| Descriptions of the Buffalo Creek WatershedLocation of Buffalo Creek in central Pennsylvania Buffalo Creek Watershed in Union County
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Summary of the Assessments of Buffalo Creek A
Physical, Chemical, and Biological Assessment
of Buffalo Creek
The topography varies from steeply sloped mountainous areas in the northern portion to rolling hills with gentle slopes in the valley floor to the south. Major tributaries of Buffalo Creek include Little Buffalo Creek, the North Branch of Buffalo Creek, Spruce Run, and Rapid Run. The North Branch and Spruce Run are both used for public water supplies. The North Branch has received the highest quality rating of the PA Department of Environmental Protection--an Exceptional Value watershed from its headwaters to the Mifflinburg public water intake. The rating means that it is an outstanding national, state, regional, or local resource. Spruce Run and Rapid Run (which flows from Raymond B. Winter State Park to the village of Cowan ) are both rated as High Quality-Cold Water Fisheries. They are streams that have excellent water quality and environmental or other features that require special protection. These streams support species indigenous to cold-water habitat, notably trout. A segment of the main branch of Buffalo Creek has the same High Quality rating from its headwaters to the bridge at Pleasant Grove. Other tributaries--Little Buffalo Creek and Beaver Run--are rated as Cold Water Fisheries. Though the bulk of the trout fishery is supported by stocking done by the PA Fish and Boat Commission, these and other tributaries are capable of producing and sustaining a limited stock of native brook trout. Because those fish are very sensitive to changes in water quality and temperature, their presence is indicative of healthy streams. Underlying an appreciable part of the watershed is a carbonate aquifer which runs roughly east and west. It supplies good water to many wells, mostly private ones. A valuable but delicate resource, it is potentially vulnerable to pollution from surface waters and to structural disturbance by instability in the surrounding rock. The primary land use in the watershed is forest cover. Located primarily in the headwater areas of Bald Eagle State Forest , 60% of the watershed is forested. Another 34% is used in agricultural production--as cropland, pasture, produce gardening, and the like. Approximately 6% of the area is developed for residential, commercial, and industrial uses. In recent decades, several municipalities in the watershed have experienced a steady growth of population and consequently of development. This has been especially true of the Route 45 corridor and the area in and around the Borough of Mifflinburg. The borough has been gaining residents at a rate above 3% annually, which contrasts with the concurrent loss of residents in most PA boroughs. Some townships in the area have also been growing, notably West Buffalo and Limestone, which have had population gains above 10% in the past 10 years. |
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Buffalo Creek is approximately 28 miles long. Its watershed or drainage area covers 85,760 acres or 134 square miles. The watershed includes the central part of Union County and a small portion of eastern Centre County . Parts of 9 townships in Union County and 2 in Center County are included, with two boroughs--Mifflinburg and Lewisburg--and several rural villages--Cowan, Mazeppa, Forest Hill, Vicksburg , Kelly Crossroads, Buffalo Crossroads, and Pleasant Grove. 
