Polk Valley Run: Difference between revisions
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Polk Valley Run joins Saucon Creek {{convert|4.50|mi|km}} upstream of its mouth.<ref name = "gaz">115</ref> |
Polk Valley Run joins Saucon Creek {{convert|4.50|mi|km}} upstream of its mouth.<ref name = "gaz">115</ref> |
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==Hydrology== |
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In 14 measurements between 1962 and 1978, the [[discharge (hydrology)|discharge]] of Polk Valley Run at Hellertown ranged from {{convert|0.21|to|85.0|cuft/s|m3/s}}. All but three measurements were under {{convert|10|cuft/s|m3/s}}.<ref>{{citation|author = [[United States Geological Survey]]|url = https://waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis/measurements/?site_no=01454600|title = USGS 01454600 Polk Valley Run at Hellertown, PA|accessdate = March 15, 2017}}</ref> Between the early 1960s and the early 1980s, the peak annual discharge of the stream ranged from just over {{convert|50|cuft/s|m3/s}} to nearly {{convert|450|cuft/s|m3/s}} one year in the mid-1970s.<ref>{{citation|author = [[United States Geological Survey]]|url = https://nwis.waterdata.usgs.gov/usa/nwis/peak/?site_no=01454600|title = USGS 01454600 Polk Valley Run at Hellertown, PA|accessdate = March 15, 2017}}</ref> |
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A reach of Polk Valley Run is designated as an impaired waterbody due to [[siltation]] from agricultural activity.<ref>{{Citation|url = http://files.dep.state.pa.us/Water/Drinking%20Water%20and%20Facility%20Regulation/WaterQualityPortalFiles/2014%20Integrated%20List/2014%20Streams%20Category%205.pdf|title = 2014 Pennsylvania Integrated Water Quality Monitoring and Assessment |
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Report - Streams, Category 5 Waterbodies, Pollutants Requiring a TMDL|page = 18|accessdate = March 15, 2017}}</ref> |
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==Geography and geology== |
==Geography and geology== |
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==Watershed== |
==Watershed== |
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The [[drainage basin|watershed]] of Polk Valley Run has an area of {{convert|2.13|sqmi|km2}}.<ref name = "gaz"/> The stream is entirely within the [[United States Geological Survey]] [[quadrangle (geography)|quadrangle]] of Hellertown.<ref name = "gnis"/> |
The [[drainage basin|watershed]] of Polk Valley Run has an area of {{convert|2.13|sqmi|km2}}.<ref name = "gaz"/> The stream is entirely within the [[United States Geological Survey]] [[quadrangle (geography)|quadrangle]] of Hellertown.<ref name = "gnis"/> |
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The watershed of Polk Valley Run is mostly in Lower Saucon Township, but a small part of it is in Hellertown. The watershed is on the southern edge of the Saucon Creek watershed and borders the watershed of [[Silver Creek (Saucon Creek)|Silver Creek]].<ref name = "coldwater">{{citation|author = Barry Isett and Associates|url = http://www.coldwaterheritage.org/docs/2003-grantees/saucon-creek.pdf?sfvrsn=2|title = Coldwater Heritage Partnership Plan Saucon Creek Watershed|pages = 7, 12|date = March 2006|accessdate = March 15, 2017}}</</ref> |
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A {{convert|20|acre|ha|adj=on}} tract of land known as the Saucon Valley Environmental Education Center is in the vicinity of Polk Valley Run. The tract also contains [[scrub meadow]] and [[floodplain]] woodlands.<ref name = "eec"/> |
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==History== |
==History== |
