Fades Creek

Fades Creek is a tributary of Pikes Creek in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. It is approximately 3.2 miles (5.1 km) long and flows through Lake Township.[1] The watershed of the creek has an area of 2.07 square miles (5.4 km2). It has one unnamed tributary and is designated as a High-Quality Coldwater Fishery and Class A Wild Trout Waters for part of its length. The creek is crossed by a pipeline and a bridge carrying Pennsylvania Route 118. Wisconsinan Ice-Intact Stratified Drift, alluvium, Wisconsinan Till, Wisconsinan Bouldery Till, and bedrock consisting of sandstone and shale all occur in the surficial geology in the creek's vicinity.

Fades Creek
Fades Creek looking upstream from Pennsylvania Route 118
Physical characteristics
Source 
 • locationvalley at the base of a hill in Lake Township, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania
 • elevationbetween 1,340 and 1,360 feet (410 and 410 m)
Mouth 
 • location
Pikes Creek in Lake Township, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania
 • coordinates
41°18′09″N 76°05′37″W
 • elevation
between 1,120 and 1,140 feet (340 and 350 m)
Length3.2 mi (5.1 km)
Basin size2.07 sq mi (5.4 km2)
Discharge 
 • average424 cu ft/s (12.0 m3/s) peak annual discharge at mouth (10% probability)
Basin features
ProgressionPikes Creek → Harveys Creek → Susquehanna River → Chesapeake Bay
Tributaries 
 • rightone unnamed tributary

Course
Fades Creek looking downstream from Pennsylvania Route 118

Fades Creek begins in a valley at the base of a hill in Lake Township. It flows south for a few tenths of a mile before turning southwest and then gradually turning southeast, passing through a pond. The creek continues flowing southeast in a narrow valley for more than a mile, receiving an unnamed tributary from the right and entering the community of Pikes Creek. It then turns south-southeast for nearly a mile, crossing Pennsylvania Route 118, before turning east-southeast. The creek then crosses Pennsylvania Route 29 and within several hundred feet reaches its confluence with Pikes Creek.[1]

Hydrology

The concentration of alkalinity in the waters of Fades Creek is 10 milligrams per liter.[2]

At its mouth, the peak annual discharge of Fades Creek has a 10 percent chance of reaching 424 cubic feet per second. It has a 2 percent chance of reaching 775 cubic feet per second and a 1 percent chance of reaching 969 cubic feet per second. The peak annual discharge has a 0.2 percent chance of reaching 1543 cubic feet per second.[3]

Fades Creek has been contaminated by sediment runoff during wet weather. However, in 2009, Lake Township received a $131,044 to alleviate the problem by repairing Wesley Road and Bear Hollow Road.[4] This project involved raising the grade of Wesley Road and constructing Swales to divert stormwater away from the creek.[5]

Geography and geology
Fades Creek looking downstream in its upper reaches

The elevation near the mouth of Fades Creek is between 1,120 and 1,140 feet (340 and 350 m) above sea level. The elevation near the source is between 1,340 and 1,360 feet (410 and 410 m) above sea level.[1]

Fades Creek is crossed by a pipeline at river mile 1.6.[2] There are three features on the creek that are identified by the Federal Emergency Management Agency as obstructions.[6]

For most of its length, the surficial geology in the vicinity of Fades Creek consists of alluvium, Wisconsinan Ice-Intact Stratified Drift, and resedimented or glacial tills such as Wisconsinan Till and Wisconsinan Bouldery Till. However, bedrock consisting of sandstone and shale also occurs in the surficial geology in the creek's vicinity, as do a few small patches of wetland.[7]

Watershed

The watershed of Fades Creek has an area of 2.07 square miles (5.4 km2).[3] Fades Creek flows through the United States Geological Survey quadrangles of Harveys Lake and Sweet Valley.[8]

The entire length of Fades Creek is in private land.[2]

Fades Creek, along with Beaver Run, Pikes Creek, and Harveys Creek, is one of the main sources of flooding in Lake Township. However, these creeks' floods have not caused extensive damage, since the township is relatively undeveloped.[3]

History

Fades Creek was entered into the Geographic Names Information System on August 2, 1979. Its identifier in the Geographic Names Information System is 1192440.[8]

In the early 1900s, the commissioners of Luzerne County requested permission to construct a bridge over a tributary of Fades Creek. This bridge was on a road between the communities of Pikes Creek and Kettle.[9] A concrete slab bridge carrying Pennsylvania Route 118 over Fades Creek was constructed in 1932 and repaired in 1960. It is 22.0 feet (6.7 m) long and is situated in Lake Township near Pennsylvania Route 29.[10]

Biology

Fades Creek is considered by the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission to be Class A Wild Trout Waters for brook trout from the pipeline crossing downstream to its mouth.[2] However, wild trout naturally reproduce in the creek throughout its entire length.[11] The creek is also designated as a High-Quality Coldwater Fishery.[5]

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See also

References
  1. United States Geological Survey, The National Map Viewer, archived from the original on April 5, 2012, retrieved January 30, 2015
  2. Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (December 16, 2013), Class A Wild Trout Waters (PDF), p. 24, retrieved January 31, 2015
  3. Federal Emergency Management Agency, Flood Insurance Study VOLUME 1 of 6 LUZERNE COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA (ALL JURISDICTIONS) (PDF), pp. 23, 48, archived from the original (PDF) on April 2, 2015, retrieved January 31, 2015
  4. PennVEST OKs Interesting Green Infrastructure Projects Funded By Stimulus Monies, PA Environment Digest, July 27, 2009, archived from the original on January 31, 2015, retrieved January 31, 2015
  5. Pennsylvania Infrastructure Investment Authority, Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (January 21, 2009), Pennsylvania Infrastructure Investment Authority and Department of Environmental Protection Recovery 2009 Green Project Reserve Priority List, p. 15, retrieved January 31, 2015
  6. Borton-Lawson (June 30, 2010), Luzerne County Act 167 Phase II Stormwater Management Plan (PDF), pp. 161–162, archived from the original (PDF) on December 29, 2014, retrieved January 31, 2015
  7. Duane D. Braun (2007), Surficial geology of the Harveys Lake 7.5-minute quadrangle, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, p. 18, retrieved January 31, 2015
  8. Geographic Names Information System, Feature Detail Report for: Fades Creek, retrieved January 30, 2015
  9. Department Reports of Pennsylvania, Volume 4, Part 3, 1918, p. 1610, retrieved January 31, 2015
  10. Luzerne County, retrieved January 30, 2015
  11. Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (January 2015), Pennsylvania Wild Trout Waters (Natural Reproduction) - Jan 2015 (PDF), p. 48, retrieved January 31, 2015
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