Swale Brook

Swale Brook is a tributary of Tunkhannock Creek in Wyoming County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. It is approximately 2.9 miles (4.7 km) long and flows through Tunkhannock Township and Tunkhannock.[1] The watershed of the stream has an area of 4.01 square miles (10.4 km2). The stream is not designated as an impaired waterbody. The surficial geology near it consists of alluvium, alluvial terrace, Wisconsinan Outwash, Wisconsinan Till, Wisconsinan Ice-Contact Stratified Drift, fill, and a wetland.

Swale Brook
Swale Brook in Tunkhannock
Physical characteristics
Source 
 • locationCruver Pond in Tunkhannock Township, Wyoming County, Pennsylvania
 • elevationbetween 1,040 and 1,060 feet (317 and 323 m)
Mouth 
 • location
Tunkhannock Creek in Tunkhannock, Wyoming County, Pennsylvania
 • coordinates
41°32′15″N 75°56′10″W
 • elevation
607 ft (185 m)
Length2.9 mi (4.7 km)
Basin size4.01 sq mi (10.4 km2)
Basin features
ProgressionTunkhannock Creek → Susquehanna River → Chesapeake Bay
Tributaries 
 • leftone unnamed tributary
 • rightone unnamed tributary

There are several road crossings and a railroad bridge crossing over Swale Brook. A number of industries also historically operated near the stream. The stream's watershed is designated as a Coldwater Fishery and a Migratory Fishery and the stream itself has a high level of fish diversity.

Course
Swale Brook in Tunkhannock

Swale Brook begins in Cruver Pond in Tunkhannock Township. It flows mostly south-southwest for a few tenths of a mile before receiving an unnamed tributary from the right. After several tenths of a mile, the stream turns east-southeast for more than a mile, entering Tunkhannock and receiving an unnamed tributary from the left. It then crosses Pennsylvania Route 29 and then turns south-southeast. A short distance further downstream, the stream crosses US Route 6 and reaches its confluence with Tunkhannock Creek.[1]

Swale Brook joins Tunkhannock Creek 0.64 miles (1.03 km) upstream of its mouth.[2]

Hydrology

Swale Brook is not designated as an impaired waterbody.[3] The Tunkhannock Area School District once applied for and/or received a permit to discharge stormwater into the stream during construction activities.[4]

Swale Brook was once described as a stream of "pure, cold water".[5]

Geography and geology

The elevation near the mouth of Swale Brook is 607 feet (185 m) above sea level.[6] The elevation of the stream's source is between 1,040 and 1,060 feet (317 and 323 m) above sea level.[1] The stream has been described as "small enough to step across".[7]

The surficial geology in the vicinity of the lower and middle reaches of Swale Brook consists of alluvium, Wisconsinan Outwash, Wisconsinan Ice-Contact Stratified Drift, and alluvial terrace. In the upper reaches, the surficial geology near the stream consists of a till known as Wisconsinan Till.[8]

Watershed

The watershed of Swale Brook has an area of 4.01 square miles (10.4 km2).[2] The stream is entirely within the United States Geological Survey quadrangle of Tunkhannock.[6] Its mouth is located at Tunkhannock.[2]

A pond known as Cruver Pond is located at the headwaters of Swale Brook. There are several road crossings along the stream's course.[9] Additionally, the stream crosses a railroad bridge.[10]

History

Swale Brook was entered into the Geographic Names Information System on August 2, 1979. Its identifier in the Geographic Names Information System is 1189122. The stream is also known as Quaker Swamp Brook.[6] 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.[11]

By the middle of the 19th century, a tannery had been built on Swale Brook. By 1888, a mill had been constructed on the stream in Tunkhannock. It produced wooden butter pails and tubs, shingles, and cider. In 1902, wood from a covered bridge damaged by flooding was processed at the mill.[12]

A steam-powered electric plant operated in the vicinity of Swale Brook until 1903. Shortly before 1906, a canning factory on the stream closed; in that year the Pennsylvania Witch Hazel Company opened at the site. Swale Brook was impacted by flooding during Hurricane Agnes in 1972.[12] It also experienced flooding in 2011.[13] The Federal Emergency Management Agency once purchased some homes along the stream as part of a buyout program.[14]

Biology

The drainage basin of Swale Brook is designated as a Coldwater Fishery and a Migratory Fishery.[15] The stream has a very high level of fish diversity and has been described as "packed with fish diversity".[7] At least ten fish species of fish have been observed in the stream, including eastern blacknose dace, common shiners, yellow bullheads, and the rare brook stickleback.[7]

The riparian buffer of Swale Brook is densely vegetated in some reaches.[7]

See also

References
  1. United States Geological Survey, The National Map Viewer, retrieved October 26, 2015
  2. Pennsylvania Gazetteer of Streams (PDF), November 2, 2001, p. 139, retrieved October 27, 2015
  3. United States Environmental Protection Agency, Assessment Summary for Reporting Year 2006 Pennsylvania, Upper Susquehanna-Tunkhannock Watershed, archived from the original on November 21, 2015, retrieved October 27, 2015
  4. "Individual Permits", Pennsylvania Bulletin, retrieved October 27, 2015
  5. Cece Krewson, Mary Krewson (2000), A Millennium Keepsake: Wyoming County Salutes the Millennium : an Historic Overview of Wyoming County, Pennsylvania, 1700-2000, Volume 2, p. 14, retrieved October 27, 2015
  6. Geographic Names Information System, Feature Detail Report for: Swale Brook, retrieved October 27, 2015
  7. "The Pocono fish finders", The Pocono Record, November 10, 2013, retrieved October 27, 2015
  8. Duane D. Braun, Surficial geology of the Tunkhannock 7.5-minute quadrangle, Wyoming County, Pennsylvania, p. 17, retrieved October 27, 2015
  9. Tunkhannock Township Road Map (PDF), retrieved October 27, 2015
  10. Federal Register/Vol. 77, No. 147/Tuesday, July 31, 2012/Rules and Regulations (PDF), July 31, 2012, p. 1, retrieved October 27, 2015
  11. Geographic Names Information System, Variant Citation, retrieved October 27, 2015
  12. Rosamond Peck, Tunkhannock Creek Watershed Atlas (PDF), pp. 14, 22–23, 25, 37, retrieved October 27, 2015
  13. Robert L. Baker (October 1, 2011), "Casey visits flood victims", The Citizens' Voice, retrieved October 27, 2015
  14. Michael Wintermute (April 23, 2014), "Tunkhannock wrapping up FEMA demos", Wyoming County Press Examiner, retrieved October 27, 2015
  15. "§ 93.9i. Drainage List I. Susquehanna River Basin in Pennsylvania Susquehanna River", Pennsylvania Code, retrieved October 27, 2015
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