Kimball Creek (Summit County, Utah) Explained

Kimball Creek
Pushpin Map:Utah
Pushpin Map Caption:Location of mouth
Subdivision Type1:Country
Subdivision Name1:United States
Subdivision Type2:State
Subdivision Name2:Utah
Subdivision Type3:Region
Subdivision Name3:Summit County, Utah
Length:1.9miles
Source1:Eastern slope of the Wasatch Range
Source1 Location:6miles north of Park City, Utah
Source1 Coordinates:40.7356°N -111.5008°W
Source1 Elevation:6411feet
Mouth:Confluence with McLeod Creek, the beginning of East Canyon Creek
Mouth Location:1.4miles east of Kimball Junction, Utah
Mouth Coordinates:40.7239°N -111.5186°W
Mouth Elevation:6300feet

Kimball Creek is a 1.9adj=midNaNadj=mid[1] west-flowing stream that begins 5.7miles north of Park City, Utah, on the east side of the summit of the Wasatch Range. It is one of the upper reaches of the East Canyon Creek watershed in Summit County, Utah, which in turn is a tributary to the Weber River, and ultimately to the Great Salt Lake.

History

Kimball Creek is named for a rancher named George Kimball. It passes through Kimball Stage Stop, a ranch stage stop owned by William H. Kimball, and where he built a rock stage structure that still stands. From there Kimball Creek flows 1.5miles west through Kimball Junction.[2] [3]

Watershed and course

Kimball Creek begins just west of Silver Creek Road (the northerly extension of north Highway 40, and just north of Interstate 80. Shortly after its source, it is joined on the left by a larger stream named McLeod Creek, and this confluence forms the source of East Canyon Creek, a tributary of the Weber River, and ultimately, the Great Salt Lake.[4] Note the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) likely needs to be corrected to be consistent with the U.S. Geological Survey report and map.

Ecology and conservation

Bonneville cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarkii utah) is a Utah Sensitive subspecies of cutthroat trout and was the native trout species in the East Canyon Creek watershed, however it is thought to be extirpated due to decreased flows, increased nutrient input, degradation to water and habitat quality, and depredation by non-native introduced brown trout (Salmo trutta) and possibly by hybridization with non-native introduced rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss).[5]

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data. The National Map, accessed July 21, 2023
  2. which lies at the intersection of Interstate 80 and Highway 224
  3. Book: Utah Place Names: A Comprehensive Guide to the Origins of Geographic Names: a Compilation . John W. Van Cott . 1990 . 214 . University of Utah Press . Salt Lake City, Utah . 978-0-87480-345-7 .
  4. Seepage Study of McLeod Creek and East Canyon Creek near Park City, Summit County, Utah, 2004, Scientific Report Report 2005-5164 . C.D. Wilkowske . 2005 . U.S. Geological Survey . Reston, Virginia . July 22, 2023.
  5. East Canyon Reservoir and East Canyon Creek Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs) . Carl Adams . Linda Burfitt . Kari Chalker . Catherine Chatfield . John Christensen . Doug Davidson . Erica Gaddis . J. Hope Hornbeck . Greg Larson . Kari Lundeen . Audrey McCulley . Jerry Miller . Megan Nelson . David Reinhart . Laura Burch Vernon . May 1, 2020 . Utah Division of Water Quality . Salt Lake City, Utah . July 20, 2023.