South Branch Tunkhannock Creek

South Branch Tunkhannock Creek begins in a pond or small lake in Scott Township, Lackawanna County, between Hubbard Mountain and Meyers Mountain. It flows northwest through a valley for several tenths of a mile alongside Pennsylvania Route 247 before crossing that highway. The creek then turns north-northwest for a few miles, flowing alongside Pennsylvania Route 438. It then turns northwest for several tenths of a mile, still following Pennsylvania Route 438, before turning north-northwest for a few tenths of a mile. At this point, the creek gradually turns southwest, crossing Interstate 81, leaving Pennsylvania Route 438 behind, and flowing along the border between Benton Township and North Abington Township. After several tenths of a mile, the creek turns west-northwest for more than a mile, entering Lackawanna Lake, where it receives Kennedy Creek, its first named tributary, from the left. Tributaries South Branch Tunkhannock Creek has three named tributaries: Kennedy Creek, Ackerly Creek, and Trout Brook. Kennedy Creek joins South Branch Tunkhannock Creek upstream of its mouth, at Carpenter Town, and drains an area of . Ackerly Creek joins South Branch Tunkhannock Creek upstream of its mouth. ==Hydrology==

In the part of the watershed of South Branch Tunkhannock Creek that is above Factoryville, a total of of streams are classified as impaired. Of these, are impaired by pathogens from an unknown source, are impaired by urban runoff, and are impaired by municipal point source pollution. Near Factoryville, the average annual discharge of South Branch Tunkhannock Creek is . The maximum flow time from the headwaters of the creek to this point is 21 hours and 57 minutes. In 1976, the water temperature of the creek near Tunkhannock ranged from . In the 1960s and/or 1970s, the turbidity of South Branch Tunkhannock Creek near Tunkhannock ranged from 4 to 22 Jackson Turbidity Units. The specific conductance of the creek ranged from 70 to 200 micro-siemens per centimeter. The concentration of suspended solids ranged from . The water hardness of the creek ranged from . ==Geography, geology, and climate==

The elevation near the mouth of South Branch Tunkhannock Creek is above sea level. The elevation of the creek's source is between above sea level. The underlying geology of the watershed of South Branch Tunkhannock Creek mainly includes interbedded sedimentary rock. The topography of the watershed of South Branch Tunkhannock Creek was described as "rough and hilly" in a 1921 book. The valley of the creek's main stem is surrounded by steep hills and some reaches have alluvial floodplains. Numerous small lakes and swamps dot the watershed. The channel of South Branch Tunkhannock Creek is sinuous and flows through glacial drift and rock formations consisting of sandstone. The creek also has some strainers. The average annual rate of precipitation in the watershed of South Branch Tunkhannock Creek is . ==Watershed==

The watershed of South Branch Tunkhannock Creek has an area of . The mouth of the creek is in the United States Geological Survey quadrangle of Tunkhannock. However, its source is in the quadrangle of Carbondale. The creek also passes through the quadrangles of Dalton and Factoryville. As of 2010, the population of the portion of the watershed above Factoryville is 15,897. ==History==

South Branch Tunkhannock Creek was entered into the Geographic Names Information System on August 2, 1979. Its identifier in the Geographic Names Information System is 1188041. In the early 1900s, major industries in the watershed of South Branch Tunkhannock Creek included agriculture and summer resorts. The Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad crossed through the watershed during this time period. Streams in the creek's watershed also provided water power for flour and lumber mills at Laplume, Dalton, and Factoryville. The major communities in the watershed at this time included Dalton, Factoryville, Glenburn, Fleetville, Laplume, Bardwell, and East Benton. It was constructed in the early 1900s. In 2003, a grassroots citizens' group known as the South Branch Tunkhannock Creek Watershed Coalition was formed for the purposes of conservation in the watershed of South Branch Tunkhannock Creek. In 2004, they began doing monthly monitoring of water quality, gauging water temperature, pH, the concentration of dissolved oxygen, alkalinity, and the concentration of nitrates and orthophosphates. Since 2005, the organization has also been doing semiannual monitoring of macroinvertebrates in the watershed. ==Biology==

The main stem of South Branch Tunkhannock Creek is designated as a Trout-Stocked Fishery and a Migratory Fishery. The main stem of the tributary Ackerly Creek also holds these designations. However, all other stream's in the watershed of South Branch Tunkhannock Creek are designated as Coldwater Fisheries and Migratory Fisheries. The creek is classified by the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission as Approved Trout Waters. On a long reach of the creek between US Route 6 and the Keystone College campus, a Delayed Harvest Artificial Lures Only regulation is in effect. Brown trout and rainbow trout have been stocked in reaches of the creek by the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission. South Branch Tunkhannock Creek supports a relatively diverse array of aquatic fauna. Forests of eastern hemlock occur near South Branch Tunkhannock Creek along Little Rocky Glen, and ferns grow on ledges near the glen. ==Recreation==

At least of South Branch Tunkhannock Creek, downstream of a bridge carrying Pennsylvania Route 438, are navigable by canoe during snowmelt and within three days of heavy rain. However, the creek is highly powerful at Little Rocky Glen and several people have drowned in it. Lackawanna State Park is in the watershed of South Branch Tunkhannock Creek. The Countryside Conservancy owns a small preserve called Little Rocky Glen on the creek. Although there are several recognizable easy-to-moderate paths in the preserve, there is no formal trail system. Hikes known as the North Woods Trail and the Lackawanna Lake Loop are also in the vicinity of the creek at Lackawanna State Park. The first trail is of moderate difficulty and is long, while the second is easy to moderate and is . South Branch Tunkhannock Creek is described as "beautiful" at Lackawanna State Park in Jeff Mitchell's book Hiking the Endless Mountains: Exploring the Wilderness of Northeastern. ==See also==