Appoquinimink River

Appoquinimink River
River
The Appoquinimink River in Odessa in 2006
Country United States
State Delaware
Source
 - location Near Townsend
 - elevation 23 ft (7 m) (at Wiggins Mill Pond, approx. 1 mi/2 km downstream of source)[1]
 - coordinates 39°22′52″N 75°44′14″W / 39.38111°N 75.73722°W / 39.38111; -75.73722 [2]
Mouth Delaware Bay
 - location Near Odessa
 - elevation 0 ft (0 m) [2]
 - coordinates 39°26′52″N 75°34′49″W / 39.44778°N 75.58028°W / 39.44778; -75.58028Coordinates: 39°26′52″N 75°34′49″W / 39.44778°N 75.58028°W / 39.44778; -75.58028 [2]
Length 15 mi (24 km) [3]
Basin 47 sq mi (122 km2) [4]
Location of the mouth of the Appoquinimink River

The Appoquinimink River is a river flowing to Delaware Bay in northern Delaware in the United States. The river is 15.3 miles (24.6 km) long[3] and drains an area of 47 square miles (120 km2) on the Atlantic Coastal Plain.

The Appoquinimink flows for its entire length in southern New Castle County. It rises approximately 2 miles (3 km) west of Townsend and flows generally eastwardly, south of Middletown and past Odessa, to its mouth at the northern end of Delaware Bay, approximately 3 miles (5 km) east of Odessa.[5] In its upper course the river passes through two man-made lakes, Wiggins Mill Pond[1] and Noxontown Lake;[6] the river is tidal to the dam at Noxontown Lake, and salinity from Delaware Bay typically affects the lowermost 5 miles (8 km) of the river.[7] The lower 7 miles (11 km) of the river are considered to be navigable by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.[8]

It collects three named tributaries along its course:[5] From the north, Deep Creek, 4.2 miles (6.8 km) long[4] (also known historically as the "North Appoquinimink River"[9]); and Drawyers Creek,[10] 8.2 miles (13.2 km) long;[4] and from the south, Hangmans Run.[11]

According to 2002 data from the United States Environmental Protection Agency, 54.9% of the Appoquinimink River watershed is occupied by agricultural uses (predominantly soybeans, corn, and wheat); 15.1% is residential; 9.9% is wetland; and 8.8% is forested.[12]

In 2004, a non-profit group, The Appoquinimink River Association, was founded with a mission to protect the water and natural resources in the region surrounding the Appoquinimink River.[13]

Variant names and spellings

The United States Board on Geographic Names issued a decision clarifying the stream's name in 1950. According to the Geographic Names Information System, the Appoquinimink River has also been known historically as:[2]

  • Apequinemy River
  • Apoquemene Creek
  • Apoquiminy Creek
  • Apoquin Creek
  • Apoquinemy Creek
  • Apoquinimune Creek
  • Apoqunimy Creek
  • Appaquinimink Creek
  • Appoquenema Kill
  • Appoquenimi Creeke
  • Appoquinimink Creek
  • Appoquinimunk Creek
  • Appquenemink Creek
  • Drawyer Creek
  • Minques Kil
  • Minques Kill
  • Opoquenin Creek
  • Opoquimony Creek
  • Opoquimorn Creek
  • Oppequimina Creek
  • Oppoquenmin Creek
  • Oppoquenmink River

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Geographic Names Information System. "GNIS entry for Wiggins Mill Pond (Feature ID #216865)". Retrieved 2007-02-05.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Geographic Names Information System. "GNIS entry for Appoquinimink River (Feature ID #213568)". Retrieved 2007-02-05.
  3. 1 2 U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data. The National Map Archived 2012-04-05 at WebCite, accessed April 1, 2011
  4. 1 2 3 United States Environmental Protection Agency (December 2003). "Nutrient and Dissolved Oxygen TMDL Development for Appoquinimink River, Delaware.". p. 3. Retrieved 2007-02-05.
  5. 1 2 DeLorme (2004). Maryland Delaware Atlas & Gazetteer. p.61, pp.78-79. Yarmouth, Maine: DeLorme. ISBN 0-89933-279-X.
  6. ↑ Geographic Names Information System. "GNIS entry for Noxontown Lake (Feature ID #214395)". Retrieved 2007-02-05.
  7. ↑ United States Environmental Protection Agency (December 2003). "Nutrient and Dissolved Oxygen TMDL Development for Appoquinimink River, Delaware.". pp. 1–3. Retrieved 2007-02-05.
  8. ↑ U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Philadelphia District. "Navigable waterways of the Philadelphia District.". Retrieved 2007-02-05.
  9. ↑ Geographic Names Information System. "GNIS entry for Deep Creek (Feature ID #213864)". Retrieved 2007-02-05.
  10. ↑ Geographic Names Information System. "GNIS entry for Drawyers Creek (Feature ID #213905)". Retrieved 2007-02-05.
  11. ↑ Geographic Names Information System. "GNIS entry for Hangmans Run (Feature ID #214053)". Retrieved 2007-02-05.
  12. ↑ United States Environmental Protection Agency (December 2003). "Nutrient and Dissolved Oxygen TMDL Development for Appoquinimink River, Delaware.". pp. Section Two, p.4. Retrieved 2007-02-05.
  13. ↑ "Appoquinimink River Association". Retrieved 2007-04-18.

External links

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