Bushkill Creek

The Bushkill Creek, one of several similarly named streams in Northeastern Pennsylvania , rises at the base of the Kittatinny Ridge (locally known as " Blue Mountain ") in Moore and Bushkill Townships , Northampton County . Fed by numerous springs and small rills on the southern slope of the mountain, it becomes a well defined stream at about 850 feet elevation near the hamlet of Benders Junction; an unnamed eastern branch rises at about 740 feet elevation near the hamlet of Katellen and joins the main stream just north of the village of Copella. From there the creek flows south by southeast for about 20 miles before turning east to enter the Delaware River in downtown Easton at an elevation of 100 feet, a third of a mile upstream from the mouth of the Lehigh River. The Bushkill watershed comprises about 80 square miles near the center of Northampton County . Relatively narrow and steep, the watershed covers all or parts of eight townships, five boroughs, and the City of Easton .  At one time as many as 13 dams powered mills along the lower stretches of the Bushkill Creek; though no longer of any economic importance, a half-dozen remain in place.

The watershed is divided into three distinct though increasingly blurred landscapes. The upper portion, from Blue Mountain down to the 1,168-acre Jacobsburg Environmental Education Center in Bushkill Township , remains largely rural, with substantial forested areas interspersed with farmlands. Below Jacobsburg the creek enters a suburban reach subject to intense and growing pressure from rapidly spreading housing developments. For its final two miles, below 13th Street in Easton, the Bushkill Creek is definitely an urban stream, closely hemmed by both moribund and active industries and interrupted by several dams, although a stretch flowing below two hillside cemeteries is incongruously sylvan along the south bank; current plans call for development of a recreational trail along this portion of the stream.

The Bushkill Creek has four significant tributaries. Sobers Run in Bushkill Township , a nearly pristine woodland brook, enters the Bushkill from the west near the center of the Jacobsburg park; its upper portion is classified "Exceptional Value," a rating now being sought for the entire stream. The Little Bushkill Creek originates in the shadow of a major landfill operation in Plainfield Township  near the Borough of Pen Argyl and empties into the main stream in the Borough of Stockertown; in its lower stretches it is a popular put-and-take fishery. Schoeneck Creek, once a major drainage for limestone quarries near Nazareth , is now a much-reduced trickle, mostly in Palmer Township . Spring Brook, fed by permanent springs near the intersection of 25th Street and Route 22 in Palmer Township , flows mostly unseen to a junction with the Bushkill just above 13th Street in Easton .

All of the Bushkill Creek is classified as a High Quality Cold Water Fishery. Two Class A Wild Trout sections in the suburban region sustain breeding populations of wild brown trout, with an area of about three-quarters of a mile above  13th Street designated for catch-and-release, artificials-only angling.

UPPER BUSHKILL CREEK WATERSHED COLDWATER CONSERVATION PLAN

The focus of the Coldwater Conservation Plan is the upper portion of the Bushkill Creek watershed located in Moore and Bushkill Townships in Northampton County , basically from the Blue Mountain down to the Jacobsburg Environmental Education Center .  The Plan will contain both current and historical data in several key metrics including macroinvertebrate sampling, fish sampling and water quality.  Other existing studies including the Two Rivers Greenway Plan, Sobers Run Coldwater Plan, riparian data and municipal protections will be reviewed.  Our goal is to collect and analyze this data, make recommendations on how to better protect the headwaters of the Bushkill Creek watershed, develop projects and to build the case for a stream classification upgrade.  Our partnership for this project will include the Bushkill Stream Conservancy, the Northampton County Conservation District, Trout Unlimited, Bushkill Township , Moore Township , Bushkill Township EAC, Jacobsburg Environmental Education Center , the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR), and the Delaware and Lehigh National Heritage Corridor.  Additional partners providing valued assistance include Muhlenberg College , Lafayette College , the Retired and Seniors Volunteer Program (RSVP) and the Heritage Conservancy.  

For more information: 

Brian Wagner

137 S. New Street

Nazareth , PA   18064

610-759-0492

484-894-8289 (cell)

fish4brian@aol.com

www.bushkill.org