Turtle Creek (Monongahela River)
| Turtle Creek | |
|---|---|
 1751 map depicting "Turtle C" near top, just left of center | |
| Origin | 40°25′39″N 79°34′37″W / 40.4275675°N 79.5769871°W |
| Mouth | 40°23′23″N 79°51′07″W / 40.3897913°N 79.8519929°W |
| Basin countries | United States |
| Mouth elevation | 722 feet (220 meters) |
| River system | Monongahela River |
Turtle Creek is a 21.1-mile-long (34.0 km)[1] tributary of the Monongahela River in Allegheny and Westmoreland counties in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania.[2] At its juncture with the Monongahela is Braddock, Pennsylvania, where the Battle of the Monongahela ("Braddock's Defeat") was fought in 1755. In the mid-19th century, the Pennsylvania Railroad laid tracks along the stream as part of its Main Line from Philadelphia to Pittsburgh.
Course
The headwaters of Turtle Creek are in Delmont. The stream flows west and enters the Monongahela River at North Versailles Township.
History
In 1742 John Fraser built a cabin along the creek. He may have been the first Anglo-American settler west of the Allegheny Mountains. Turtle Creek was named by George Washington during his travels to the Pittsburgh area during the French and Indian War. He noted in his journal of his travels a stream with a large number of turtles basking, which is the present-day Turtle Creek. Turtle Creek no longer has any turtles living in it, although cleanup efforts are underway. The coal mines in Export, Pennsylvania, had runoff from their spoil banks flow directly into Turtle Creek, thus making it too acidic to support life. Current cleanup methods include dumping large amounts of lime chips, in an effort to neutralize the pH level of the water, making it hospitable for aquatic life again.
Watershed
The Turtle Creek watershed is the region drained by Turtle Creek. Sixty-six percent of its area is in Westmoreland County, with the balance in Allegheny County. Turtle Creek's source is in Delmont, Westmoreland County and its mouth on the Monongahela River is in North Versailles Township, Allegheny County. The watershed's area is 147.41 square miles (381.79 km2). It drains forests, farmlands, abandoned mines, and urban and suburban communities. 33 municipalities span the watershed. The lower watershed drains a heavily industrial area between the cities of Pittsburgh and McKeesport.[3]
Subwatersheds include the following:
- Abers Creek 10.64 square miles (27.56 km2)
- Ardmore Run 3.16 square miles (8.18 km2)
- Lower Brush Creek 17.43 square miles (45.14 km2)
- Upper Brush Creek 26.13 square miles (67.68 km2)
- Bushy Run 13.94 square miles (36.10 km2)
- Dirty Camp Run 3.23 square miles (8.37 km2)
- Haymaker Run 10.97 square miles (28.41 km2)
- Lyons Run 8.78 square miles (22.74 km2)
- Sawmill Run 2.02 square miles (5.23 km2)
- Steel's Run 4.81 square miles (12.46 km2)
- Thompson Run 15.87 square miles (41.10 km2)
- Lower Turtle Creek 10.02 square miles (25.95 km2)
- Middle Turtle Creek 7.43 square miles (19.24 km2)
- Upper Turtle Creek 12.98 square miles (33.62 km2).
See also
References
- ↑ U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data. The National Map, accessed August 15, 2011
- ↑ "Turtle Creek". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey. Retrieved 2010-11-24.
- ↑ Turtle Tracks, Fall 2000