Lucky Run (also known as Lucky Run Creek) is a

tributary A tributary, or an ''affluent'', is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream (''main stem'' or ''"parent"''), river, or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries, and the main stem river into which they ...

Keyser Creek Keyser Creek (historically known as Keyser's Creek, Beaver Run or Beaver Creek) is a tributary of the Lackawanna River in Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. It is approximately long and flows through Newton Township, Rans ...

Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania Lackawanna County (; ) is a County (United States), county in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It had a population of 215,615 in 2022. Its county seat and most populous city is Scranton, Pennsylvania, Scranton. The c ...

, in the United States. It is approximately long and flows through Ransom Township and

Scranton Scranton is a city in and the county seat of Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania, United States. With a population of 76,328 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, Scranton is the most populous city in Northeastern Pennsylvania and the ...

. The watershed of the creek has an area of . It is considered to be a Coldwater Fishery and contains trout. However, it loses flow to underground mine pools. Land uses in its watershed include forests, open space, and industrial land. A county park known as McDade Park is in the stream's vicinity.

Course

Lucky Run begins on Bald Mountain in Ransom Township. It flows down the mountain in a south-southeast direction for several tenths of a mile before turning southeast. After several tenths of a mile, it enters Scranton, crosses

Interstate 476 Interstate 476 (I-476) is a auxiliary Interstate Highway of I-76 in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. The highway runs from I-95 near Chester north to I-81 near Scranton, serving as the primary north–south Interstate corridor through ea ...

, and leaves Bald Mountain behind. For the next several tenths of a mile, it flows southeast near the border between Scranton and

Taylor Taylor, Taylors or Taylor's may refer to: People * Taylor (surname) ** List of people with surname Taylor * Taylor (given name), including Tayla and Taylah * Taylor sept, a branch of Scottish clan Cameron * Justice Taylor (disambiguation) ...

. The stream then turns east for a short distance before turning south. After a few hundred feet, it reaches its confluence with Keyser Creek. Lucky Run joins Keyser Creek upstream of its mouth.

Hydrology

In 2006, the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission either applied for or received a permit to discharge

stormwater Stormwater, also written storm water, is water that originates from precipitation (storm), including heavy rain and meltwater from hail and snow. Stormwater can soak into the soil ( infiltrate) and become groundwater, be stored on depressed lan ...

into Lucky Run for construction purposes. There is one stormwater detention facility in the watershed. The stream receives runoff from the Pennsylvania Turnpike. Lucky Run lacks any perennial flow because it loses flow to underground mine pools. For this reason, it is unlikely to attain its designated uses. In 2013, it was recommended that the stream be assessed for flow loss.

Geography, geology, and climate

The elevation near the

mouth A mouth also referred to as the oral is the body orifice through which many animals ingest food and animal communication#Auditory, vocalize. The body cavity immediately behind the mouth opening, known as the oral cavity (or in Latin), is also t ...

of Lucky Run is above

sea level Mean sea level (MSL, often shortened to sea level) is an mean, average surface level of one or more among Earth's coastal Body of water, bodies of water from which heights such as elevation may be measured. The global MSL is a type of vertical ...

. The elevation of the stream's

source Source may refer to: Research * Historical document * Historical source * Source (intelligence) or sub source, typically a confidential provider of non open-source intelligence * Source (journalism), a person, publication, publishing institute ...

is between above sea level. Lucky Run has a steep gradient. In its upper reaches, on West Mountain/Bald Mountain, the stream has a gradient of approximately per mile. However, in the relatively flat Keyser Valley, its gradient decreases to a mere per mile. A mountain known as West Mountain/Bald Mountain is partially in the watershed of Lucky Run. This mountain has an elevation of above sea level and is part of the

Allegheny Front The Allegheny Front is the major southeast- or east-facing escarpment in the Allegheny Mountains in southern Pennsylvania, western Maryland, eastern West Virginia, and western Virginia. The Allegheny Front forms the boundary between the Ridge-an ...

