Ninemile Creek (Onondaga Lake tributary)
Nine Mile Creek | |
---|---|
Onondaga County | |
Cities | Marietta, Marcellus, Camillus, Solvay, Syracuse |
Physical characteristics | |
Source | Otisco Lake |
• location | Southeast of Marietta |
• coordinates | 42°54′16″N 76°18′47″W / 42.90442°N 76.3131°W |
• elevation | 785 ft (239 m) |
Mouth | Onondaga Lake |
• location | Lakeland |
• coordinates | 43°05′21″N 76°13′46″W / 43.08911°N 76.22952°W |
• elevation | 375 ft (114 m) |
Basin features | |
Waterfalls | Marcellus Falls |
Ninemile Creek, also known as Nine Mile Creek, is a stream in Central New York in the United States. Its source is at Otisco Lake in the town of Marcellus, from where the creek runs northward for 21.75 miles (35.00 km) through the villages of Marcellus and Camillus to Onondaga Lake in the town of Geddes. Nine Mile Creek is a scenic stream noted for trout fishing.
The Solvay Process Company deposited industrial waste near the creek and Onondaga Lake from the late 19th century to the late 20th century. Recent reclamation has significantly restored quality in the final stretch of the creek. Farther to the south and upstream, the state of New York maintains fishing access sites.
History
The Town of
Interest in rail transportation peaked in the late 19th century. After railroad fever took hold in the 1870s, a short-line railroad was constructed that connected Otisco Lake to Marcellus. Through incorporation of the Marcellus & Otisco Lake Railway Company, the rail line was eventually completed on May 25, 1905. The project was more difficult than anticipated, with 46 curves constructed in just 9.05 miles (14.56 km) of track. Connection with the Fontney, Otisco Lake's ferryboat, made transportation of people and goods relatively easier. The M&OL Railway was abandoned on July 15, 1937, after roads for motorcars were constructed in the region. The short-line railroad was a unique chapter in the town's history with only an empty railroad grade and an old station building remaining. The grade and arches nevertheless are still a prominent feature of the lower reaches of the creek within Marcellus.
Erie Canal Aqueduct
Waste Beds
The lower part of Nine Mile Creek (from Route 173 to Onondaga Lake) has been significantly affected by the construction and operation of waste beds containing byproducts from the production of sodium carbonate by the
The beds along Nine Mile Creek near the lakeshore were abandoned after 1944 when a waste bed dike failed, causing flooding of portions of the Village of Solvay by the waste.[2] A series of additional waste beds (beds 9–15) were then constructed along Nine Mile Creek upstream of the lake. A portion of the creek was rerouted to allow construction of beds 9, 10, and 11.
The creek in this section shows an increase in pH and a decrease in phosphate concentration,[3] due to the high alkalinity of leachate from the wastebeds.
A clean-up program is currently being conducted by Honeywell (the successor to Allied Signal) along the lower part of Nine Mile Creek and for Onondaga Lake under terms of a consent order with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. Documents concerning the clean-up can be found here: Onondaga Lake Cleanup
Physical Characteristics
Nine Mile Creek transforms itself several times throughout its approximately 10-mile (16 km)-long course through the Town of Marcellus. Nine Mile Creek drops in elevation between the Otisco Lake outlet and the Camillus-Marcellus town line by 360 feet (110 m) making the average stream velocity about 0.8 ft/s. The maximum depth is 5.5 feet (1.7 m) and average depth is 1.0 feet. (Update for entire creek )
A distinct difference in the creeks character occurs north versus south of the Village of Marcellus. South of the Village, one finds a meandering shallow stream with dense bank vegetation and the occasional beaver impoundment. The dam at the north end of Otisco Lake controls the flow of the creek and strongly influences the first several kilometers of the stream. Warm surface water from the lake feeds Nine Mile Creek in summer months making it intolerable for
Watershed
Overall, the Nine Mile Creek watershed covers 115 square miles (300 km2) and includes portions of ten towns within
Geology
The contemporary landscape of
Disappearing Lake
The Disappearing Lake area in Pleasant valley area is a geologically significant feature of the area. This lake is located on an area of
A similar phenomenon occurs in the watershed of Geddes Brook, the largest tributary of Ninemile Creek. The headwaters of Geddes Brook disappear into channels in the limestone at Lost Lake, at the top of the Onondaga escarpment. The stream reappears at the foot of the escarpment as a series of springs.
Soils
The predominant soil types associated with the Nine Mile Creek corridor are Teel and Wayland
Ecology
Flora
The Nine Mile Creek corridor supports a high diversity of plants due to a temperate climate, wide range of wetland and terrestrial habitats, nutritious limestone bedrock, and floodplain soils. In total, some 142 different species of plants have been documented in the Nine Mile Creek corridor and its associated wetlands. Ninety-two of these species are commonly occurring throughout the Nine Mile Creek corridor, whereas the other 49 occur in specific locations along the creek.
