Keywords
rivers, creeks, watersheds, catchment basins, drainage basins, drainage net, headwaters, river reaches, mainstem, tributary, delta, alluvial fan, closed basin, estuary, river channel, erosion, sediment, river discharge, floodplain, floods, in-stream flow, riparian vegetation, lotic ecosystem, Ca, Cauvery, Chao Phraya, Columbia, Gambia, Ganges-Brahmaputra, Godavari, Indus, Irrawaddy, Krishna, Ma, Magdalena, Mahanadi, Mekong, Narmada, Niger, Nile, Pahang, Paraná, ParaÃba, Penner, Perak, Salween, San Francisco, Senegal Sitang, Song Hong (Red), Tapti, Tambesi-Hari, Volta, stream restoration
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Featured Organization / Resource
Cherry Creek is a second order valley stream located at the north slope base of Kittatinny Mountain in southeastern Monroe County, Pennsylvania; Northampton County is located just south of that location. The creek originates from two ponds just east of Route 33 and south of Saylorsburg, and the flow is substantially increased by large springs located a short distance downstream from the pond outflow and above the Cherry Valley Trout Hatchery.
The creek meanders for approximately 15 miles through a narrow, steep-sided valley, eventually emptying into the Delaware River at Delaware Water Gap. The elevation change from source to mouth is only about 370 feet, and numerous tributaries erupting from Kittatinny Mountain feed the creek. Cherry Creek is listed as a High Quality Coldwater Fishery according to the PA Department of Environmental Resources.
The watershed covers 13,314 acres, about 20.8 square miles in total.
The Cherry Valley substrate is primarily gravel, sand and silt with scattered cobble and boulders located in higher gradient riffle areas where scouring occurs.
The underlying geology is a complex of limestone, shale and siltstone overlain with unconsolidated glacial deposits of silt, sand and gravel in the valley. Because of the limestone formations, Cherry Creek has a much higher pH, alkalinity and total dissolved solids than is found in most Pocono area streams, which generally are acidic with a low mineral content.
Riparian vegetation is well established and stable, varying between trees that provide a thick canopy on the upper and lower stream to woody bushes that create heavy bankside overhang, especially in the mid-valley area.
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A river is a surface drainage channel that has a large annual discharge of water. Most water flow ultimately discharges into the ocean, but some rivers discharge into closed basins. They have three zones that are important to sustainability: the headwaters, which are typically the sources of freshwater and sediment; the middle reaches, where sediment can be both transferred and stored; and the delta or alluvial fan where sediment is deposited and water mixes with saltwater. Each zone supports different economic activities (e.g. mines are often in headwaters; cities in delta regions). There are many variations. Sustainability concerns itself with upstream/downstream, in-stream/off-stream, and aboveground/below-ground sharing of the seasonal water resource.
