Reedy Creek (West Virginia) Explained

Reedy Creek
Map:	Reedy Creek WV map.png
Map Size:	300
Pushpin Map Size:	300
Pushpin Map Caption:	Location of the river mouth in West Virginia
Subdivision Type1:	Country
Subdivision Name1:	United States
Subdivision Type2:	State
Subdivision Name2:	West Virginia
Subdivision Type3:	Counties
Subdivision Name3:	Roane, Wirt
Length:	22.6miles
Source1:	Left Fork Reedy Creek
Source1 Location:	western Roane County
Source1 Coordinates:	38.7548°N -81.474°W^[1]
Source1 Elevation:	1014feet^[2]
Source1 Length:	15.9miles
Source2:	Right Fork Reedy Creek
Source2 Location:	northwestern Roane County
Source2 Coordinates:	38.9118°N -81.5085°W^[3]
Source2 Elevation:	979feet
Source2 Length:	4.7miles
Source Confluence Location:	Reedy, Roane County
Source Confluence Coordinates:	38.8995°N -81.4232°W^[4]
Source Confluence Elevation:	673feet
Mouth:	Little Kanawha River
Mouth Location:	Palestine, Wirt County
Mouth Coordinates:	39.0315°N -81.3904°W
Mouth Elevation:	607feet
Basin Size:	133sqmi
Tributaries Left:	Middle Fork Reedy Creek, Right Reedy Creek

Reedy Creek is a tributary of the Little Kanawha River in western West Virginia in the United States. Via the Little Kanawha and Ohio rivers, it is part of the watershed of the Mississippi River, draining an area of 133sqmi^[5] in a rural region on the unglaciated portion of the Allegheny Plateau. It is 22.6miles long, or 38.5miles long including its Left Fork.^[6]

Reedy Creek is formed in the town of Reedy in northern Roane County by the confluence of its Left Fork and its Right Fork:

• The Left Fork Reedy Creek,^[1] 15.9miles long,^[6] rises in western Roane County, approximately 7miles southwest of Spencer, and flows generally northward, through the community of Billings.^[7]
• The Right Fork Reedy Creek,^[3] 4.7miles long,^[6] rises in northwestern Roane County and flows generally westward.^[7]

From the town of Reedy, the main stem of Reedy Creek flows generally northward into Wirt County, through the community of Lucille; it flows into the Little Kanawha River from the south in the community of Palestine. It is paralleled for most of its length by West Virginia Route 14.^{[8] [7]}

Among Reedy Creek's tributaries are two others with names derived from that of the main stream:

• The Middle Fork Reedy Creek,^[9] 12.4miles long,^[6] is a tributary of the Left Fork. It rises in western Roane County and flows generally north-northeastward, through the community of Peniel, to the town of Reedy, where it flows into the Left Fork approximately 0.3miles upstream of the latter's confluence with the Right Fork.^{[8] [7]}
• Right Reedy Creek,^[10] 8.3miles long,^[6] is formed at the community of Peewee in southwestern Wirt County by the confluence of Enoch Fork,^[11] 3miles long,^[6] and Fulls Fork,^[12] 3.4miles long.^[6] Right Reedy Creek flows northeastward and flows into Reedy Creek from the east, 2miles upstream of Reedy Creek's confluence with the Little Kanawha River.^{[8] [7]}

According to the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection, approximately 79% of the Reedy Creek watershed is forested, mostly deciduous. Approximately 20% is used for pasture and agriculture.^[5]

See also

• List of rivers of West Virginia

Notes and References

1. Web site: [{{Gnis3|1541706}} Geographic Names Information System entry for Left Fork Reedy Creek (Feature ID #1541706) ]. Geographic Names Information System . Geographic Names Information System. 2011-10-12.
2. [Google Earth]
3. Web site: [{{Gnis3|1545687}} Geographic Names Information System entry for Right Fork Reedy Creek (Feature ID #1545687) ]. Geographic Names Information System . Geographic Names Information System. 2011-10-12.
4. Web site: [{{Gnis3|1545494}} Geographic Names Information System entry for Reedy Creek (Feature ID #1545494) ]. Geographic Names Information System . Geographic Names Information System. 2011-10-12.
5. Web site: Little Kanawha River . West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection . 2011-10-12 . Watershed Atlas Project . https://web.archive.org/web/20050404071851/http://www.dep.state.wv.us/watershed/w5030203.html . 2005-04-04 . dead.
6. Web site: Watershed Assessment, Tracking & Environmental Results: Assessment Summary for Reporting Year 2008, West Virginia, Little Kanawha Watershed . United States Environmental Protection Agency . United States Environmental Protection Agency . https://web.archive.org/web/20211031164204/https://iaspub.epa.gov/waters10/attains_watershed.control?p_state=WV&p_huc=05030203&p_cycle=2008&p_report_type= . 2021-10-31 . 2011-10-13 . dead.
7. Book: West Virginia Atlas & Gazetteer . 1997 . . Yarmouth, Me. . 0-89933-246-3 . 33, 43.
8. U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data. The National Map, retrieved 2011-03-12.
9. Web site: [{{Gnis3|1543193}} Geographic Names Information System entry for Middle Fork Reedy Creek (Feature ID #1543193) ]. Geographic Names Information System . Geographic Names Information System. 2011-10-12.
10. Web site: [{{Gnis3|1545734}} Geographic Names Information System entry for Right Reedy Creek (Feature ID #1545734) ]. Geographic Names Information System . Geographic Names Information System. 2011-10-12.
11. Web site: [{{Gnis3|1538719}} Geographic Names Information System entry for Enoch Fork (Feature ID #1538719) ]. Geographic Names Information System . Geographic Names Information System. 2011-10-12.
12. Web site: [{{Gnis3|1539297}} Geographic Names Information System entry for Fulls Fork (Feature ID #1539297) ]. Geographic Names Information System . Geographic Names Information System. 2011-10-12.