The Maiden Creek Watershed is located in southeastern Pennsylvania in the upper Schuylkill River Basin in northeastern Berks County and extreme western Lehigh County. Small portions of eastern Schuylkill County are within the watershed at the ridgeline of Blue Mountain and in State Game lands.
The headwaters, or small streams, of the Maiden Creek are in County where it is called Ontelaunee Creek. When the creek crosses into Berks County it is called Maiden Creek. As the Maiden Creek flows through Berks County it is joined by many small tributaries and perennial streams. The wate of the Maiden Creek Watershed flows into Lake Ontelaunee.
Eleven of these tributaries are named. In the order that they enter the Maiden Creek they are: Kistler Creek, Pine Creek, Raush Creek, Stony Run, Furnace Creek, Mill Creek, Saucony Creek, and Moselem Creek. Peters Creek, and Willow Creek all flow directly into Lake Ontelaunee. These eleven creeks represent sub watersheds within the Maiden Creek watershed. Overall, the Maiden Creek Watershed covers approximately 216-square miles and has more than 2,100 miles of perennial streams including Maiden Creek and its tributaries.
The DEP awards bodies of water designations in order to classify them in the government system. There are five “protected use” designations awarded to streams that support the maintenance and propagation of fish species and suitable habitat for flora and fauna. The two highest designations, High Quality (HQ) and Exceptional Value (EV) mandate special water quality protection, as they embody outstanding ecological resources that are required to be maintained at existing quality.
The Maiden Creek and its tributaries have achieved high rankings for water quality. Peters Creek and the source waters of the Saucony Creek are classified Exceptional Value (EV), the highest designation, reserved for the most pristine waters in the state. The upper portion of Pine Creek and Bailey Creek are listed as High Quality – Cold Water Fisheries (HQ-CWF). Ontelaunee Creek and the lower section of Pine Creek are rated Cold Water Fisheries (CWF), which support trout and native flora and fauna in a cold-water habitat. Upper Maiden Creek and a majority of it’s tributaries are rated Trout Stocked Fishery (TSF), supporting the maintenance of stocked trout from February 15 to July 31. Lower Maiden Creek and Lake Ontelaunee support the propagation of fish species, flora and fauna that are indigenous to a Warm Waters Fisheies.
Significant features to our watershed are the Appilatian Trail and the Federal Higland Conservation Area.
The 2,100-mile Appalachian Trail, running from Maine to Georgia, parallels the northern border of the watershed in Albany, Greenwich, and Windsor townships. This is a nationally significant recreational resource that attracts thousands of users each year. The trail follows the crest of Blue Mountain from the north and dips down into both the Pine and Furnace Creek sub-basins before exiting the watershed to the west. Several side trails provide access to Hawk Mountain Sanctuary, Blue Rocks and the Pinnacle, three regionally important recreational features.
The 3 million acre Federal Highland Conservation area is another nationally significant area stretching from Connecticut through Pennsylvania providing a green buffer for the metropolis area ofHartford, New York City and Philadelphia. The Saucony Creek originates from the Oley Hills portion of the Pennsylvania section of the Highlands. Saucony Creek is 17.5 miles in length with a section of the stream has being designated as Exceptional Value by the PA DEP. Saucony Creek is the drinking water source for the Borough of Kutztown and a tributary to the City of Reading's drinking water supply. Saucony Creek and Saucony Marsh are listed as high priority sites for protection in the Berks County Open Space & Recreation Plan, the Maiden Creek Watershed Conservation Plan, the Kutztown/Lyons/Maxatawny draft Joint Comprehensive Plan, the Kutztown Comprehensive, Recreation & Parks Plan and the Berks County Comprehensive Plan. The Saucony Creek corridor is listed in the Berks County Natural Areas Inventory as a high priority site for protection.
