Rush Creek (Kishwaukee River tributary)
| Rush Creek | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | |
| • location | McHenry County southeast of Harvard, Illinois |
| • elevation | 1,015 ft (309 m) |
| Mouth | |
• location | Confluence with the Kishwaukee east of Belvidere, Illinois |
• elevation | 774 ft (236 m) |
| Length | 15 mi (24 km) |
| Basin features | |
| Progression | Rush Creek → Kishwaukee → Rock → Mississippi → Gulf of Mexico |
| GNIS ID | 417053 |
Rush Creek is a 14.9-mile-long (24.0 km)[1] tributary of the Kishwaukee River in northern Illinois.[2][3]
There is another Rush Creek that is a tributary of the Mississippi River in Carroll County. [4]
Course
Rush Creek's origin is in a complex of wetlands near Harvard, Illinois, two miles southeast.[5] The stream then flows southwest until it empties into the main stem of the Kishwaukee River one mile east of Garden Prairie.[5]
Description
Approximately 65% of the main stem of Rush Creek has been channelized (ditched and straighten), however 50% of those areas are showing signs of recovery.[5] Despite the channelization and encroachment from agriculture many of the stream's features such as riffles can still be seen.[5]
Wildlife
Twenty-nine species of fish have been identified within Rush Creek and its tributaries, two of those species have not been seen in the watershed since 1965 - the northern pike and the largescale stoneroller.[5] Three animal species are on state or federal endangered or threatened lists - river otter, and two mussels, Elliptio dilatata (Spike) and Alasmidonta viridis (Slippershell).[5]
References
- ^ U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data. The National Map, accessed May 19, 2011
- ^ James, L. Allan. Management and Restoration of Fluvial Systems with Broad Historical Changes and Human Impacts, (Google Books link), Geological Society of America, 2009, pp. 110-111, (ISBN 0813724511), (ISBN 9780813724515).
- ^ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Rush Creek
- ^ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Rush Creek
- ^ a b c d e f Rush Creek - Subwatershed Plan, Kishwaukee River Ecosystem Partnership, May 2005, accessed January 24, 2011.