Harveys Creek

Tributary of the Susquehanna River in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania

Harveys Creek (also known as Harvey Creek or Harvey's Creek) is a tributary of the Susquehanna River in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. It is approximately 14.5 mile (23 km) long and flows through Harveys Lake, Lake Township, Lehman Township, Jackson Township, and Plymouth Township. The creek's watershed has an area of 46.3 square miles (120 km2). The creek has four named tributaries, which are known as Bear Hollow Creek, Paint Spring Run, Pikes Creek, and East Fork Harveys Creek. The watershed is designated as a High Quality Coldwater Fishery and a Migratory Fishery above Pikes Creek and as a Coldwater Fishery and a Migratory Fishery below it. The creek's source is Harveys Lake, the largest natural lake in Pennsylvania. Harveys Creek was used as a water supply as early as the beginning of the 1900s. A number of bridges have been constructed over the creek since the 1920s, and it has been dammed by the Bryant Pond Dam. It is possible to canoe on part of the creek. Rock formations consisting of sandstone and shale occur in the watershed.

Harveys Creek begins in Harveys Lake in the community of Harveys Lake. The creek flows southwest and soon enters Lake Township. A short distance downstream, it picks up the tributary Bear Hollow Creek and turns south for several miles. The creek receives the tributary Paint Spring Run during this stretch. It eventually enters Lehman Township and turns southeast, crossing Pennsylvania Route 118. Slightly more than a mile (two kilometers) downstream, the creek turns south again. It eventually enters Jackson Township, where it crosses Pennsylvania Route 29 and picks up the tributary Pikes Creek. It then turns southeast and enters a valley, where it flows roughly parallel to Pennsylvania Route 29 for a number of miles. The creek enters Plymouth Township and soon afterwards turns abruptly southwest. Several miles downstream it enters the community of West Nanticoke. Here, it crosses U. S. Route 11 and reaches its confluence with the Susquehanna River.

Harveys Creek has four named tributaries: Bear Hollow Creek, Paint Spring Run, Pikes Creek, and East Fork Harveys Creek. Bear Hollow Creek joins Harveys Creek in the latter creek's upper reaches. However, it is not considered to be impaired, although its tributary East Fork Harveys Creek is. In the mid 1970s, the specific conductance of Harveys Creek at West Nanticoke ranged from 70 to 90 micro siemens. The pH of the creek ranged from 6.5 to 7.8 and the concentration of dissolved oxygen ranged between 9.7 and 12.0 milligrams per liter. The concentration of water hardness ranged from 27 to 37 milligrams per liter. During this time period, the concentration of carbon dioxide in the waters of Harveys Creek at West Nanticoke ranged from 0.3 to 8.7 milligrams per liter. The concentration of ammonia ranged from 0.026 to 0.077 milligrams per liter, the concentration of nitrogen in the form of nitrates ranged from 0.90 to 1.82 milligrams per liter, and the concentration of nitrogen in the form of nitrites ranged between 0.026 and 0.048 milligrams per liter. The concentration of phosphorus ranged from 0.040 to 0.160 milligrams per liter and the sulfate concentration ranged from 8.0 to 12.0 milligrams per liter. The chloride concentration ranged from 5.0 to 90.0 milligrams per liter. The concentration of magnesium in the waters of Harveys Creek at West Nanticoke ranged from 2.00 to 4.75 milligrams per liter. The concentration of calcium ranged between 6.40 and 8.80 milligrams per liter. The concentration of iron ranged from 120 to 740 micrograms per liter. Upstream of the tributary Paint Spring Run, the peak annual discharge of Harveys Creek has a 10 percent chance of reaching 710 cubic feet per second. It has a 2 percent chance of reaching 1291 cubic feet per second and a 1 percent chance of reaching 1607 cubic feet per second. The peak annual discharge has a 0.2 percent chance of reaching 2553 cubic feet per second. The creek's water temperature is typically low, even in the summer. During the 1970s, the water temperature of the creek was as low as in the winter and as high as in the spring and summer. Much of Harveys Creek, in its lower reaches, is in a forested gorge. It flows in a generally southward direction.

The watershed of Harveys Creek has an area of 46.3 square miles (120 km2). Harveys Creek and its tributary Pikes Creek are used by the Pennsylvania American Water Company Ceasetown as a water supply for part or all of 15 municipalities and communities, including Wilkes Barre, Nanticoke, Shickshinny, and others. As of 2002, the creeks supply 67,500 people with water. Pennsylvania American Water Company Ceasetown is permitted to take 16 million gallons of water per day from them.

The United States Board on Geographic Names made an official decision pertaining to Harveys Creek in 1950. Harveys Creek was entered into the Geographic Names Information System on August 2, 1979. Its identifier in the Geographic Names Information System is 1217352. In December 1775, a battle known as Plunkett's Battle was fought along the Susquehanna River very close to the creek. This battle was one of the major battles in the Yankee Pennamite Wars. The first schoolhouse in the lower part of Plymouth Township was built by Jameson Harvey near the mouth of Harveys Creek in 1834. The first mill in Lehman Township was built on the creek in 1837. In 1849, Johnathan Williams constructed a small mill on the creek.

A steel girder and floorbeam system bridge carrying T 486/East Poplar Street was constructed over Harveys Creek in 1924. It is 53.2 feet (16 m) long. A two span concrete tee beam bridge carrying Pennsylvania Route 29 over the creek was built in 1927 and repaired in 1980. It is in Jackson Township and is 78.1 feet (24 m) long. In 1935, another two span concrete tee beam bridge, this one carrying Pennsylvania Route 118, was constructed over the creek. It is 56.1 feet (17 m) long and is in Lehman Township. Another two span bridge, this one a steel stringer bridge, was constructed over the creek in Lehman Township in 1952. It is 69.9 feet (21 m) long and carries State Route 1016. A four span steel culvert bridge carrying State Route 1048/Meeker Road over Harveys Creek was built in 1977. It is 29.9 feet (9 m) long and is in Lehman Township. In 1992, a prestressed box beam bridge was built over the creek. It is 39.0 feet (12 m) long and carries T 497/Pavlick Road. A bridge of the same type and length, but carrying T 499/Zbick Road was built over the creek in 1993. One more bridge of the same type was built over the creek in Lehman Township in 1997. It is 40.0 feet (12 m) long and carries State Route 1059/Fedor Road. Wild trout naturally reproduce in a stretch of the creek from Meeker Outlet Road/T810, downstream to its mouth. This stretch is 10.86 mile (17 km) long. Harveys Creek is inhabited by brown trout and native brook trout. It is stocked with fish. In the late 1980s, Harveys Creek was the most popular trout stream in Luzerne County.