F
OCUS
Q
UESTIONS
:
1. What are the names of our major river systems and tributaries?
2. Howweremany of our natural lakes and wetlands formed?
3. What are themajor purposes for our systemof reservoirs?
4. Why are our water forms so important to us?
LESSON
3
W
ATER
F
ORMS OF
P
ENNSYLVANIA
tributaries
source
watershed
drainage basin
mouth
freight
glaciers
wetlands
reservoirs
hydroelectric power
KEY
WORDS
KEY
PLACES
Susquehanna River
West Branch
Juniata River
Ohio River
Allegheny River
Monongahela River
Beaver River
Youghiogheny River
Delaware River
Lehigh River
Schuylkill River
Conneaut Lake
Lake Erie
John Heinz National
Wildlife Refuge
River Systems and Tributaries
Pennsylvania is very fortunate to have an
abundant fresh water supply. There aremore than
45,000miles of rivers and
tributaries
draining our
land. In addition, we havemany natural and
human-made lakes in which to store our water
supply. As you read, look at themap on the next
page to help you locate our water forms.
Pennsylvania has threemajor river systems
flowing through the state. The largest river system
is the
Susquehanna River
. Tributaries that flow
into this river drain 46% of our state’s land. The
source
of the Susquehanna River begins in
southeastern New York State. The river flows
through our entire state. Itsmajor tributaries are
the
West Branch
and
Juniata Rivers.
These rivers
serve as a
watershed
, or
drainage basin
, for
central Pennsylvania. A watershed is an area or
region fromwhich flowing water drains into creeks
and streams. These water forms flow into larger
rivers. Look at themap on the next page to trace
the Susquehanna River to its
mouth
. Into what
body of water does the Susquehanna empty?
Our second-largest river system is the
Ohio
River
in western Pennsylvania. Tributaries that flow
into this river drain 33% of our state’s land. Two
major rivers, the
Allegheny
and
Monongahela
,
meet at Pittsburgh where the Ohio River begins.
The
Beaver River
is amajor tributary of the Ohio.
The Allegheny River’s source is located in
northern Pennsylvania. The river proceeds north
through southwestern New York. It then returns to
Pennsylvania to flow southward toward Pittsburgh.
The Clarion and Conemaugh Rivers, along with
many smaller creeks, flow into the Allegheny.
In the southwest part of our state, the
Monongahela River begins inWest Virginia. The
river flows northward toward Pittsburgh. The
Youghiogheny River
, which starts inMaryland,
and itsmany creeks, flow into theMonongahela
about 15miles fromPittsburgh. Use amap of the
United States to trace the route of the Ohio River.
It has been estimated that one-third of all the
water flowing into the Gulf of Mexico comes from
the Ohio River system.
Water Forms of Pennsylvania
11
