Murderkill River
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| Murderkill River | |
|---|---|
 The Murderkill River downstream of Killens Pond in 2006
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| Country | United States |
| State | Delaware |
| Length | 20 mi (32 km) approximately[1] |
| Watershed | 106 sq mi (275 km²) [1] |
| Source | |
| - location | near Felton |
| - coordinates | [2] |
| Mouth | Delaware Bay |
| - location | Bowers |
| - coordinates | [2] |
| - elevation | 3 ft (1 m) [2] |
The Murderkill River is a river flowing to Delaware Bay in central Delaware in the United States. It is approximately 20 mi (32 km) long and drains an area of 106 square miles (275 km²) on the Atlantic Coastal Plain.
The Murderkill flows for its entire length in southern Kent County. It rises just west of Felton and flows generally east-northeastwardly, through Killen Pond[3] (site of Killens Pond State Park[4]) and Coursey Pond,[5] and past Frederica to Bowers, where it enters Delaware Bay about 0.5 miles (1 km) south of the mouth of the St. Jones River.[6] The Murderkill River is tidally influenced from its mouth upstream to just past Frederica,[1] and is considered by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to be navigable for the lower 10 miles (16 km) of its course.[7]
According to 2002 data from the United States Environmental Protection Agency, 55% of the area of the Murderkill River's watershed is occupied by agricultural uses; 17% is forested; 14% is urban; 9% is wetland; and 2% is water.[1]
The river has suffered a persistent pollution from eutrophication and organic waste in agricultural runoff. Its estuary is considered to have abnormally low rates of dissolved oxygen.[citation needed]
[edit] Variant names
According to the Geographic Names Information System, the Murderkill River has also been known historically as:[2]
- Mordare Kijhlen
- Mother Creek
- Mother Kill
- Motherkill
- Motherkiln Creek
- Mothers Creek
- Murder Kill Creek
- Murther Creek
- Murtherkill
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d United States Environmental Protection Agency (2005). Decision Rationale: Total Maximum Daily Load Analysis for the Murderkill River Watershed pp.3-4.. Retrieved on 2007-01-30.
- ^ a b c d Geographic Names Information System. GNIS entry for Murderkill River (Feature ID #214364). Retrieved on 2007-01-30.
- ^ Geographic Names Information System. GNIS entry for Killen Pond (Feature ID #217871). Retrieved on 2007-01-30.
- ^ Killens Pond State Park website. Retrieved on 2007-01-30.
- ^ Geographic Names Information System. GNIS entry for Coursey Pond (Feature ID #213834). Retrieved on 2007-01-30.
- ^ DeLorme (2004). Maryland Delaware Atlas & Gazetteer. p.52. Yarmouth, Maine: DeLorme. ISBN 0-89933-279-X.
- ^ U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Philadelphia District. Navigable waterways of the Philadelphia District.. Retrieved on 2007-01-30.
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