Bilger Run is a 5.05 mi (8.13 km) long 2nd order tributary to Kratzer Run in Clearfield County, Pennsylvania and Kratzer Run's largest and only named tributary. Its watershed accounts for nearly half of the greater Kratzer Run watershed.[6] This is the only stream of this name in the United States.[1] Bilger Run has an ID number of 1169617 from the US Board of Geographic Names.[1]

Bilger Run
Tributary to Kratzer Run
Bilger's Rocks showing rock outcrop and snow
Bilger's Rocks
Map of Bilger Run mouth location
Map of Bilger Run mouth location
Location of Bilger Run mouth
Map of Bilger Run mouth location
Map of Bilger Run mouth location
Bilger Run (the United States)
Location
CountryUnited States
StatePennsylvania
CountyClearfield
Physical characteristics
SourceBell Run divide
 • locationabout 2 miles southeast of Chestnut Grove, Pennsylvania
 • coordinates41°00′15″N 078°38′01″W / 41.00417°N 78.63361°W / 41.00417; -78.63361[1]
 • elevation1,710 ft (520 m)[2]
Mouth 
 • location
about 0.25 miles northeast of Stronach, Pennsylvania
 • coordinates
40°58′20″N 078°34′11″W / 40.97222°N 78.56972°W / 40.97222; -78.56972[1]
 • elevation
1,309 ft (399 m)[3]
Length5.05 mi (8.13 km)[4]
Basin size7.22 square miles (18.7 km2)[5]
Discharge 
 • locationKratzer Run
 • average7.22 cu ft/s (0.204 m3/s) at mouth with Kratzer Run[5]
Basin features
ProgressionKratzer RunAnderson CreekWest Branch Susquehanna RiverSusquehanna RiverChesapeake BayAtlantic Ocean
River systemSusquehanna River
Tributaries 
 • leftHughey Run
 • rightFenton Run
BridgesEvergreen Road, Bilgers Rocks Road, PA 879

Course

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Bilger Run rises about 2 miles southeast of Chestnut Grove, Pennsylvania, in an area of wetlands and then flows generally southeast to join Kratzer Run at Stronach. It runs through areas that have been surfaced mined for coal in its upper reaches.[3]

Watershed

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Bilger Run drains 7.22 square miles (18.7 km2) of area, receives about 43.9 in/year of precipitation, has a wetness index of 407.40, and is about 68% forested.[5] Bilger Run is heavily loaded with metals from Acid Mine Drainage (AMD) and contributes a lot to the pollution load of Kratzer Run and then on into Anderson Creek. No fish were found at the sampling station on Bilger Run.[6]

Natural History

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Bilger Run drains parts of the Anderson Creek Montgomery Creek LCA and is also the location of Bilger Rocks BDA. The LCA is noted for providing contiguous forested habitat for interior forest species, while the BDA provides habitat for a species of rare plant.[7]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d "GNIS Detail - Bilger Run". geonames.usgs.gov. US Geological Survey. Retrieved 20 August 2021.
  2. ^ "Get Maps". USGS Topoview. US Geological Survey. Retrieved 20 August 2021.
  3. ^ a b "Get Maps". USGS Topoview. US Geological Survey. Retrieved 20 August 2021.
  4. ^ "ArcGIS Web Application". epa.maps.arcgis.com. US EPA. Retrieved 20 August 2021.
  5. ^ a b c "Bilger Run Watershed Report". US EPA Geoviewer. US EPA. Retrieved 20 August 2021.
  6. ^ a b "Anderson Creek Watershed Assessment, Restoration and Implementation Plan" (PDF). Western Pennsylvania Conservancy. Retrieved 22 August 2021.
  7. ^ "Clearfield County Natural Heritage Inventory" (PDF). Western Pennsylvania Conservancy. Retrieved 22 August 2021.

Watershed Maps

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Course of Bilger Run in Clearfield County, Pennsylvania, USA
 
Watershed of Bilger Run in Clearfield County, Pennsylvania, USA