Lackawanna River

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Lackawanna River
File:FAB's IMG 4251 Coxton Rd Bridge, view towards MuellerYard RR-Wye-bridges and Lackawanna Confluence.JPG
The Lackawanna River as seen from Coxton Road Bridge, looking towards the Lackawanna-Susquehanna confluence.
Map of northeastern Pennsylvania, with county borders indictated and the Lackawanna and Lackawaxen watersheds highlighted in yellow.
The watersheds of the Lackawanna and Lackawaxen Rivers.
Other name Gachanai,[1] Hazirok[1] L'chau-hanne,[2] Lackawannok,[3] Lechau-hanné,[4] Lechau-hannek,[2] Lechauwah-hannek.[2]
Origin East Branch:[5]
Bone Pond,[6] Dunn Pond,[7] Independent Lake,[8] Lake Lorain[9]

West Branch:[5]
Fiddle Lake,[10] Lewis Lake,[11] Lake Lowe[12]
Mouth Susquehanna River (North Branch)[13]
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Basin countries United States
Location Lackawanna, Luzerne, Susquehanna, and Wayne Counties in Pennsylvania[5]
Etymology Lenape word Lechauwa-hannek meaning "the river that forks"[2]
Length 62 mi (100 km)[5]
Source elevation 522 ft (159 m)[14]
East Branch: 1572 ft (479 m)[15]
West Branch: 1575 ft (480 m)[16]
Mouth elevation 539 ft (164 m)
Basin area 350 sq mi (910 km2)[5]
Right tributaries Roaring Brook[17][18]

The Lackawanna River is a 40.8-mile-long (65.7 km)[19] tributary of the Susquehanna River in northeastern Pennsylvania in the United States. It flows through a region of the northern Pocono Mountains that was once a center of anthracite coal mining in the United States. It starts in north Wayne County, Pennsylvania and ends in east Luzerne County, Pennsylvania in Duryea, Pennsylvania. The lower reaches of the river flow through the urban areas of Scranton, which grew around its banks in the 19th century as an industrial center. Its name comes from a Lenni Lenape word meaning "stream that forks".[20]

The river rises in two branches, the West and East branches, along the boundary between Susquehanna and Wayne counties. The branches, each about 12 miles (19 km) long, flow south, closely parallel to each other, and join at the Stillwater Lake reservoir. The combined river flows southwest past Forest City, Carbondale, Mayfield, Jermyn, Archbald, Jessup, Blakely, Olyphant, Dickson City, Throop, Scranton, Taylor, Moosic, Old Forge, and Duryea. It joins the Susquehanna River at the northern boundary of Pittston about 8 miles (13 km) west-southwest of Scranton.

By the mid-20th century, the river was severely polluted from mine drainages in its watershed. The decline of industry in the region, as well as federal, state, and private efforts, have improved the water quality. Still, the Lackawanna River is the largest point source of pollution in the Chesapeake Bay.[21]

The upper reaches of the river are a popular destination for fly fishing of trout. It was designated as an American Heritage River in 1997.

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Craft. p. 18.
  3. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  4. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  6. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  7. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  8. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  9. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  10. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  11. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  12. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  13. ↑ McGurl. p. 2.
  14. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  15. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  16. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  17. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  18. ↑ McGurl. p. 20.
  19. ↑ U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data. The National Map, accessed August 8, 2011
  20. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  21. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

External links

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