Appoquinimink River
The Appoquinimink River in Odessa in 2006
Appoquinimink River is located in Delaware
Appoquinimink River
Location of the mouth of the Appoquinimink River
Appoquinimink River is located in the United States
Appoquinimink River
Appoquinimink River (the United States)
Location
CountryUnited States
StateDelaware
Physical characteristics
Source 
 • locationNear Townsend
 • coordinates39°22′52″N 75°44′14″W / 39.38111°N 75.73722°W / 39.38111; -75.73722[1]
 • elevation23 ft (7.0 m)(at Wiggins Mill Pond, approx. 1 mi/2 km downstream of source)[2]
MouthDelaware Bay
 • location
Near Odessa
 • coordinates
39°26′52″N 75°34′49″W / 39.44778°N 75.58028°W / 39.44778; -75.58028[1]
 • elevation
0 ft (0 m)[1]
Length15 mi (24 km)[3]
Basin size47 sq mi (120 km2)[4]

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[2] 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:[1]

  • 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 3 4 Geographic Names Information System. "GNIS entry for Appoquinimink River (Feature ID #213568)". Retrieved 2007-02-05.
  2. 1 2 Geographic Names Information System. "GNIS entry for Wiggins Mill Pond (Feature ID #216865)". Retrieved 2007-02-05.
  3. 1 2 U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data. The National Map Archived 2012-03-29 at the Wayback Machine, 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". Archived from the original on 2007-06-28. 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". Archived from the original on 2011-08-15. Retrieved 2007-04-18.
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