Buffalo Creek is a tributary

Tributary

A tributary or affluent is a stream or river that flows into a main stem river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean...

 of the Guyandotte River

Guyandotte River

The Guyandotte River is a tributary of the Ohio River, approximately 166 mi long, in southwestern West Virginia in the United States. It was named after the French term for the Wendat Native Americans...

, 18.8 miles (30.3 km) long, in southern West Virginia

West Virginia

West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Southeastern regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, Pennsylvania to the northeast and Maryland to the east...

 in the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. Via the Guyandotte and Ohio

Ohio River

The Ohio River is the largest tributary, by volume, of the Mississippi River. At the confluence, the Ohio is even bigger than the Mississippi and, thus, is hydrologically the main stream of the whole river system, including the Allegheny River further upstream...

 rivers, it is part of the watershed

Drainage basin

A drainage basin is an extent or an area of land where surface water from rain and melting snow or ice converges to a single point, usually the exit of the basin, where the waters join another waterbody, such as a river, lake, reservoir, estuary, wetland, sea, or ocean...

 of the Mississippi River

Mississippi River

The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...

, draining an area of 45 square miles (116.5 km²) in the Logan Coalfield

Logan Coalfield

The Logan Coalfield is a coalfield located in Logan County and Wyoming County, West Virginia, in the United States. It has been a large source of high-quality, high-volatile bituminous coal since the field was opened by the Chesapeake & Ohio Railway in 1905. The railroad C&O maintained a rail...

. The creek was the site of the Buffalo Creek Flood

Buffalo Creek Flood

The Buffalo Creek Flood was a disaster that occurred on February 26, 1972, when the Pittston Coal Company's coal slurry impoundment dam #3, located on a hillside in Logan County, West Virginia, USA, burst four days after having been declared 'satisfactory' by a federal mine inspector.The resulting...

 in 1972.

Buffalo Creek's entire course and drainage area are in eastern Logan County

Logan County, West Virginia

As of the census of 2000, there were 37,710 people, 14,880 households, and 10,936 families residing in the county. The population density was 83 people per square mile . There were 16,807 housing units at an average density of 37 per square mile...

. It rises near the common boundary of Logan, Wyoming

Wyoming County, West Virginia

Wyoming County is a county located in the U.S. state of West Virginia. As of the 2010 census, the population was 23,796. Its county seat is Pineville. Wyoming County was created in 1850 from Logan County and named for the Delaware Indian word meaning "large plains."-Geography:According to the U.S...

, and Boone

Boone County, West Virginia

As of the census of 2000, there were 25,535 people, 10,291 households, and 7,460 families residing in the county. The population density was 51 people per square mile . There were 11,575 housing units at an average density of 23 per square mile...

 counties and flows generally west-southwestward through the unincorporated communities of Saunders

Saunders, West Virginia

Saunders is an unincorporated community in Logan County, West Virginia, United States. Saunders is located on County Highway 16 near Buffalo Creek, east-northeast of Man....

, Pardee

Pardee, West Virginia

Pardee is an unincorporated community in Logan County, West Virginia, United States. Pardee is located on County Route 16 and Buffalo Creek east-northeast of Man....

, Lorado

Lorado, West Virginia

Lorado is an unincorporated community in Logan County, West Virginia, United States. Lorado is east-northeast of Man, along Buffalo Creek. Lorado has a post office with ZIP code 25630....

, Craneco

Craneco, West Virginia

Craneco is an unincorporated community in Logan County, West Virginia, United States. Craneco is located on County Route 16 and Buffalo Creek east-northeast of Man....

, Lundale

Lundale, West Virginia

Lundale is an unincorporated community in Logan County, West Virginia, United States. Lundale is northeast of Man, along Buffalo Creek....

, Stowe

Stowe, West Virginia

Stowe is an unincorporated community in Logan County, West Virginia, United States. Stowe is located on County Route 16 and Buffalo Creek east-northeast of Man....

, Crites

Crites, West Virginia

Crites is an unincorporated community in Logan County, West Virginia, United States. Crites is located on County Route 16 and Buffalo Creek east-northeast of Man....

, Latrobe

Latrobe, West Virginia

Latrobe is an unincorporated community in Logan County, West Virginia, United States. Latrobe is located on County Route 16 and Buffalo Creek east-northeast of Man....

, Robinette

Robinette, West Virginia

Robinette is a census-designated place in Logan County, West Virginia, United States, along Buffalo Creek. Its population was 663 as of the 2010 census. Prior to 2010, Robinette was part of the Amherstdale-Robinette CDP....

, Amherstdale

Amherstdale, West Virginia

Amherstdale is a census-designated place in Logan County, West Virginia, United States, along Buffalo Creek. Its population was 350 as of the 2010 census. Prior to 2010, Amherstdale was part of the Amherstdale-Robinette CDP. Amherstdale has a post office with ZIP code 25607....

, Becco

Becco, West Virginia

Becco is an unincorporated community in Logan County, West Virginia, United States. Becco is located on County Route 16 and Buffalo Creek northeast of Man....

, Braeholm

Braeholm, West Virginia

Braeholm is an unincorporated community in Logan County, West Virginia, United States. Braeholm is located on County Route 16 and Buffalo Creek northeast of Man....

, Accoville

Accoville, West Virginia

Accoville is an unincorporated census-designated place in Logan County, West Virginia, United States. The community lies along Buffalo Creek. As of the 2010 census, its population was 574.-Mining accident:...

, Crown

Crown, Logan County, West Virginia

Crown is an unincorporated community in Logan County, West Virginia, United States. Crown is located on County Route 16 and Buffalo Creek northeast of Man....

, and Kistler

Kistler, West Virginia

Kistler is an unincorporated census-designated place in Logan County, West Virginia, United States. Kistler is northeast of Man, along Buffalo Creek. As of the 2010 census, its population was 528....

, to the town of Man

Man, West Virginia

Man is a town in Logan County, West Virginia, United States. The population was 770 at the 2000 census. The town is located along the Guyandotte River at the mouth of Buffalo Creek, which was the site of the 1972 Buffalo Creek Flood following a dam collapse...

, where it flows into the Guyandotte River from the northeast.

According to the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection, approximately 92% of the Buffalo Creek watershed is forest

Forest

A forest, also referred to as a wood or the woods, is an area with a high density of trees. As with cities, depending where you are in the world, what is considered a forest may vary significantly in size and have various classification according to how and what of the forest is composed...

ed, mostly deciduous

Deciduous

Deciduous means "falling off at maturity" or "tending to fall off", and is typically used in reference to trees or shrubs that lose their leaves seasonally, and to the shedding of other plant structures such as petals after flowering or fruit when ripe...

.