Green Run (Spring Brook tributary)

Green Run (also known as Green Run Creek[1]) is a tributary of Spring Brook in Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. It is approximately 4.7 miles (7.6 km) long and flows through Spring Brook Township, Roaring Brook Township, and Scranton.[2] The watershed of the stream has an area of 4.32 square miles (11.2 km2). It is considered to be Class A Wild Trout Waters throughout its entire length. Numerous macroinvertebrate taxa also inhabit the stream. The surficial geology in the vicinity of the stream's lower reaches mainly consists of Wisconsinan Till, bedrock, and Boulder Colluvium.

Green Run
Green Run Creek
Physical characteristics
Source 
 • locationpond near Tooley Corners in Spring Brook Township, Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania
 • elevationbetween 1,640 and 1,660 feet (500 and 510 m)
Mouth 
 • location
Spring Brook in Spring Brook Township, Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania
 • coordinates
41°19′45″N 75°39′22″W
 • elevation
1,152 ft (351 m)
Length4.7 mi (7.6 km)
Basin size4.32 sq mi (11.2 km2)
Basin features
ProgressionSpring Brook → Lackawanna River → Susquehanna River → Chesapeake Bay

Course

Green Run begins in a pond near Tooley Corners in Spring Brook Township. It flows northwest for a few tenths of a mile and almost immediately enters Roaring Brook Township. It then turns west and crosses Pennsylvania Route 307 before turning southwest. Several tenths of a mile further downstream, it reenters Spring Brook Township and turns west-northwest, reentering Roaring Brook Township. The stream then turns west and enters Scranton. After a few tenths of a mile, it turns southwest and reenters Spring Brook Township. It flows generally in a westerly direction for a few miles in a deep valley near the border between Spring Brook Township and Scranton. The stream eventually turns south-southwest for several tenths of a mile and reaches its confluence with Spring Brook.[2]

Green Run joins Spring Brook 6.48 miles (10.43 km) upstream of its mouth.[3]

Hydrology

The concentration of alkalinity in Green Run is 17 milligrams per liter.[4] In the 1970s, the Roaring Brook Sewage Treatment Plant discharged high levels of sewage into the stream after rains.[5]

Geography and geology

The elevation near the mouth of Green Run is 1,152 feet (351 m) above sea level.[6] The elevation of the stream's source is between 1,640 and 1,660 feet (500 and 510 m) above sea level.[2]

Green Run is a perennial stream.[7]

The surficial geology along the valley floor in the lower reaches of Green Run mainly consists of a glacial or resedimented till known as Wisconsinan Till. The sides of the valley have bedrock consisting of conglomerate, sandstone, and shale. Some patches of Boulder Colluvium are also present.[8]

Watershed

The watershed of Green Run has an area of 4.32 square miles (11.2 km2).[3] The mouth of the stream is in the United States Geological Survey quadrangle of Avoca. However, its source is in the quadrangle of Moscow.[6]

A total of 74 percent of the length of Green Run is on public land. The remaining 26 percent is on private land.[4] A swampy meadow was observed near the stream in the early 1900s.[9]

History and recreation

Green Run was entered into the Geographic Names Information System on August 2, 1979. Its identifier in the Geographic Names Information System is 1192551.[6]

The Spring Brook Railroad historically went up the valley of Green Run.[10]

A bridge carrying Pennsylvania Route 307 over Green Run was once replaced for a cost of $600,000.[11] In the early 2000s, the Lackawanna River Watershed Conservation Plan recommended that Spring Brook Township include protection of Green Run in their comprehensive plans, as well as their ordinances for land use, zoning, and subdivision.[12] In 2015, a tract of land containing the stream was purchased by the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and made public land.[7]

In-stream fishing is permitted on Green Run.[1]

Biology

Wild trout naturally reproduce in Green Run from its headwaters downstream to its mouth.[13] The stream is also considered by the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission to be Class A Wild Trout Waters from its headwaters downstream to its mouth.[4] It meets the criteria for an Exceptional Value designation, a designation that gives extensive protection to a stream, forbidding any impact on water quality for any reason.[14][15]

Numerous butterfly species were observed in the vicinity of Green Run in the early 1900s. They included Polygonia faunus, Polygonia faunus, Argynnis atlantis, and Harris's checkerspot.[9]

A large number of macroinvertebrate species have been observed in Green Run, including 16 genera in the orders Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera, and Trichoptera.[14] Of a 210-individual sample, the most common taxa included Ephemerella (57 individuals), Chironomidae (39 individuals), Cheumatopsyche (19 individuals), Pteronarcys (17 individuals), and Baetis (10 individuals). Less common taxa included Epeorus (9 individuals), Dolophilodes (7 individuals), Acroneuria (6 individuals), Leuctra (5 individuals), and Hexatoma (5 individuals). Rarer taxa included Isoperfa (4 individuals), Optioservus (4 individuals), Lanthus (4 individuals), Drunella (3 individuals), Pycnopsyche (3 individuals), Polycentropus (3 individuals), Rhycophi (3 individuals), Agapetus (2 individuals), and Nigronia (2 individuals). The rarest taxa were Lepidostoma, Boyeria, and Cambaridae (1 individual each).[14]

The modified Hilsenhoff Biotic Index value of Green Run is 2.83. The modified EPT Index value is 12 and the total taxa richness is 23.[14]

See also

References
  1. George Smith (May 5, 1999), "Fishing spots again open on energy company land", Times Leader, retrieved March 29, 2015
  2. United States Geological Survey, The National Map Viewer, archived from the original on April 5, 2012, retrieved March 29, 2015
  3. Pennsylvania Gazetteer of Streams (PDF), November 2, 2001, p. 69, retrieved March 29, 2015
  4. Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (December 16, 2013), Class A Wild Trout Waters (PDF), p. 21, retrieved March 29, 2015
  5. "Our Water: Legacy in Peril", Times Leader, p. 34
  6. Geographic Names Information System, Feature Detail Report for: Green Run, retrieved March 29, 2015
  7. Brendan Gibbons (January 7, 2015), "DCNR adds 8,120 acres to state forest in Lackawanna, Luzerne, Wayne counties", The Times-Tribune, retrieved March 29, 2015
  8. Duane D. Braun (2007), Surficial geology of the Avoca 7.5-minute quadrangle, Luzerne and Lackawanna Counties, Pennsylvania, p. 17, retrieved March 29, 2015
  9. R. N. Davis (1915), Illustrated and Annotated Catalog of the Butterflies of Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania, pp. 10, 12–13, 15
  10. Lackawanna Legal News, Volume 3, 1897, p. 96
  11. Lackawanna-County-November-1-2013-with-Start-Period (PDF), retrieved March 29, 2015
  12. Lackawanna River Corridor Association (2001), Lackawanna River Watershed Conservation Plan (PDF), p. 111, retrieved March 29, 2015
  13. Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (January 2015), Pennsylvania Wild Trout Waters (Natural Reproduction) (PDF), p. 45, retrieved March 29, 2015
  14. Lackawanna River Corridor Association, North Pocono Watershed Coalition (March 2006), Coldwater Conservation Plan for the North Pocono Tributary Streas of the Lackawanna River Watershed (PDF), p. 27, retrieved March 29, 2015
  15. Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, Stream Redesignations, retrieved April 25, 2015
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