Susquehanna River
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| Susquehanna River | |
|---|---|
| | |
| Origin | Otsego Lake |
| Mouth | Chesapeake Bay |
| Basin countries | USA |
| Length | 410 miles (715 km) |
| Source elevation | ~1,180 feet (360 m) |
| Avg. discharge | 40,080 cubic feet/s (1,202 m³/s) at Conowingo Dam |
| Basin area | 27,500 square miles (71,225 km²) |
The Susquehanna River, originally Sasquesahanough as per the 1612 John Smith map, is a river in the northeastern United States. At approximately 410 mi (715 km) long, it is the longest river on the American East Coast. The Susquehanna forms from two main branches, with the North Branch, which rises in upstate New York often regarded as an extension of the main branch. The shorter West Branch, which rises in western Pennsylvania, is sometimes regarded as the principal tributary, joining the North Branch near Sunbury in central Pennsylvania. The river drains a large watershed within the Allegheny Plateau of the Appalachian Mountains, cutting through water gaps in the lateral mountain ridges in a broad zigzag course to flow across the rural heartland of southeastern Pennsylvania and northeastern Maryland, emptying in the north end of the Chesapeake Bay, the ria of the Susquehanna.
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[edit] Description
Rising as the outlet of Otsego Lake in Cooperstown, New York, the north branch of the river runs west-southwest through dairy country, receiving the Unadilla River at Sidney and the Chenango in downtown Binghamton. At Athens in northern Pennsylvania, just across the New York state line, it receives the Chemung from the northwest and makes a right angle curve between Sayre and Towanda to cut through the Endless Mountains in the Allegheny Plateau. It receives the Lackawanna River southwest of Scranton and turns sharply to the southwest, flowing through the former anthracite industrial heartland in the mountain ridges of northeastern Pennsylvania, past Wilkes-Barre, Berwick, Bloomsburg, and Danville. It receives the smaller West Branch from the northwest at Northumberland, just above Sunbury.
Downstream from the confluence of its branches it flows south past Selinsgrove, where it is joined by its Penns Creek tributary, and cuts through a water gap at the western end of Mahantongo Mountain. It receives the Juniata River from the northwest at Duncannon, then passes through its last water gap, through Blue Mountain Pennsylvania, just northwest of Harrisburg. It passes downtown Harrisburg (where it is nearly a mile wide), the largest city on the lower river, and flows southeast across south-central Pennsylvania, forming the border between York and Lancaster counties, as well as receiving Swatara Creek from the northeast. It crosses into northern Maryland approximately 30 miles (50 km) northeast of Baltimore, where it is joined by Octoraro Creek. Finally the river enters the northern end of the Chesapeake Bay at Havre de Grace.
[edit] Geology
Geologically, the river is extremely ancient, often regarded as the oldest or second oldest major system in the world. It is far older than the mountains through which it turns - the flow of the ancient Susquehanna was so strong that it was able to cut through the mountains even as they were forming from the collision of Africa and North America some 300 million years ago. Remarkably, the river's age means that it actually predates the Atlantic Ocean.
Before the end of the last ice age, the Susquehanna was a much longer river. The Chesapeake Bay constituted its lower valley before it was flooded by rising waters at the conclusion of the Pleistocene, a formation known as a ria.
[edit] Pollution
Image:Susquehanna ETM 19990923 lrg.jpg The environmental group American Rivers named the Susquehanna "America's Most Endangered River for 2005" due to the excessive pollution it receives. Most of the pollution in the river is due to excess animal manure, agricultural runoff, urban and suburban stormwater, and raw or inadequately treated sewage. In 2003 the river alone contributed 44% of the nitrogen, 21% of the phosphorus, and 21% of the sediment flowing into the Chesapeake Bay. Pennsylvania may be subject to EPA sanctions if it does not reduce its pollution in the watershed by 2010. [1] It was designated as one of the American Heritage Rivers in 1997.
[edit] Historic Importance
The river has played an enormous role throughout the history of the United States. Before European conquest, the Susquehannock, an Iroquoian tribe lived along the river and gave the Susquenanna its name. In the 17th century, it was inhabited largely by the Lenape, forming roughly the western boundary of their inhabited territory, known as Lenapehoking. In the 18th century, William Penn, the founder of the Pennsylvania Colony, negotiated with the Lenape to allow white settlement in the colony between the Delaware River and the Susquehanna. Local legend claims that the name of the river comes from an Indian phrase meaning "mile wide, foot deep," referring to the Susquehanna's unusual dimensions, but while the word is Algonquian, it simply means "muddy water."
