet per second. It has a 0.2 percent chance of reaching 580 cubic feet per second.[6]
The discharge of Collins Creek was measured several times in the middle of the 20th century. The values ranged from 0.10 to 3.70 cubic feet per second.[7]
Geography and geology
[edit]The elevation near the mouth of Collins Creek is 873 feet (266 m) above sea level.[8] The elevation near the creek's source is between 1,260 and 1,280 feet (380 and 390 m) above sea level.[1]
The headwaters of Collins Creek are on a ridge near the Wilkes-Barre Scranton International Airport. It also passes by the International Trade Zone Industrial Park and loses water to a mine pool, as does the nearby Lidy Creek.[9]
Watershed and biology
[edit]The watershed of Collins Creek has an area of 1.39 square miles (3.6 km2).[2] The stream is entirely within the United States Geological Survey quadrangle of Avoca.[8] The creek is one of the main tributaries of Mill Creek. Its watershed is "high quality" and mountainous (as is the case with Collins Creek).[9] According to the Lackawanna River Watershed Conservation Plan, the creek's location on United States Geological Survey quadrangle maps is erroneous.[9]
Collins Creek is designated as a Coldwater Fishery.[5] There is a stream site operated by the United States Geological Survey on the creek in Dupont.[10]
Collins Creek is a source of flooding in Pittston Township.[6]
History
[edit]Collins Creek was entered into the Geographic Names Information System on August 2, 1979. Its identifier in the Geographic Names Information System is 1172217.[8]
A storm in 1955 caused high waters on Collins Creek. However, there was little flooding in Pittston Township during that storm.[6] In 1990, a tanker truck spilled 8000 gallons of gasoline in the area, causing emergency operations to be performed in the watershed of the creek.[3] In 2002, the replacement of a bridge carrying Interstate 81 over the creek in Dupont was authorized for $1,100,000.[11] Collins Creek and Lidy Creek were subjected to a restoration project that was approved in 2007. It was carried out by Sikora Brothers Paving Co. for $46,709. The Federal Emergency Management Agency funded $45,000.[12]
See also
[edit]- Lidy Creek, next tributary of Mill Creek going downstream
- List of rivers of Pennsylvania
- List of tributaries of the Lackawanna River
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d United States Geological Survey, The National Map Viewer, archived from the original on March 29, 2012, retrieved March 22, 2015
- ^ a b Pennsylvania Gazetteer of Streams (PDF), November 2, 2001, p. 49, retrieved March 23, 2015
- ^ a b "Spill Closes Highway", Standard-Speaker, p. 2, October 10, 1990, retrieved March 25, 2015 – via newspapers.com
- ^ United States Environmental Protection Agency (2006), Assessment Summary for Reporting Year 2006 Pennsylvania, Upper Susquehanna-Lackawanna Watershed, archived from the original on February 2, 2017, retrieved March 23, 2015
- ^ a b "List of NPDES and/or Other General Permit Types", Pennsylvania Bulletin, retrieved March 25, 2015
- ^ a b c d Federal Emergency Management Agency, Flood Insurance Study VOLUME 1 of 6 LUZERNE COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA (ALL JURISDICTIONS) (PDF), pp. 27, 48, archived from the original (PDF) on April 2, 2015, retrieved March 25, 2015
- ^ Leland Vernon Page, L. C. Shaw (1977), Low-flow Characteristics of Pennsylvania Streams, p. 180
- ^ a b c Geographic Names Information System, Feature Detail Report for: Collins Creek, archived from the original on April 4, 2015, retrieved March 23, 2015
- ^ a b c Lackawanna River Corridor Association (2001), Lackawanna River Watershed Conservation Plan (PDF), pp. 96, 275, archived from the original (PDF) on September 23, 2015, retrieved March 26, 2015
- ^ United States Geological Survey, USGS 01535740 Collins Creek near Dupont, PA, retrieved March 25, 2015
- ^ 2002 Act 223, December 16, 2002, retrieved March 26, 2015
- ^ "Dupont eyes cost-cutting", Times Leader, archived from the original on April 4, 2015, retrieved March 25, 2015
