Fishing Creek is a tributary of the Susquehanna River, in Columbia County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. Hydrology involves the discharge, the pH, the chemical hydrology, the dams, and the water temperature. Data has been gathered from a United States Geological Survey gauging station near Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania. The pH of the waters in the Fishing Creek watershed ranges from 4.9 to 8.5 in various places.
Discharge Approximately 1 mile (2 km) downstream of Orangeville, Fishing Creek's discharge averages 615 cubic feet per second (17.4 m3/s) per second and its median discharge is 361 cubic feet per second (10.2 m3/s) second. The creek's lowest recorded discharge rate in that location is 90 cubic feet per second (2.5 m3/s) in 1962 and its highest was 2,580 cubic feet per second (73 m3/s) in 1981. Further upstream, in Benton, Fishing Creek's discharge is almost always less than 720 cubic feet per second (20 m3/s), and is far lower during the summer, usually approaching 0. The typical discharge of Fishing Creek at this location is around 540 cubic feet per second (15 m3/s). The streambeds of West Branch and East Branch Fishing Creeks commonly run dry in the summer. In dry years, they are dry for 105 days on average, while in wet years they are on average dry for 5 days. At a stream gauging station near Bloomsburg, Fishing Creek's discharge ranged between 10 cubic feet per second (0.28 m3/s) and 5,350 cubic feet per second (151 m3/s) between 2002 and 2012. The lowest discharge recorded during this time occurred on November 9, 2004. The highest discharge recorded during this time occurred on September 23, 2003.
pH Near Benton, Fishing Creek's pH ranges from around 5.6 to around 7.25. Near Camp Lavigne, it ranges from 5.5 to 7.1. East Branch Fishing Creek is the only stream in the watershed whose pH drops below 5.5. Its pH can be as low as 4.9. West Creek and Coles Creek are the least acidic streams in the Fishing Creek watershed. Their pH is usually above 6.3 and often above 7. Typically, Fishing Creek and its tributaries are not at risk for being too acidic for the optimal health of fish, but in early spring during snowmelts, the pH levels near the limit that brook trout can tolerate. Fishing Creek's waters are acidic due to acid rain. The waters of Fishing Creek at a gauging station near Bloomsburg had pH levels ranging from 5.8 to 8.5 between 2002 and 2012. The lowest pH during that time (5.8) occurred on December 17, 2003. The highest pH during that time (8.5) occurred on February 14, 2012. The average pH during that time and at that location was 7.242.
Dissolved nonmetals The concentration of dissolved oxygen in Fishing Creek has been measured to range from approximately 5 to 17.5 milligrams per liter at Benton. In a 14-month period from May 2010 to July 2011, the dissolved oxygen level for the streams in the Fishing Creek watershed was highest in February 2011 and lowest in June, July, or August 2010, depending on the stream. A site on Fishing Creek, near Camp Lavigne, had slightly less fluctuation; there it ranged from 8 to 17 milligrams per liter of dissolved oxygen. The concentration of hydrogen ions in the waters of Fishing Creek near Bloomsburg between 2002 and 2012 ranged from 0.00001 to 0.00153 milligrams per liter. The date of the lowest concentration of hydrogen ions at that location was on March 1 and July 16, 2003. The date of the highest concentration of hydrogen ions at the location on the creek was December 17, 2003. The average concentration of hydrogen ions was 0.0001 milligrams per liter. The total concentration of nitrogen in the waters of Fishing Creek at the gauging station near Bloomsburg between 2002 and 2012 ranged from 0.52 to 2.8 milligrams per liter. The date during which the lowest concentration of nitrogen occurred was October 14, 2009. The date of the highest concentration was on January 13, 2003. The average concentration of nitrogen between 2002 and 2012 was 1.212 milligrams per liter.
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