Susquehanna River
Solen Clark
The Susquehanna River is the main waterway of the Chesapeake Bay watershed with almost 50,000 miles of tributaries. This watershed covers a little over 27,000 square miles across three states and is the source of drinking water for over 6 million people.
It is one of the largest rivers in the eastern seaboard, and one of the oldest river systems in the world. Headwaters of the northern branch begin in Cooperstown, NY, while a western branch begins in Carrolltown, PA. The two branches join together in Sunbury, PA.
The graph to the right shows the discharge of the Susquehanna River (from 2012-present) in cubic feet per second at Harrisburg, PA.
A seasonal pattern is apparent in this diagram, with discharge at its highest in the spring and lowest in the fall, from year-to-year with some variability present.
This graph shows the gage height in feet of the Susquehanna River in Harrisburg, PA from 2012-present. In this timespan, the water had only crossed the flood-stage one time.
This graph shows the temperature of the Susquehanna River water in degrees Celsius and Fahrenheit from 2012-present. Seasonal variability is apparent.
In this section, the monthly precipitation data (in inches of rainfall), as well as the maximum and minimum temperatures (in degrees Fahrenheit), are presented for two cities along the Susquehanna River within the Chesapeake Bay watershed.
This graph shows the climatological data for Binghamton, NY (upstream).
This graph shows the climatological data for Harrisburg, PA (downstream).
This table shows the breakdown of the land coverage within the Susquehanna River Basin. Forest land covers the most area, followed by agricultural land.
The Susquehanna River was formed 300 million years ago during the Carboniferous Period. Covered in thick, swampy forests, this area produced a lot peat, which over time became deposits of coal. The mining of this coal during the industrial revolution would become a source of pollution millions of years later.
This mountain ranges that surround the Susquehanna are younger than the river itself, meaning the mountains and valleys formed around the river, rather than the river shaping the valleys.
This image is from the top of Hyner View State Park, which I have visited a few times along the West Branch of the Susquehanna.
Important to Native American tribes, as well as new colonial settlements, the Susquehanna was a popular shipping and transportation route, although it was never commercially navigable due to its wide, but shallow waters.
The image to the right depicts a steamboat attempting to travel northward up the Susquehanna, however this was not very practical due to the shallow and rocky waters.
Dams were built in some areas to allow ferry boat travel across the river.
During colonial times and the Industrial Revolution, the Susquehanna was used to ship products such as lumber, brick, and clay, which played a large role in the economic growth of the towns and counties along the river. Many factories were built along the river to harness moving water to power various mills and coal machinery.
Today, the Susquehanna River is a major contributor of the Pennsylvania Wilds tourism, helping to create jobs, increase environmental protection efforts, and improve the quality of life of Pennsylvania residents.
The Susquehanna River is the largest contributor of freshwater to the Chesapeake Bay (about 50%), discharging about 19 million gallons of water per minute at the mouth in Havre de Grace, MD.
Because so much of the Chesapeake Bay water is sourced from the Susquehanna River and its watershed, it's important to the wildlife and the human inhabitants of the Chesapeake Bay that this water is free of sediment and pollutants. However...
- Runoff from farmlands within the watershed deposit unhealthy amounts of nitrogen and phosphorous into the bay
- Sediment flows from colonial-era mills
- Abandoned coal mines discharge acidic water into the river and eventually enters the bay
These pollutants can cause detrimental environmental, ecological, and economical damage. PA and NY have been falling short of their watershed cleanup commitment, and future litigation will hopefully prompt a more intensive cleanup.
Luckily, in 2020 the dead zone of the Chesapeake Bay (caused by agricultural runoff) was much smaller due to efforts to reduce excess nutrients from entering the bay and mild weather.
