Blackbird Creek
Tributary to Delaware Bay
Picture of Blackbird Creek at Blackbird Creek Reserve
Blackbird Creek at Blackbird Reserve
Location of the confluence of Blackbird Creek and Delaware Bay
Location of the confluence of Blackbird Creek and Delaware Bay
Location of the confluence of Blackbird Creek and Delaware Bay
Location of the confluence of Blackbird Creek and Delaware Bay
Location
CountryUnited States
StateDelaware
CountyNew Castle
CityTownsend
Physical characteristics
SourceOn the watershed divide between Blackbird Creek and the Chester River
 • locationDexter Corners, Delaware
 • coordinates39°19′25″N 075°41′46″W / 39.32361°N 75.69611°W / 39.32361; -75.69611[1]
 • elevation75 ft (23 m)[2]
Mouth2 miles north of Taylors Bridge, Delaware
 • location
Taylors Bridge, Delaware
 • coordinates
39°26′19″N 075°34′27″W / 39.43861°N 75.57417°W / 39.43861; -75.57417[1]
 • elevation
0 ft (0 m)[2]
Length16.28 mi (26.20 km)[3]
Basin size8,022 ha[4]
Basin features
ProgressionDelaware Bay → Atlantic Ocean
River systemDelaware River
Tributaries 
 • leftBarlow Branch
Herring Run
Beaver Branch
 • rightSandom Branch
Fishing Creek
Mill Creek
Gravel Gut
WaterbodiesBlackbird Pond
BridgesGreenspring Road
Oliver Guessford Road
Railroad Crossing
Blackbird Station Road
US 13
Blackbird Landing Road
DE 9

Blackbird Creek is a 16.9-mile-long (27.2 km)[5] river in northern Delaware in the United States.

Course

Blackbird Creek rises in two branches both north and south of Dexter Corners in southern New Castle County, Delaware and flows generally northeast in a meandering course. The northerly branch is contained within Blackbird State Forest, while the southerly branch arises in a swampy wooded buffer in farmland. Both branches join just upstream of Blackbird Pond, which is southwest of the village of Blackbird, Delaware. Just downstream of Blackbird Pond and upstream of US 13, Barlow Branch enters from the left (north). Downstream of US 13, Sandom Branch enters from the right (south) and a little further downstream, Blackbird Creek becomes subject to tidal influence and widens considerably.

Upstream of Blackbird Landing Road, Herring Run enters from the left (north) in an area of freshwater tidal marsh. Downstream of Blackbird Landing Road, another tributary, Beaver Branch, enters from the left (north). Near the mouth of Blackbird Creek, three tidal tributaries enter from the right (south) and include Fishing Creek, Mill Creek, and Gravel Gut. The mouth of Blackbird Creek is located at the north end of Delaware Bay approximately 0.25 miles (0.40 km) south of the mouth of the Appoquinimink River and approximately 2 miles (3.2 km) north of Taylors Bridge.[6]

Watershed

Blackbird Creek watershed is largely forested and rural. Near its mouth, it is surrounded by extensive salt marshes, with extensive populations of saltmarsh cordgrass (Spartina alterniflora) and common reed (Phragmites australis). The lower river upstream from Delaware State Highway 9 is protected as part of the Delaware National Estuarine Research Reserve, along with portions of the lower Appoquinimink. Blackbird State Forest covers large areas of the headwaters.[7] One small village, Blackbird, is located totally within the watershed, while the city of Townsend is on the northern edge.

River Modifications

Blackbird Pond, a former millpond,[8] is the only dam present on Blackbird Creek.

The damming of this creek was the subject of the 1829 Supreme Court case that gave rise to the theory of the Dormant Commerce Clause.

Natural History

The Blackbird Creek watershed is a focus area in Delaware for “Delmarva Bays”, which are undrained depression deposits that may or may not have a sandy rim.[9] These “bays” have fluctuating hydrology that provide breeding sites for amphibians and habitat for a number of rare plants. Larger versions are generally called “Carolina Bays.”

Geology

Blackbird Creek is located in the High Coastal Plain that originates from glacial outwash of continental deposits (Columbia Formation).[10] The headwaters of Blackbird Creek are located in an area of undrained depression deposits of the Columbia Formation.[11] The northeasterly course of Blackbird Creek takes it through the Lynch Heights Formation, Scotts Corners Formation, and into marsh deposits forming steep valleys along the way.[12]

See also

Maps

Course of Blackbird Creek (Delaware Bay tributary) in New Castle County, Delaware
Watershed of Blackbird Creek (Delaware Bay tributary) in New Castle County, Delaware

References

  1. 1 2 "GNIS Detail - Blackbird Creek". geonames.usgs.gov. Retrieved 19 May 2019.
  2. 1 2 "Blackbird Creek Topo Map, New Castle County DE (Taylors Bridge Area)". TopoZone. Locality, LLC. Retrieved 30 July 2019.
  3. ↑ "ArcGIS Web Application". epa.maps.arcgis.com. US EPA. Retrieved 30 July 2019.
  4. ↑ "Blackbird Creek Watershed Proposed TMDLs" (PDF). Hydroqual Environmental Engineers & Scientists. Retrieved 19 May 2019.
  5. ↑ 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
  6. ↑ "Blackbird Creek Topo Map, New Castle County DE (Taylors Bridge Area)". TopoZone. Locality, LLC. Retrieved 23 May 2019.
  7. ↑ "Blackbird State Forest Map" (PDF). Blackbird State Forest. Delaware Department of Agriculture. Retrieved 22 May 2019.
  8. ↑ Scharf, John Thomas. "History of Delaware : 1609-1888: Local history". Google Books. Retrieved 23 May 2019.
  9. ↑ Dugan, Bailey L.; Neimeister, Mark P.; Andres, A. Scott. "Open File Report No. 49--Hydrogeological Framework of Southern New Castle County" (PDF). Delaware Geological Survey Open File Reports. Delaware Geological Survey. Retrieved 22 May 2019.
  10. ↑ "Archaeological Investigations at the Blackbird Creek Site" (PDF). Delaware DOT Archaeology. Delaware Department of Transportation. Retrieved 23 May 2019.
  11. ↑ Ramsey, Kelvin W. "Geologic Map of New Castle County, Delaware" (PDF). Delaware Geological Survey. Delaware Geological Survey. Retrieved 23 May 2019.
  12. ↑ Ramsey, Kelvin W. "Geologic Map of New Castle County, Delaware" (PDF). Delaware Geological Survey. Delaware Geological Survey. Retrieved 23 May 2019.


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