Rush Creek (Kishwaukee River tributary) explained

Rush Creek
Source1 Coordinates:42.3883°N -88.5686°W
Mouth Coordinates:42.2564°N -88.7028°W
Progression:Rush Creek → Kishwaukee → Rock → Mississippi → Gulf of Mexico
Source1 Elevation:1015feet
Mouth Elevation:774feet
Length:15miles
Custom Label:GNIS ID

Rush Creek is a 14.9adj=midNaNadj=mid[1] tributary of the Kishwaukee River in northern Illinois.[2]

There is another Rush Creek that is a tributary of the Mississippi River in Carroll County.

Course

Rush Creek's origin is in a complex of wetlands near Harvard, Illinois, two miles southeast. The stream then flows southwest until it empties into the main stem of the Kishwaukee River one mile east of Garden Prairie.[3]

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.[3] Despite the channelization and encroachment from agriculture many of the stream's features such as riffles can still be seen.[3]

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.[3] Three animal species are on state or federal endangered or threatened lists - river otter, and two mussels, Elliptio dilatata (Spike) and Alasmidonta viridis (Slippershell).[3]

Notes and References

  1. U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data. The National Map, accessed May 19, 2011
  2. 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,, .
  3. Rush Creek - Subwatershed Plan, Kishwaukee River Ecosystem Partnership, May 2005, accessed January 24, 2011.