. The stream has a shallow streambank that has been restored with concrete and stone. It flows through ten

pipes Pipe(s), PIPE(S) or piping may refer to: Objects * Pipe (fluid conveyance), a hollow cylinder following certain dimension rules ** Piping, the use of pipes in industry * Smoking pipe ** Tobacco pipe * Half-pipe and quarter pipe, semi-circu ...

whose diameters range from . The headwaters of Lucky Run are in springs and

wetland A wetland is a distinct semi-aquatic ecosystem whose groundcovers are flooded or saturated in water, either permanently, for years or decades, or only seasonally. Flooding results in oxygen-poor ( anoxic) processes taking place, especially ...

s on Bald Mountain. One reach of the stream flows over land that has been heavily strip mined. A reach of it was removed by strip mining in the 1940s, but a rock-lined channel was constructed for the stream in the 1970s. In 2001, the Lackawanna River Watershed Conservation Plan recommended that the stream channel of Lucky Run be restored from McDade Park downstream to its mouth. At that time, the Pennsylvania Bureau of Abandoned Mine Reclamation was near to completing a project involving sealing of the stream's streambed to prevent infiltration into a mine pool. On 45 percent of Lucky Run, an impervious surface was observed. There is substantial tree debris rerouting the stream and parts of it experience

erosion Erosion is the action of surface processes (such as Surface runoff, water flow or wind) that removes soil, Rock (geology), rock, or dissolved material from one location on the Earth's crust#Crust, Earth's crust and then sediment transport, tran ...

. In early May 2013, the temperature in the vicinity of Lucky Run was measured to be .

Watershed

The

watershed Watershed may refer to: Hydrology * Drainage divide, the line that separates neighbouring drainage basins * Drainage basin, an area of land where surface water converges (North American usage) Music * Watershed Music Festival, an annual country ...

of Lucky Run has an area of . A large area of the watershed is in Ransom Township and smaller areas are in Scranton and Taylor. The watershed is in the southwestern part of the Lackawanna River watershed. The stream is entirely within the

United States Geological Survey The United States Geological Survey (USGS), founded as the Geological Survey, is an agency of the U.S. Department of the Interior whose work spans the disciplines of biology, geography, geology, and hydrology. The agency was founded on Mar ...

quadrangle of Scranton. Lucky Run is a first-order tributary of Keyser Creek. The part of its watershed that is on West Mountain/Bald Mountain is mainly

forest A forest is an ecosystem characterized by a dense ecological community, community of trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, ...

ed. Other land uses in the watershed include open space and industrial land. The stream's mouth is at an

industrial park An industrial park, also known as industrial estate or trading estate, is an area zoned and planned for the purpose of industrial development. An industrial park can be thought of as a more heavyweight version of a business park or office par ...

known as Stauffer Industrial Park. Major roads and bridges in the watershed include Keyser Avenue and Park Edge Lane.

History

Lucky Run was entered into the

Geographic Names Information System The Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) is a database of name and location information about more than two million physical and cultural features, encompassing the United States and its territories; the Compact of Free Association, asso ...

on August 2, 1979. Its identifier in the Geographic Names Information System is 1199095. A

culvert A culvert is a structure that channels water past an obstacle or to a subterranean waterway. Typically embedded so as to be surrounded by soil, a culvert may be made from a pipe (fluid conveyance), pipe, reinforced concrete or other materia ...

under Keyser Avenue in the watershed of Lucky Run was repaired in 2013 and 2014.

Biology

Wild

trout Trout (: trout) is a generic common name for numerous species of carnivorous freshwater ray-finned fishes belonging to the genera '' Oncorhynchus'', ''Salmo'' and ''Salvelinus'', all of which are members of the subfamily Salmoninae in the ...

naturally reproduce in Lucky Run from its headwaters downstream to its mouth. The creek is designated as a Coldwater Fishery. The

riparian area A riparian zone or riparian area is the interface between land and a river or stream. In some regions, the terms riparian woodland, riparian forest, riparian buffer zone, riparian corridor, and riparian strip are used to characterize a ripar ...

of Lucky Run has sparse areas of trees. It consists of forested land and grassland. The stream's bank is covered with

knotweed Knotweed is a common name for plants in several genera in the family Polygonaceae. Knotweed may refer to: * ''Fallopia'' * ''Persicaria'' * ''Polygonum'' * ''Reynoutria'' ** ''Reynoutria japonica'' or Japanese knotweed, a highly invasive species in ...

Recreation

A county park known as McDade Park is in the watershed of Lucky Run. It was established in the 1970s. In 2001, the Lackawanna River Watershed Conservation Plan proposed a trail and

greenway Greenway or Greenways may refer to: * Greenway (landscape), a linear park focused on a trail or bike path * Another term for bicycle boulevards in some jurisdictions * European Greenways Association, an association for sustainable transport Peopl ...

linking the Lackawanna River Heritage Trail to McDade Park via the stream corridors of Lucky Run and Keyser Creek. Additionally, the Lackawanna Coal Mine Tour site is in the stream's vicinity.

References

External links

Google Street View image of Lucky Run
{{authority control Rivers of Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania Tributaries of the Lackawanna River Rivers of Pennsylvania