In the late colonial times, the river became an increasingly important transportation corridor with the discovery of anthracite coal by Necho Allen in its upper reaches in the mountains. In 1792, the Union Canal was proposed linking the Susquehanna and the Delaware along Swatara Creek and Tulpehocken Creek. In the 19th century, the river became the scene of the growth of industrial centers.
Conflicting land claims by Pennsylvania and Connecticut to the Wyoming Valley along the Susquehanna led to the founding of Westmoreland County, Connecticut and the Pennamite Wars, which eventually led to the territory being ceded to Pennsylvania.
During the American Civil War's 1863 Gettysburg Campaign, the commander of the Department of the Susquehanna, Union Major General Darius N. Couch resolved that Robert E. Lee's Confederate Army of Northern Virginia would not cross the Susquehanna. He positioned militia units under Maj. Granville Haller to protect key bridges in Harrisburg and Wrightsville, as well as nearby fords. Confederate forces approached the river at several locations in Cumberland and York counties, but were recalled on June 29 when Lee chose to concentrate his army to the west.
In 1972, the remnants of Hurricane Agnes stalled over the New York-Pennsylvania border, dropping as much as 20 inches (50.8 cm) of rain on the hilly lands. Much of that precipitation was received into the Susquehanna from its western tributaries, and the valley suffered disastrous flooding. Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, was among the hardest hit communities. The Chesapeake Bay received so much fresh water that it killed much of the marine life.
In 1979, the river was the scene of the most serious nuclear power accident in U.S. history at Three Mile Island southeast of Harrisburg.
[edit] Trivia
- The Susquehanna River Basin drains 27,500 square miles (71,225 km²), covering nearly half of the land area of Pennsylvania and portions of New York and Maryland.
- The Susquehanna River provides half of the freshwater inflow for the entire Chesapeake Bay.
- The Susquehanna River is the 16th largest river in the United States.
- The Susquehanna is the largest river lying entirely within the United States that drains into the Atlantic Ocean.
- People were ordered to evacuate on June 28, 2006 because of the rising of the Susquehanna.
- Home of the Annual Plagge-Poluzza in Port Deposit.
- Home of the annual General Clinton Canoe Regatta, a series of races held each Memorial Day weekend between Cooperstown, NY and Bainbridge, NY. The 70-mile race attracts canoeists from all over the world and is considered one of the premier flat water canoe races in North America.
[edit] Bridges, Canals and Dams
- See also: List of crossings of the Susquehanna River
- See also: Susquehanna river dams
The Susquehanna River has always loomed large in the transportation history of the United States. Prior to the 1818 opening of the Port Deposit Bridge, the river formed a barrier between the northern and southern states, crossable only by ferry. The earliest dams were constructed to support ferry operations in low water. The presence of many rapids in the river meant that while commercial traffic could navigate down the river in the spring thaws, nothing could move up. This led to the construction of two different canal systems on the Susquehanna, the first by the Proprietors of the Susquehanna Canal and later the Susquehanna and Tidewater Canal. The canals required additional dams to provide canal water and navigation pools. As the industrial age progressed, bridges replaced ferries, and railroads replaced canals, often built right on top of the canal right of way along the river. Many canal remnants can be seen in Havre de Grace, Maryland, along US Route 15 in Pennsylvania, and in upstate New York at various locations.
Today, there are over two hundred bridges crossing the Susquehanna, the sole remaining ferry is a seasonal tourist attraction, the canals are gone or are part of historical parks, and dams are related to power generation or recreation.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Susquehanna River Basin Commission
- American Rivers article: Susquehanna River "Most Endangered"
- History of the Susquehanna River Ark
[edit] Maps and aerial photos
Mouth or other endpoint (Chesapeake Bay)
- WikiSatellite view at WikiMapia
- Street map from MapQuest
- Topographic map from TopoZone
- Aerial image or topographic map from TerraServer-USA
- Satellite image from Google Maps
- Other maps and aerial photos
Source (Otsego Lake)
- WikiSatellite view at WikiMapia
- Street map from MapQuest
- Topographic map from TopoZone
- Aerial image or topographic map from TerraServer-USA
- Satellite image from Google Maps
- Other maps and aerial photosde:Susquehanna River
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