Mispillion River

The Mispillion River is a river flowing to Delaware Bay in southern Delaware in the United States. It is approximately 15 miles (24 km) long and drains an area of 76 square miles (197 km²) on the Atlantic Coastal Plain.

Mispillion River
The Mispillion River in Milford in 2006
Location of the mouth of the Mispillion River
Location
CountryUnited States
StateDelaware
CountiesKent
Sussex
Physical characteristics
Sourceconfluence of Beaverdam and Tantrough Branches at Blairs Pond
  locationnear Milford
  coordinates38°52′53″N 75°30′00″W[1]
  elevation29 ft (8.8 m)[2]
MouthDelaware Bay
  location
near Mispillion Light
  coordinates
38°57′05″N 75°18′48″W[1]
  elevation
0 ft (0 m)[1]
Length15 mi (24 km)approximately[3]
Basin size76 sq mi (200 km2)[4]
Discharge 
  average91.77 cu ft/s (2.599 m3/s) at mouth with Delaware Bay[5]
Basin features
Progressioneast and northeast
River systemDelaware Bay
Tributaries 
  leftBeaverdam Branch
Lednum Branch
Mullet Run
Swan Creek
Fishing Branch
Beaverdam Branch
Kings Causeway Branch
Crooked Gut
  rightTantrough Branch
Johnson Branch
Bowman Branch
Deep Branch
WaterbodiesBlairs Pond
Griffith Lake
Haven Lake
Silver Lake

It rises in northern Sussex County, approximately 3 miles (5 km) southwest of Milford, and flows generally east-northeastwardly, defining the boundary between Sussex and Kent counties; it passes through the center of Milford on its course to its mouth at Delaware Bay, 16 miles (26 km) northwest of Cape Henlopen.[3][6] The lower 12 miles (19 km) of the river are considered by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to be navigable.[7]

A boardwalk known as the Mispillion Riverwalk follows the river in Milford. As of 2003, an effort was underway to preserve a greenway along the river upstream and downstream of Milford.[8]

Variant names and spellings

According to the Geographic Names Information System, the Mispillion River has also been known historically as:[1]

  • Masphilion Creek
  • Maspillon Creek
  • Mispalling Creek
  • Mispelion Creek
  • Mispelon Creek
  • Mispening Creek
  • Miss Pinion River
  • Mispeninge Creek
  • Misperange River
  • Mispilian Creek
  • Mispliant Creek
  • Misspann Creek
  • Muskmellon Creek
  • Musmillion River
  • Musphilion Creek
  • Muspilion Creek

Name origin

"The first occurrence of this name (of the river) is in the form Mispening on a map of 1664, tentatively analyzed as meaning "as the great tuber (stream);" (Dunlap and Weslager, 1950)

See also

References

  1. Geographic Names Information System. "GNIS entry for Mispillion River (Feature ID #214330)". Retrieved 2007-02-05.
  2. "Mispillion River Topo Map, Sussex County DE (Mispillion River Area)". TopoZone. Locality, LLC. Retrieved 12 August 2019.
  3. "Columbia Gazetteer of North America entry for Mispillion River". 2000. Retrieved 2007-02-05.
  4. United States Environmental Protection Agency (2005). "Decision Rationale: Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDLs) for Bacteria and Nutrient Impairments on the Mispillion River and Cedar Creek Watershed, Kent and Sussex Counties, Delaware". pp. pp.1–2. Retrieved 2007-02-05.
  5. "Mispillion River Watershed Report". Waters Geoviewer. US EPA. Retrieved 12 August 2019.
  6. DeLorme (2004). Maryland Delaware Atlas & Gazetteer. pp.52-53. Yarmouth, Maine: DeLorme. ISBN 0-89933-279-X.
  7. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Philadelphia District. "Navigable waterways of the Philadelphia District". Archived from the original on 2007-06-28. Retrieved 2007-02-05.
  8. Delaware Division of Parks and Recreation. "Greenways & Trails". Archived from the original on 2007-03-11. Retrieved 2007-02-05.
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