Kern Glen Creek (also known as Meadow Brook) is a tributary of Billings Mill Brook in Wyoming County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. It is approximately 3.1 miles (5.0 km) long and flows through Lemon Township and Tunkhannock Township.[1] The watershed of the creek has an area of 2.71 square miles (7.0 km2). The creek is not designated as an impaired waterbody. The surficial geology in its vicinity mostly consists of Wisconsinan Till.

Kern Glen Creek
Kern Glen Creek looking upstream
Physical characteristics
Source 
 • locationsoutheast of Kintner Hill in Lemon Township, Wyoming County, Pennsylvania
 • elevationapproximately 1,120 feet (341 m)
Mouth 
 • location
Billings Mill Brook in Tunkhannock Township, Wyoming County, Pennsylvania at Kern Glen
 • coordinates
41°33′41″N 75°54′47″W / 41.56146°N 75.91296°W / 41.56146; -75.91296
 • elevation
659 ft (201 m)
Length3.1 mi (5.0 km)
Basin size2.71 sq mi (7.0 km2)
Basin features
ProgressionBillings Mill Brook → Tunkhannock Creek
Tributaries 
 • leftone unnamed tributary
 • rightone unnamed tributary

Course edit

 
Kern Glen Creek looking downstream

Kern Glen Creek begins to the southeast of Kintner Hill in Lemon Township. It flows south for several tenths of a mile, almost immediately entering Tunkhannock Township, where it passes through one wetland and enters another. The creek goes through this wetland for a few tenths of a mile, receiving an unnamed tributary from the right before leaving the wetland at its southeastern edge. It continues flowing southeast for a few tenths of a mile, receiving an unnamed tributary from the left. After this, the creek turns east and crosses Pennsylvania Route 29 before turning southeast again. After a few tenths of a mile, it passes through a wetland with a lake and continues flowing southeast. Several tenths of a mile further downstream, it reaches its confluence with Billings Mill Brook.[1]

Kern Glen Creek joins Billings Mill Brook 0.76 miles (1.22 km) upstream of its mouth.[2]

Hydrology edit

Kern Glen Creek is not designated as an impaired waterbody.[3]

Geography and geology edit

The elevation near the mouth of Kern Glen Creek is 659 feet (201 m) above sea level.[4] The elevation of the creek's source is approximately 1,120 feet (341 m) above sea level.[1]

The surficial geology in virtually all of the area in the vicinity of Kern Glen Creek consists of a till known as Wisconsinan Till. However, there are a few patches of wetlands, peat bogs, and lakes in the watershed. There is also a small patch of bedrock consisting of sandstone and shale near the creek's lower reaches.[5]

Knobs of till cause the valley of Kern Glen Creek to be a beaded valley, with broader and narrower segments.[5]

Watershed edit

The watershed of Kern Glen Creek has an area of 2.71 square miles (7.0 km2).[2] The stream is entirely within the United States Geological Survey quadrangle of Tunkhannock.[4] Its mouth is located at Kern Glen.[2]

History edit

Kern Glen Creek was entered into the Geographic Names Information System on August 2, 1979. Its identifier in the Geographic Names Information System is 1178398. The stream is also known as Meadow Brook.[4] This variant name appears in Israel C. White's 1883 book The geology of the North Branch Susquehanna River Region in the six counties of Wyoming, Lackawanna, Luzerne, Columbia, Montour and Northumberland.[6]

A $2000 bridge rehabilitation of a bridge carrying Pennsylvania Route 29 across Kern Glen Creek was authorized in the Special Session Capital Budget Act of 1996 for Flood Damaged Highway-Railroad and Highway Bridges.[7] Chief Gathering LLC. once applied for and/or received a permit to build and maintain a 24-inch (61 cm) natural gas gathering pipeline and timber mats impacting an unnamed tributary Kern Glen Creek.[8]

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ a b c United States Geological Survey, The National Map Viewer, archived from the original on March 29, 2012, retrieved October 28, 2015
  2. ^ a b c Pennsylvania Gazetteer of Streams (PDF), November 2, 2001, p. 80, retrieved October 28, 2015
  3. ^ United States Environmental Protection Agency, Assessment Summary for Reporting Year 2006 Pennsylvania, Upper Susquehanna-Tunkhannock Watershed, retrieved October 28, 2015
  4. ^ a b c Geographic Names Information System, Feature Detail Report for: Kern Glen Creek, retrieved October 28, 2015
  5. ^ a b Duane D. Braun, Surficial geology of the Tunkhannock 7.5-minute quadrangle, Wyoming County, Pennsylvania, pp. 9, 17, archived from the original on May 24, 2014, retrieved October 28, 2015
  6. ^ Geographic Names Information System, Variant Citation, retrieved October 28, 2015
  7. ^ Act 1996-9 (SS2) (PDF), p. 47, retrieved October 28, 2015
  8. ^ "Applications Received under the Dam Safety and Encroachments Act (32 P. S. §§ 693.1—693.27) and section 302 of the Flood Plain Management Act (32 P. S. § 679.302) and Requests for Certification under section 401(a) of the FWPCA.", Pennsylvania Bulletin, October 22, 2011, retrieved October 28, 2015