Walnut Creek (Lake Erie)

Walnut Creek
Fishermen on Walnut Creek during the winter
Walnut Creek (Lake Erie) is located in Pennsylvania
Walnut Creek (Lake Erie)
Location of the mouth of Walnut Creek in Pennsylvania
Etymology"walnut"
Location
CountryUnited States
StatePennsylvania
CountyErie
Physical characteristics
Source 
 • locationHammett, Erie County, Pennsylvania
 • coordinates42°2′24″N 80°0′3″W / 42.04000°N 80.00083°W / 42.04000; -80.00083[1]
 • elevation1,460 ft (450 m)[2]
MouthLake Erie
 • location
Manchester Beach, Erie County, Pennsylvania
 • coordinates
42°4′37″N 80°14′23″W / 42.07694°N 80.23972°W / 42.07694; -80.23972[1]
 • elevation
572 ft (174 m)[2]
Length22.6 mi (36.4 km)[2]
Basin size38.1 sq mi (99 km2)[2]

Walnut Creek is a 22.6-mile (36.4 km) tributary of Lake Erie in Erie County, Pennsylvania in the United States. It has a drainage basin of 38.1 square miles (99 km2) and is part of the Lake Erie Watershed.

Walnut Creek is a popular location for steelhead fishing and is stocked with steelhead.[3] A marina near the mouth of the creek, maintained by the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission offers access for fishers as well as boat access to Lake Erie.[4]

Geography and Geology

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Walnut Creek runs through Summit, Millcreek, and Fairview Townships with the watershed also draining portions of McKean and Greene Townships.[5] The creek takes an indirect path to Lake Erie as glacial moraines deflect its flow to the west before it turns north toward the lake.[6] Like other tributaries of Lake Erie in Pennsylvania, Walnut Creek has eroded through glacial till and lake sediments and into sedimentary rock from the Devonian period, consisting mainly of shale interbedded with siltstone and sandstone. Some of these rocks contain marine fossils.[7][6]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "Walnut Creek". Geographic Names Information System. August 2, 1979. Retrieved February 13, 2009.
  2. ^ a b c d Shaw, L. C.; W. F. Busch (June 1984). Pennsylvania Gazetteer of Streams, Part II. Water Resources Bulletin. Vol. 16. Prepared in Cooperation with the United States Department of the Interior Geological Survey. Harrisburg, PA: Pennsylvania Department of Forest and Waters. p. 382.
  3. ^ "Steelhead Streams of the PA Waters of the Lake Erie Watershed : FishErie.com". www.fisherie.com. Retrieved 17 December 2024.
  4. ^ "Marinas". www.fisherie.com. Retrieved 17 December 2024.
  5. ^ "Walnut Creek Watershed" (PDF). www.erieconservation.com. Erie County Cocervation Distict. Retrieved 17 December 2024.
  6. ^ a b Katkins, Uldis; Delano, Helen L. (1999). "Chapter 31: Drainage Basins". In Shultz, Charles H. (ed.). The Geology of Pennsylvania. p. 389. ISBN 0-8182-0227-0.
  7. ^ "Walnut Creek Watershed Environmental Quality Assessment Report: Part 2-Features and Physical Charactersitics of the Watershed" (PDF). Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection. May 2007. Retrieved 17 December 2024.