Towanda Creek

Towanda Creek is a tributary of the Susquehanna River in Bradford County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. It is approximately 32.9 mile (53 km) long and flows through Canton Township, Canton, Leroy Township, Franklin Township, and Monroe Township.

Towanda Creek begins on a hill in southwestern Canton Township, near the border between Bradford County and Lycoming County. The creek flows northwest off the hill and then turns north, flowing parallel to Pennsylvania Route 14. After several miles, it turns east and passes through the community of Canton and continues east. The creek then receives the tributary Mill Creek and shortly afterwards receives Alba Creek and Beech Flats Creek. It then enters Leroy Township, where it continues flowing east and slightly north parallel to Pennsylvania Route 50. In this township, the creek receives Wallace Brook and Gulf Brook. It eventually enters Franklin Township. In this township, the creek picks up North Branch Towanda Creek. Several miles downstream, it passes to the north of Naglee Mountain and enters Monroe Township. In this township, the creek picks up the tributary South Branch Towanda Creek and turns north. A short distance later, it turns northeast and enters the Towanda Flats. A few miles later, the creek reaches its confluence with the Susquehanna River.

The major tributaries of Towanda Creek include Schrader Creek and South Branch Towanda Creek. Near Franklindale, the average monthly discharge of the creek ranges from 8.46 to 414 cubic feet per second, in August and April, respectively. The minimum monthly discharge ranges between 4.55 cubic feet per second in August to 231 cubic feet per second in December. The maximum monthly discharge ranges between 17.5 cubic feet per second in August to 1000cubic feet per second in March. The pH of Towanda Creek at Monroeton ranges from 7.4 to 8.2. The creek's specific conductance in this location ranges from 89 to 125 micro siemens per centimeter at 25 °C (77 °F). The creek's temperature ranges between 0.7 °C (33 °F) and 24.5 °C (76 °F). The water hardness in terms of the concentration of calcium carbonate ranges from 30 to 47 milligrams per liter. The total suspended solids concentration ranges from less than 5 to 452 milligrams per liter. The elevation of the creek at its source is approximately 1760 feet (536 m) above sea level. The topography of the watershed of Towanda Creek is described as "rough and hilly" in a 1921 book. Most of the watershed consists of narrow valleys and steep hills that are rounded by glaciation. The size of Towanda Creek is doubled by Schrader Creek.

Towanda Creek's name comes from a Nanticoke word for "burial ground". A gaging station was established on Towanda Creek at Monroeton in January 1914. In 1921, the largest communities in the watershed of Towanda Creek included Canton, Monroeton, New Albany, and Monroe. Their populations were 1637, 500, 413, and 403, respectively. In the early 1900s, the main industries in the watershed of Towanda Creek were woodworking, clay banks, machine shops, and agriculture. The Susquehanna, New York, and Lehigh Valley Railroad also passed through lower reaches of the watershed during this time period. The Northern Central Railroad passed through the watershed's upper reaches. The creek was also used as the power supply for a small mill in Canton.

There are some wild trout in Towanda Creek, but trout are also stocked there by the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission. Warmwater fishes are more common in the lower reaches of the creek. During a survey undertaken in 2007, a total of 33 species of fish were identified in Towanda Creek. Brown trout, brook trout, and rainbow trout are all present in the creek. Their lengths range from , , and , respectively. Smallmouth bass ranging from long and rock bass ranging from are also present. In addition, the creek contains seven shiner species, three dace species, three darter species, two minnow species (bluntnose minnow and cutlips minnow), and two chub species (creek chub and river chub). Other fish species inhabiting the creek include pumpkinseed, bluegill, green sunfish, brown bullhead, walleye, white sucker, northern hog sucker, fallfish, central stoneroller, and sculpin.

It is possible to canoe on 26.2 mile (42 km) of Towanda Creek during snowmelt or within seven days of heavy rain. The difficulty rating of the creek is 1 and is considered to be suitable for novice canoers. Edward Gertler describes the scenery along it as "good" in his book Keystone Canoeing. It is also possible to canoe on two of the creek's tributaries. In addition, angling is done on the creek.