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Polk Valley Run was entered into the [[Geographic Names Information System]] on August 2, 1979. Its identifier in the Geographic Names Information System is 1184211. The stream is also known as Poke Valley Run.<ref name = "gnis"/> This variant name appears in the 1939 Northampton County, Pennsylvania geological survey by Benjamin L. Miller and others.<ref>{{citation|author = [[Geographic Names Information System]]|url = https://gnis.usgs.gov/apex/f?p=138:4:0::NO:4:P4_FID,P4_OBJECTID,P4_FNAME:1184211,27900961,Poke%20Valley%20Run|title = Variant Citation|accessdate = March 11, 2017}}</ref> |
Polk Valley Run was entered into the [[Geographic Names Information System]] on August 2, 1979. Its identifier in the Geographic Names Information System is 1184211. The stream is also known as Poke Valley Run.<ref name = "gnis"/> This variant name appears in the 1939 Northampton County, Pennsylvania geological survey by Benjamin L. Miller and others.<ref>{{citation|author = [[Geographic Names Information System]]|url = https://gnis.usgs.gov/apex/f?p=138:4:0::NO:4:P4_FID,P4_OBJECTID,P4_FNAME:1184211,27900961,Poke%20Valley%20Run|title = Variant Citation|accessdate = March 11, 2017}}</ref> |
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The Polk Valley Road Connector Trail, a {{convert|1270|ft|m|adj=on}} paved asphalt trail between Polk Valley Park and the [[Saucon Valley School District]] campus, crosses Polk Valley Run via a [[pedestrian bridge]]. The trail was completed in April 2012.<ref>{{citation|url = http://www.lowersaucontownship.org/newsletter/2012summer.pdf|title = Township Opens Polk Valley Road Connector Trail|page = 1|date = Summer 2012|accessdate = March 15, 2017}}</ref> |
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==Biology== |
==Biology== |
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Wild [[trout]] naturally reproduce in Polk Valley Run from its headwaters downstream to its mouth.<ref>{{citation|author = [[Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission]]|url = http://www.fishandboat.com/Fish/PennsylvaniaFishes/Trout/Documents/trout_repro.pdf|title = Pennsylvania Wild Trout Waters (Natural Reproduction) - February 2017|page = 63|date = February 2017|accessdate = March 11, 2017}}</ref> |
Wild [[trout]] naturally reproduce in Polk Valley Run from its headwaters downstream to its mouth.<ref>{{citation|author = [[Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission]]|url = http://www.fishandboat.com/Fish/PennsylvaniaFishes/Trout/Documents/trout_repro.pdf|title = Pennsylvania Wild Trout Waters (Natural Reproduction) - February 2017|page = 63|date = February 2017|accessdate = March 11, 2017}}</ref> Numerous species are present in the vicinity of Polk Valley Run at the Saucon Valley Environmental Education Center. These include [[songbird]]s, [[red fox]]es, [[wood turtle]]s, and fish. Plant species in the area include [[sycamore]]s, [[pear tree]]s, [[red cedar]]s, and [[willow]]s, as well as wildflowers and seasonal grasses.<ref name = "eec">{{citation|url = http://www.svfoundation.net/eec/|title = Environmental Education Center|accessdate = March 15, 2017}}</ref> |
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In 2006, Polk Valley Run in Lower Saucon Township was identified as one of the areas in the Saucon Creek watershed most in need of habitat restoration.<ref name = "coldwater"/> |
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==See also== |
==See also== |
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Revision as of 13:53, 15 March 2017
Polk Valley Run is a tributary of Saucon Creek in Northampton County, Pennsylvania. It is approximately 1.9 miles (3.1 km) long and flows through Lower Saucon Township and Hellertown.[1]
Course
Polk Valley Run begins in a valley between Kohlberg and Swoveberg in Lower Saucon Township. It flows west-southwest for several tenths of a mile, passing through an unnamed pond, and eventually exiting the valley. The stream then turns west-northwest for several tenths of a mile before turning west and entering Hellertown. After a few tenths of a mile, it turns southwest, crossing Pennsylvania Route 412 and reaching its confluence with Saucon Creek.[1]
