Van Brunt Creek

Coordinates: 41°20′23″N 75°30′52″W / 41.33978°N 75.51457°W / 41.33978; -75.51457
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Van Brunt Creek
Physical characteristics
Source 
 • locationMullen Swamp in Roaring Brook Township, Pennsylvania
 • elevationbetween 1,720 and 1,740 feet (520 and 530 m)
Mouth 
 • location
Roaring Brook in Moscow, Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania
 • coordinates
41°20′23″N 75°30′52″W / 41.33978°N 75.51457°W / 41.33978; -75.51457
 • elevation
1,476 ft (450 m)
Length3.3 mi (5.3 km)
Basin features
ProgressionRoaring Brook → Lackawanna RiverSusquehanna RiverChesapeake Bay
Tributaries 
 • rightLangan Creek

Van Brunt Creek is a tributary of Roaring Brook in Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. It is approximately 3.3 miles (5.3 km) long and flows through Roaring Brook Township and Moscow.[1] The creek has one named tributary, which is known as Langan Creek. At least two bridges have been constructed across Van Brunt Creek.

Course[edit]

Van Brunt Creek begins in Mullen Swamp in Roaring Brook Township. It flows southeast for several tenths of a mile before turning south and entering Moscow. After a few tenths of a mile, the creek turns southeast for several tenths of a mile, crossing Pennsylvania Route 690, before turning east. After several tenths of a mile it receives Langan Creek, its only named tributary, from the right. It then crosses Pennsylvania Route 435 and turns north-northeast for a few tenths of a mile before reaching its confluence with Roaring Brook.[1]

Tributaries[edit]

Van Brunt Creek has one named tributary, which is known as Langan Creek, which joins Van Brunt Creek in Moscow.[1] It also has a number of unnamed tributaries.[1]

Hydrology[edit]

Upstream of Langan Creek, the peak annual discharge of Van Brunt Creek has a 10 percent chance of reaching 428 cubic feet per second. It has a 2 percent chance of reaching 731 cubic feet per second and a 1 percent chance of reaching 884 cubic feet per second. The peak annual discharge has a 0.2 percent chance of reaching 1307 cubic feet per second.[2]

Approximately 45 feet (14 m) upstream of Cross Section Letter K, the peak annual discharge of Van Brunt Creek has a 10 percent chance of reaching 379 cubic feet per second. It has a 2 percent chance of reaching 647 cubic feet per second and a 1 percent chance of reaching 784 cubic feet per second. The peak annual discharge has a 0.2 percent chance of reaching 1160 cubic feet per second.[2]

The North Pocono Public Library in Moscow once applied for a permit to discharge stormwater into Van Brunt Creek for construction purposes.[3]

Geography and geology[edit]

The elevation near the mouth of Van Brunt Creek is 1,476 feet (450 m) above sea level.[4] The elevation of the creek's source is between 1,720 and 1,740 feet (520 and 530 m) above sea level.[1]

A soil known as the Wellsboro extremely stony loam occurs in the vicinity of Van Brunt Creek.[5] The surficial geology in the creek's vicinity mainly consists of a glacial or resedimented till known as Wisconsinan Till. However, alluvium is present along the creek in its middle and upper reaches and there are some patches of Wisconsinan Ice-Contact Drift in the watershed, as well as a few patches of bedrock consisting of conglomeratic sandstone, sandstone, and shale. There are also wetlands in the creek's headwaters and two patches of fill near the creek.[6]

Watershed and biology[edit]

Van Brunt Creek is entirely within the United States Geological Survey quadrangle of Moscow.[4] Upstream of the tributary Langan Creek, its watershed has an area of 3.19 square miles (8.3 km2).[2] The creek is a High-Quality Coldwater Fishery and a Migratory Fishery.[3]

Van Brunt Creek is one of the main sources of flooding in Moscow, as its tributary Langan Creek.[2]

History[edit]

Van Brunt Creek was entered into the Geographic Names Information System on August 2, 1979. Its identifier in the Geographic Names Information System is 1200124.[4]

A concrete arch bridge carrying Pennsylvania Route 435 was built over Van Brunt Creek in 1940. It is 23.0 feet (7.0 m) long and is situated in Moscow. A steel stringer/multi-beam or girder bridge was built over the creek in Moscow in the same year. This bridge is 21.0 feet (6.4 m) long and carries Pennsylvania Route 690.[7] The latter bridge has been given a weight limit of 28 tons, or 38 tons for combination loads.[8]

One case of typhoid was observed in the vicinity of Van Brunt Creek in the early 1910s.[9]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e United States Geological Survey, The National Map Viewer, retrieved April 13, 2015
  2. ^ a b c d Federal Emergency Management Agency (July 27, 2011), Flood Insurance Study Volume 1 of 3 (PDF), pp. 22, 50, retrieved April 17, 2015
  3. ^ a b "VI. NPDES Individual Permit Applications for Discharges of Stormwater Associated with Construction Activities", Pennsylvania Bulletin, retrieved April 13, 2015
  4. ^ a b c Geographic Names Information System, Feature Detail Report for: Van Brunt Creek, retrieved April 13, 2015
  5. ^ Competitive fixed-price bid solitication site characterization activities and report, July 28, 2010, p. 7, retrieved April 13, 2015
  6. ^ Duane D. Braun (2007), Surficial geology of the Moscow 7.5-minute quadrangle, Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania, p. 14, archived from the original on May 24, 2014, retrieved April 13, 2015
  7. ^ Lackawanna County, retrieved April 13, 2015
  8. ^ Kyle Wind (August 29, 2013), "PennDOT starts posting bridges, causing worries about inconvenience, higher prices and public safety", The Times-Tribune, retrieved April 13, 2015
  9. ^ "Looking After Milk and Water", The Scranton Truth, p. 14, January 24, 1911, retrieved April 13, 2015 – via newspapers.com Open access icon

External links[edit]