In terms of variation in plant communities along the creek, there is a rather uniform floral composition from the outlet of Otisco Lake to Masters Road. Dense herbivorous vegetation and numerous layers of forest canopy typify it. A mix of herbaceous and woody vegetation provides robust riparian buffers. This area is home to many of the 92 commonly seen plant species observed in the Nine Mile Creek area, and is also home to protected ferns and such protected or rarely seen plants as
From Masters Road to the Village center, there is vegetation similar to that in the upper sections. However, additional species include
Due east of the DEC parking area at Marcellus Falls and along the Nine Mile Creek corridor are steep slopes and a group of important springs which drain into the creek. The area is of considerable botanical interest. In 1983, the
Fishery
Nine Mile Creek's
Nine Mile Creek is subject to Onondaga County's special fishing regulation for trout of a daily limit of 5, with no more than 2 larger than 12" (the 5/2 rule). The trout season is open from 4/1 to 10/15.[11]
Wildlife
The
Recreation
Nine Mile Creek receives a variety of recreational usage, both on the water and off. In addition to fishing and boating, there are many publicly and privately held green spaces such as at Marcellus Falls and Baltimore Woods.
Fishing
Fishing is the main form of recreation along Nine Mile Creek. The Creek is notable as an outdoor classroom for the seasoned angler as well as for the parent and child. From Crown Mill downstream to the Marcellus town boundary, cooler and highly oxygenated water supports a healthy trout fishery, which receives the most fishing hours. While a self-sustaining population of brown trout and brook trout exist, thousands of 1-year and 2-year browns and 1-year brookies are stocked from Onondaga County's Carpenters Brook Fish Hatchery every year.[12] However, NYSDEC electrofishers have found that wild brown trout are predominant after the heavy spring fishing pressure, from Marcellus Falls downstream.
Paddling
Public access and some docks exist along Nine Mile Creek, but the Creek is generally only deep enough to boat in from Munro Park in the Village of Camillus downstream to the mouth at Onondaga Lake. While some sections of fast moving water exist, as well as hazards such as low dams (at Warners Rd) and low overhangs (at Route 5 Culvert and Erie Canal Aqueduct), paddling in Nine Mile Creek is accessible to both experienced and inexperienced paddlers.
Education
A number of educational institutions directly benefit from Nine Mile Creek. These include SUNY ESF, Syracuse University, and Marcellus High School, which use the creek for various class outings and field laboratories. Students involved in the educational opportunities facilitated by these institutions see many plants, birds and other organisms that they do not see elsewhere. In the article "ESF Puts Environment in High School", cooperation between the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry and Marcellus High School in performing studies at Nine Mile Creek was headlined in the November 13, 2001, issue of the Post Standard. It is notable that much of the biological, hydrological and geological information gathered for this article was found in graduate theses that were written by students at Syracuse University and SUNY ESF.
NGO / nonprofit activity
Many grassroot and national groups do work on behalf of Nine Mile Creek. A partial list:
- Nine Mile Creek Conservation Council has worked to create an officially designated water trail, and conducts an annual fish-stocking event by canoe.
- Project Watershed utilizes two locations on Nine Mile Creek in the Town of Marcellus to collect water quality data.
- Izaak Walton League has worked to foster angling resources and events.
- Trout Unlimited conducts stream cleanup events.
- Onondaga Soil and Water has done stream stabilization and riparian ecosystem improvement projects.
- CNY Land Trust owns a large parcel along Nine Mile Creek south of the Village of Camillus and allows public fishing access
- Community Science Institute monitors the water quality of Nine Mile Creek through their volunteer-led Red Flag Monitoring Program.
See also
- List of rivers in New York
- Otisco Lake
- Onondaga Lake
References
- ^ Hewlett, John, D., 1956. The Development of Vegetation on the Solvay Waste Beds. State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry, Syracuse, New York., Thesis
- ^ a b Blasland & Bouck. 1989. Hydrogeologic Assessment of the Allied Waste Beds in the Syracuse area. Volume 1 of 2. Prepared for AlliedSignal, Syracuse, NY. Blasland & Bouck Engineers, P.C., Syracuse, NY
- ^ Sources and Sinks of Phosphorus in Ninemile Creek and the Effects of Mineral Deposits"Anthony Prestigiacomo, Steven Effler, David Matthews, and Feng Peng. Upstate Freshwater Institute, 2010.
- ^ Storey, Mike (1977), "Heartland: A natural history of Onondaga County, N. Y.", Syracuse, New York: Onondaga Audubon Society, Inc.
{{citation}}
: Missing or empty|title=
(help) - ^ Miller, William J, The Geological History of New York State, Kennikat Press, 1914
- ^ Fairchild, H. L. "Pleistocene Features in the Syracuse Region", The American Geologist, Vol. 36 No. 3, September 1905
- ^ Proett, Brian, ed. (1978), "Hydrology of Marcellus Disappearing Lake", Unpublished Masters Thesis, Syracuse, New York: Syracuse University
- ^ Allenson, Sherman (1952). "Stratigraphy and Structure of the Southern Part of the Camillus Quadrangle, Onondaga County, New York". Unpublished Masters Thesis, Syracuse University: 105.
- ^ a b White, William (1988). Geomorphology and Hydrology of Karst Terrains. New York City: Oxford University Press.
- ^ DEC Region 7 Bureau of Fisheries. "Ninemile Creek Electrofishing Survey (2007)". NYSDEC. Retrieved 2011-01-15.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ "Onondaga County Special Fishing Regulations". NYSDEC. Retrieved 2011-01-15.
- ^ DEC Region 7 Bureau of Fisheries. "Ninemile Creek". NYSDEC. Retrieved 2011-01-15.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)