Ganargua Creek
| Ganargua Creek Mud Creek | |
|---|---|
 Ganargua Creek, looking upstream, from Norsen Bridge Park near Newark, New York. | |
| Location | |
| Country | United States |
| State | New York |
| Region | Finger Lakes |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | Confluence of Mud Creek, Fish Creek and Great Brook |
| • location | Victor, Ontario County, New York, United States |
| • coordinates | 42°58′48″N 77°23′14″W / 42.98000°N 77.38722°W[1] |
| • elevation | 547 ft (167 m) |
| Mouth | Erie Canal |
• location | Lyons, Wayne County, New York, United States |
• coordinates | 43°03′48″N 77°00′11″W / 43.06333°N 77.00306°W[1] |
• elevation | 397 ft (121 m) |
| Length | 34 mi (55 km) |
| Basin size | 118 sq mi (310 km2) |
| Discharge | |
| • location | Lyons, New York |
| Basin features | |
| Tributaries | |
| • left | Red Creek (two different waterways), Butternut Run |
| • right | Trap Brook, Hathaway Brook (into Erie Canal) |
Ganargua Creek, also known as Mud Creek, is a main tributary which feeds the Erie Canal and Clyde River in Wayne County, New York, United States. The creek begins just east of the village of Victor in nearby Ontario County and meanders approximately 34 miles (55 kilometers) from west to east before emptying into the Erie Canal in the hamlet of Lyons. Ganargua Creek is actually split into two sections as it runs concurrent with the Erie Canal for about 3 miles (5 kilometers) near the village of Palmyra. Numerous tributaries feed Ganargua Creek along its route.
Ganargua Creek is part of the Clyde River watershed which feeds the Seneca River. From there, the Seneca River enters the Oswego River and into Lake Ontario.
The name Ganargua has been translated as "where the village sprang up"[2] or "a village suddenly sprang up", and the name was given to by the creek by the region's original Iroquois inhabitants.[3] The nickname of 'Mud Creek' is given due to the murkiness of the water. Ganargua Creek is a primary spot for fishing, canoeing and kayaking. Even though a channel has been cut through the foliage, paddling trips on the creek can be difficult due to a number of log jams from fallen trees as a result of ice storms which hit the greater Rochester area in 1991 and 2003. At this time the creek is nearly impassable.
Course of southern section
The 13-mile (21-kilometer) southern section of Ganargua Creek, known as the "Upper" on watershed documents, begins in the
Course of northern section
The 18-mile (29-kilometer) northern section of Ganargua Creek, known as the "Lower" on watershed documents, begins in the Wayne County town of
Tributaries
There are eight primary tributaries feeding Ganargua Creek which are part of its watershed although other minor waterways directly enter it as well. First are Mud Creek, Fish Creek and Great Brook which meet together to form Ganargua Creek near Victor. Further down the creek, from the right include Trap Brook in Macedon and Hathaway Brook in Palmyra which actually empties into the Erie Canal. On the left side are two waterways named Red Creek. The western one travels through the towns of Walworth, Macedon and Palmyra into Ganargua Creek at the spillway. Not far from there, the eastern one runs through the towns of Marion and Palmyra and enters Ganargua Creek near East Palmyra. The eighth tributary is Butternut Run in the town of Lyons.
History
Use of Ganargua Creek dates back to pre-
Parks & Trails
Some parks and hiking trails are located along Ganargua Creek, primarily in Wayne County, including Ganargua Creek Meadow Preserve in Macedon, Gravino Park in Macedon, Aqueduct Park in Palmyra, the Erie Canalway Trail in Palmyra, Swifts Landing Park near Palmyra, Norsen Bridge Park near Newark and Abbey Park in Lyons.
References
- ^ a b "Ganargua Creek". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved January 1, 2016.
- ^ Merrill, Arch (1945). The Towpath. Rochester, New York: Louis Heindl & Son.
- ISBN 9781404751552. Retrieved January 1, 2016.
- The Juvenile Instructor. Ganargua Creek: Credits. Retrieved Sep. 3, 2013.
- Trails.com. Ganargua Creek: Credits. Retrieved Sep. 3, 2013.
- Genesee Land Trust - Ganargua Creek Meadow Preserve. Ganargua Creek: Credits Archived 2013-03-16 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved Sep. 3, 2013.
- Community Walk. Ganargua Creek: Credits Archived 2013-01-03 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved Sep. 3, 2013.
- Wayne County Office of the County Historian. Ganargua Creek: Credits. Retrieved Sep. 3, 2013.
- Erie Canalway. Ganargua Creek: Credits. Retrieved Sep. 3, 2013.
- Google Maps. Ganargua Creek: Credits. Retrieved Sep. 3, 2013.
- Water Inventory/Priority Waterbodies List in Wayne County. Ganargua Creek: Credits[permanent dead link]. Retrieved Sep. 23, 2014.
- Lower Ganargua Creek Watershed Assessment. Ganargua Creek: Credits. Retrieved Sep. 23, 2014.
- NYDEC Waterbody Inventory for Seneca River (Clyde River) Watershed. Ganargua Creek: Credits Archived 2015-05-15 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved Sep. 23, 2014.