Conewago Creek (west)

Conewago Creek is an 80.2-mile-long (129.1 km)[1] tributary of the Susquehanna River in Adams and York counties in Pennsylvania in the United States, with its watershed also draining a small portion of Carroll County, Maryland. The source is at an elevation of 1,440 feet (440 m), east of Caledonia State Park, in Franklin Township in Adams County. The mouth is the confluence with the Susquehanna River at York Haven in York County at an elevation of 259 feet (79 m).[2]

For the Conewago Creek in Lebanon, Dauphin, and Lancaster Counties, on the east bank of the Susquehanna River, see Conewago Creek (east).
Conewago Creek
facing south and upstream from bridge on Kunkle Mill Road, York County
Location
CountryCarroll County, Maryland and Adams and York Counties, Pennsylvania, United States
Physical characteristics
Source 
 • locationFranklin Township, Adams County, Pennsylvania
 • elevation1,440 feet (440 m)
Mouth 
 • location
Susquehanna River at York Haven, Pennsylvania
 • elevation
259 feet (79 m)
Length80 miles (130 km)
Basin size515 square miles (1,330 km2)

Name

The name of the creek comes from the Lenape, meaning "at the rapids",[3] although the rapids are not on Conewago Creek.[4] Instead, the rapids are the Conewago Falls beyond the creek's mouth in the Susquehanna River, which also give their name to the other Conewago Creek, whose mouth is on the east bank of the Susquehanna River in Dauphin and Lancaster counties, only 1.6 miles (2.6 km) north of the mouth of this Conewago Creek.[5]

Course

Conewago Creek flows east 39 miles (63 km), then northeast 41 miles (66 km) to its mouth.[1] The source is in Franklin Township in Adams County,[6] and the mouth is at the Susquehanna River at York Haven in York County.[7]

Watershed

The Conewago Creek watershed has a total area of 515 square miles (1,330 km2) and is part of the larger Chesapeake Bay drainage basin via the Susquehanna River. 5.22 square miles (13.5 km2) of the watershed are in Maryland, and the rest is located in Pennsylvania.[2] 50.22% of Adams County is drained by Conewago Creek and its tributaries, while 26.96% of York County is in the creek's watershed.[8][9]

Tributaries

Recreation

Canoeing: Edward Gertler writes that Conewago Creek is "a dull creek.. if you have seen one mile of Conewago, you have seen it all". Canoeing and kayaking on Conewago Creek are possible when the water is high enough (in spring and after hard rain), with 69 miles (111 km) of Class A to Class 1 whitewater located upstream of the mouth.[4]

Fishing: A small section of Conewago Creek in western Adams County has been designated as approved trout waters by the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission. This means the waters will be stocked with trout and may be fished during trout season. Further downstream in Adams County there is a small "catch and release" section of the creek.[10]

The creek is home to a variety of fish including smallmouth bass, walleye, bluegill, rock bass, sunfish, carp, channel catfish, flathead catfish, yellow perch, rainbow trout, muskellunge and crappie.

Bridges and dams

There are many crossings and dams, some of which are named:

  • Ganoga Bridge
  • East Berlin Dam
  • Browns Dam
  • Dicks Dam
  • Detters Mill Dam
  • Sharrer Mill Dam
  • Kuhn's Fording Bridge - removed[11]
  • Harlacher Bridge
  • Sheeps Bridge
  • Iron Bridge near Biglerville
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See also

References
  1. U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data. The National Map Archived 2012-03-29 at the Wayback Machine, accessed August 8, 2011
  2. Shaw, Lewis C. Pennsylvania Gazetteer of Streams Part II (Water Resources Bulletin No. 16). Prepared in Cooperation with the United States Department of the Interior Geological Survey (1st ed.). Harrisburg, PA: Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Department of Environmental Resources. OCLC 17150333.
  3. "Indian Names Data Chart" (PDF). Susquehanna River Basin Commission. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2006-09-21. Retrieved 2006-09-10.
  4. Gertler, Edward (1985). Keystone Canoeing: A Guide to Canoeable Waters of Eastern Pennsylvania (1st ed.). Silver Spring, Maryland: Seneca Press. p. 401 pages. ISBN 0-9605908-2-X.
  5. Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection; Bureau of Watershed Management, Division of Water Use Planning (2001). Pennsylvania Gazetteer of Streams (PDF). Prepared in Cooperation with the United States Department of the Interior Geological Survey. Retrieved 2006-09-10.
  6. Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, Bureau of Planning and Research, Geographic Information Division. "2005 General Highway Map of Adams County (Note: shows Conewago Creek and almost all streams feeding it)" (PDF). Retrieved 2006-09-10.CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  7. Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, Bureau of Planning and Research, Geographic Information Division. "2005 General Highway Map of York County" (PDF). Retrieved 2006-09-10.CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  8. "Chesapeake Bay Program: Watershed Profiles: The Conewago Creek - At York Haven Watershed". Chesapeake Bay Program Office, 10 Severn Avenue, Suite 109, Annapolis, MD 21403. Archived from the original on 2011-05-16. Retrieved 2006-03-17.
  9. "Chesapeake Bay Program: Watershed Profiles: The Conewago Creek - At Beaver Creek Watershed". Chesapeake Bay Program Office, 10 Severn Avenue, Suite 109, Annapolis, MD 21403. Archived from the original on 2007-10-06. Retrieved 2006-03-17.
  10. Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission. "Map of Adams County Fishing and Boating Opportunities". Archived from the original on 2003-08-30. Retrieved 2006-09-12.
  11. Historic American Engineering Record (HAER) No. PA-68, "Kuhn's Fording Bridge"

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