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| Tributaries of the Susquehanna River | |
|---|---|
| Name | Susquehanna River Tributaries |
| Caption | Major tributaries of the Susquehanna River basin |
| Country | United States |
| States | New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland |
Tributaries of the Susquehanna River
The Susquehanna River tributary network drains a large portion of New York, Pennsylvania, and Maryland into the Chesapeake Bay. The system connects landscapes shaped by the Allegheny Plateau, the Appalachian Mountains, and the Piedmont and has been central to the histories of Haudenosaunee, Lenape, colonial settlers, and modern agencies like the U.S. Geological Survey and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The tributaries feed reservoirs, support navigation tied to the Erie Canal corridor influences, and intersect conservation efforts by groups such as the Chesapeake Bay Program and the Susquehanna River Basin Commission.
The Susquehanna River mainstem forms from the confluence of the West Branch Susquehanna River and the North Branch Susquehanna River near Northumberland, Pennsylvania, receiving flows from tributaries including the Chemung River, the Juniata River, and the Conestoga River, while eventually entering the Chesapeake Bay near Havre de Grace, Maryland. The basin spans watersheds influenced by Glacial Lake Tight and the Pleistocene legacy, with tributaries crossing political units such as Bradford County, Pennsylvania, Susquehanna County, Pennsylvania, Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, and Harford County, Maryland. Management involves entities like the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and state departments such as the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection.
Major northern tributaries include the Chemung River draining through Elmira, New York and connecting to the Cohocton River and Tioga River, while the North Branch Susquehanna River receives the Sullivan County streams and the Lackawanna River near Scranton, Pennsylvania. On the western side, the West Branch Susquehanna River includes large tributaries such as the Clearfield Creek, Bald Eagle Creek, and the Kiskiminetas River system bordering Allegheny landscapes. Central basin contributors include the Juniata River with subtributaries like the Raystown Branch Juniata River and the Conodoguinet Creek that flows past Carlisle, Pennsylvania. Lower-basin feeders include the Conowingo Reservoir inflows from the Gunpowder River and the Octoraro Creek near Oxford, Pennsylvania.
Upper Susquehanna tributaries in New York and northern Pennsylvania comprise the Chenango River, Otselic River, and the Tioughnioga River that reflect influences from Cortland County, New York, Broome County, New York, and Bradford County, Pennsylvania. Middle Susquehanna tributaries traverse the Pocono Mountains margins and include the Lackawaxen River and the Lackawanna River in the Scranton-Wilkes-Barre region, as well as the Mahantango Creek and Swatara Creek near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Lower Susquehanna tributaries draining to Maryland and southern Pennsylvania include the Octoraro Creek, Gunpowder River, and Rock Run while crossing jurisdictions like Lancaster County, Pennsylvania and Baltimore County, Maryland.
Hydrologic behavior of tributaries is influenced by seasonal snowmelt in Upstate New York and rain events from convective systems tied to Atlantic hurricane season remnants, producing variable discharge monitored by USGS stream gauges at sites near Pittston, Pennsylvania and Tunkhannock, Pennsylvania. Sediment transport from agricultural watersheds in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania and legacy mining drainage in Blair County, Pennsylvania affect turbidity and nutrient loads tracked by the Environmental Protection Agency. Flood history includes events tied to Hurricane Agnes and the Great Flood of 1972, with structural responses including dams operated by the Tennessee Valley Authority-style regional authorities and floodplains mapped by FEMA.
Tributaries support habitats for anadromous fishes such as American shad, alewife, and hickory shad, and host freshwater mussel assemblages protected under listings by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Degraded sections face issues from nonpoint source pollution in agricultural subwatersheds near York County, Pennsylvania and urban runoff in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania and Binghamton, New York, prompting restoration projects by the Chesapeake Conservancy, PennFuture, and local watershed associations like the Brandywine Conservancy model. Dam removals on tributaries such as the Espy Run and fish passage projects on the Shamokin Creek illustrate collaborative conservation among The Nature Conservancy, state agencies, and university researchers at Penn State University.
Tributaries enabled Indigenous trade routes used by the Haudenosaunee and later powered mills during the Industrial Revolution in towns like Lock Haven, Pennsylvania and Williamsport, Pennsylvania. Canals such as the Susquehanna Canal and connections to the Pennsylvania Main Line of Public Works facilitated coal and lumber transport from basins including Cambria County, Pennsylvania and Bradford County, Pennsylvania, while modern economy sectors involving agriculture in Pennsylvania and aquaculture depend on water from tributaries. Historic floods stimulated reforms in water management including interstate compacts exemplified by the Susquehanna River Basin Compact and planning by the Interstate Commission on the Potomac River Basin for downstream Chesapeake Bay impacts.
New York: notable tributaries include the Chenango River (Broome County), Otselic River (Cortland County), Tioughnioga River (Cortland County), Chenango Creek (Madison County), and the Canisteo River (Steuben County). Pennsylvania: major tributaries by counties include the North Branch Susquehanna River (Bradford County, Wyoming County), West Branch Susquehanna River (Clearfield County, Clinton County), Juniata River (Juniata County, Huntingdon County), Conestoga River (Lancaster County), Swatara Creek (Lebanon County, Dauphin County), Mahantango Creek (Snyder County, Northumberland County), Lackawanna River (Lackawanna County), Susquehanna River-affiliated creeks such as Mahoning Creek (Armstrong County), and numerous smaller streams in York County, Pennsylvania and Chester County, Pennsylvania. Maryland: tributaries include Gunpowder River (Baltimore County), Octoraro Creek (Cecil County), Rock Run (Harford County), and the tidal mouths near Havre de Grace, Maryland at Susquehanna Flats.