Polk Valley Run joins Saucon Creek 4.50 miles (7.24 km) upstream of its mouth.[2]
Hydrology
In 14 measurements between 1962 and 1978, the discharge of Polk Valley Run at Hellertown ranged from 0.21 to 85.0 cubic feet per second (0.0059 to 2.4069 m3/s). All but three measurements were under 10 cubic feet per second (0.28 m3/s).[3] Between the early 1960s and the early 1980s, the peak annual discharge of the stream ranged from just over 50 cubic feet per second (1.4 m3/s) to nearly 450 cubic feet per second (13 m3/s) one year in the mid-1970s.[4]
A reach of Polk Valley Run is designated as an impaired waterbody due to siltation from agricultural activity.[5]
Geography and geology
The elevation near the mouth of Polk Valley Run is 289 feet (88 m) above sea level.[6] The elevation near the source of the stream is 500 feet (150 m) above sea level.[1]
Watershed
The watershed of Polk Valley Run has an area of 2.13 square miles (5.5 km2).[2] The stream is entirely within the United States Geological Survey quadrangle of Hellertown.[6]
The watershed of Polk Valley Run is mostly in Lower Saucon Township, but a small part of it is in Hellertown. The watershed is on the southern edge of the Saucon Creek watershed and borders the watershed of Silver Creek.[7]
A 20-acre (8.1 ha) tract of land known as the Saucon Valley Environmental Education Center is in the vicinity of Polk Valley Run. The tract also contains scrub meadow and floodplain woodlands.[8]
History
Polk Valley Run was entered into the Geographic Names Information System on August 2, 1979. Its identifier in the Geographic Names Information System is 1184211. The stream is also known as Poke Valley Run.[6] This variant name appears in the 1939 Northampton County, Pennsylvania geological survey by Benjamin L. Miller and others.[9]
The Polk Valley Road Connector Trail, a 1,270-foot (390 m) paved asphalt trail between Polk Valley Park and the Saucon Valley School District campus, crosses Polk Valley Run via a pedestrian bridge. The trail was completed in April 2012.[10]
Biology
Wild trout naturally reproduce in Polk Valley Run from its headwaters downstream to its mouth.[11] Numerous species are present in the vicinity of Polk Valley Run at the Saucon Valley Environmental Education Center. These include songbirds, red foxes, wood turtles, and fish. Plant species in the area include sycamores, pear trees, red cedars, and willows, as well as wildflowers and seasonal grasses.[8]
In 2006, Polk Valley Run in Lower Saucon Township was identified as one of the areas in the Saucon Creek watershed most in need of habitat restoration.[7]
See also
- Silver Creek (Saucon Creek), next tributary of Saucon Creek going downstream
- List of rivers of Pennsylvania
References
- ^ a b c United States Geological Survey, The National Map Viewer, retrieved March 11, 2017
- ^ a b 115
- ^ United States Geological Survey, USGS 01454600 Polk Valley Run at Hellertown, PA, retrieved March 15, 2017
- ^ United States Geological Survey, USGS 01454600 Polk Valley Run at Hellertown, PA, retrieved March 15, 2017
- ^ 2014 Pennsylvania Integrated Water Quality Monitoring and Assessment Report - Streams, Category 5 Waterbodies, Pollutants Requiring a TMDL (PDF), p. 18, retrieved March 15, 2017
{{citation}}: line feed character in|title=at position 70 (help) - ^ a b c Geographic Names Information System, Feature Detail Report for: Polk Valley Run, retrieved March 11, 2017
- ^ a b Barry Isett and Associates (March 2006), Coldwater Heritage Partnership Plan Saucon Creek Watershed (PDF), pp. 7, 12, retrieved March 15, 2017</
- ^ a b Environmental Education Center, retrieved March 15, 2017
- ^ Geographic Names Information System, Variant Citation, retrieved March 11, 2017
- ^ Township Opens Polk Valley Road Connector Trail (PDF), Summer 2012, p. 1, retrieved March 15, 2017
- ^ Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (February 2017), Pennsylvania Wild Trout Waters (Natural Reproduction) - February 2017 (PDF), p. 63, retrieved March 11, 2017