Ellicott Creek

Coordinates: 43°1′16″N 78°52′37″W / 43.02111°N 78.87694°W / 43.02111; -78.87694
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Ellicott Creek
Tonawanda
Physical characteristics
Source 
 • locationGenesee County
 • coordinates42°54′15″N 78°23′49″W / 42.90417°N 78.39694°W / 42.90417; -78.39694[2][1]
 • elevation1,000 ft (300 m)
MouthTonawanda Creek
 • location
Erie County
 • coordinates
43°1′16″N 78°52′37″W / 43.02111°N 78.87694°W / 43.02111; -78.87694[1]
 • elevation
562 ft (171 m)[3]
Length45 mi (72 km)[4]
Discharge 
 • average100 cu ft/s (2.8 m3/s)

Ellicott Creek is a stream in Western New York, United States. It is a tributary of Tonawanda Creek, which in turn flows into the Niagara River.

Course

Ellicott Creek originates in southwest corner of

Town of Lancaster
, flowing through the community of Bowmansville in the northwest part of Lancaster.

Continuing west, Ellicott Creek enters the

Town of Cheektowaga. There it passes by the toxic Pfohl Brothers Landfill and the Buffalo Niagara International Airport. The creek turns to the northwest at the airport. It flows under one of the runways via a tunnel. It then turns more directly north and enters the Village of Williamsville and the Town of Amherst
.

At Williamsville's Island Park Ellicott Creek splits briefly into two channels, one of which contains floodgates. The other channel was historically used to divert water into flumes for powering mills just downstream. Below the floodgates the creek flows rapidly north, passing under

Onondaga Escarpment at Glen Falls in Amherst State Park
.

After Glen Falls, Ellicott Creek continues flowing generally north and northwest through Amherst. It passes by several golf courses and then through the northern edge of the campus of the

University at Buffalo, after which the creek turns to the west and crosses under Interstate 990
(Lockport Expressway).

Just west of I-990 the creek splits into two channels for about 1.25 miles (2.01 km). The northern channel is deeper, has been more thoroughly channelized and is bordered by commercial land use, while the southern channel is fairly sinuous and contains more trees in the riparian zone.[5]

After these channels rejoin, Ellicott Creek it enters the

City of Tonawanda. This portion of Tonawanda Creek is also part of the Erie Canal. Tonawanda Creek then empties into the Niagara River
. The distance from the mouth of Ellicott Creek to the Niagara River is about 0.5 miles (0.80 km).

History

Ellicott Creek is named after

Holland Purchase
into townships and saleable land parcels.

Natural history

Niagara River surface fluctuations influence creek water level up to 7 miles (11 km) upstream of the mouth of Ellicott Creek.[6]

Ellicott Creek Bike Path

Ellicott Creek Bike Path

Ellicott Creek Bike Path follows the creek in the

University at Buffalo (UB) and flows under Interstate 990 before leaving Amherst by crossing U.S. Route 62
(Niagara Falls Boulevard) to enter the Town of Tonawanda at Ellicott Creek Park.

In 1990, the Ellicott Creek Bike Path was the last known location where Linda Yalem—a UB sophomore running on the path—was alive before being raped and killed by Altemio Sanchez.[citation needed]

See also

  • List of New York rivers

References

  1. ^ a b U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Ellicott Creek
  2. ^ Source elevation derived from Google Earth search using GNIS source coordinates.
  3. ^ Mouth elevation derived from Google Earth search using GNIS mouth coordinates.
  4. ^ Calculated in Google Earth
  5. ^ Mapping of aquatic and ripiarian habitats of Ellicott and Tonawanda Creeks Archived 2016-12-12 at the Wayback Machine, New York Power Authority
  6. ^ Upper Niagara River Tributary Backwater Study, New York Power Authority
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