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 Monongahela River

Monongahela River

The Monongahela River is a river on the Allegheny Plateau in north-central West Virginia and southwestern Pennsylvania in the United States...

, 30.2 miles (48.6 km) long, in northern 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 Monongahela 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 125 square miles (323.7 km²) on the unglaciated

Glacier

A glacier is a large persistent body of ice that forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. At least 0.1 km² in area and 50 m thick, but often much larger, a glacier slowly deforms and flows due to stresses induced by its weight...

 portion of the Allegheny Plateau

Allegheny Plateau

The Allegheny Plateau is a large dissected plateau area in western and central New York, northern and western Pennsylvania, northern and western West Virginia, and eastern Ohio...

. The stream's entire course and drainage basin are in Marion County

Marion County, West Virginia

| style="float:right;"|As of the census of 2000, there were 56,598 people, 23,652 households, and 15,515 families residing in the county. The population density was 183 people per square mile . There were 26,660 housing units at an average density of 86 per square mile...

.

Buffalo Creek rises near Marion County's western boundary, near the community of Brink

Brink, West Virginia

Brink is an unincorporated community in Marion and Wetzel counties, West Virginia, United States. Brink is west of Mannington....

, and flows generally eastward through the communities of Logansport

Logansport, West Virginia

Logansport is an unincorporated community in Marion County, West Virginia, United States. Logansport is located on Buffalo Creek and County Route 1 west of Mannington....

, Mannington

Mannington, West Virginia

Mannington is a city in Marion County, West Virginia, United States located in the hills of North-Central West Virginia. Known as Mannington since 1856, the town is rich with history and heritage – from Native American relics to frontiersmen and their settlements to Civil War legends...

, Rachel

Rachel, West Virginia

Rachel is an unincorporated census-designated place in Marion County, West Virginia, United States. Rachel is located along Buffalo Creek, east-southeast of Mannington. Rachel has a post office with ZIP code 26587. As of the 2010 census, its population was 248....

, Farmington

Farmington, West Virginia

Farmington is a town in Marion County, West Virginia, United States. The population was 387 at the 2000 census. It is best known for being the site of the 1968 Farmington Mine disaster.-Geography:...

, Pine Grove

Pine Grove, Marion County, West Virginia

Pine Grove is an unincorporated community in Marion County, West Virginia, United States. Pine Groves lies to the west of Barrackville along Buffalo Creek....

, and Barrackville

Barrackville, West Virginia

Barrackville is a town in Marion County, West Virginia, United States. The population was 1,288 at the 2000 census. Barrackville was founded in 1767 by William "Indian Billy" Ice and named in honor of an early settler, John Barrack...

 to Fairmont

Fairmont, West Virginia

Fairmont is a city in Marion County, West Virginia, United States. Nicknamed "The Friendly City". The population was 18,704 at the 2010 census...

, where it flows into the Monongahela River from the west. Among other tributaries, it collects the Pyles Fork from the north at Mannington. Downstream of Mannington, the creek is paralleled for much of its course by U.S. Route 250

U.S. Route 250

U.S. Route 250 is a route of the United States Numbered Highway System, and is a spur of U.S. Route 50. It currently runs for from Sandusky, Ohio to Richmond, Virginia. It passes through the states of Virginia, West Virginia, and Ohio. It goes through the cities of Richmond, Virginia,...

.

According to the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection, approximately 84% of the Leading 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...

. Approximately 14% is used for pasture and agriculture.

Flow rate

At the United States Geological Survey

United States Geological Survey

The United States Geological Survey is a scientific agency of the United States government. The scientists of the USGS study the landscape of the United States, its natural resources, and the natural hazards that threaten it. The organization has four major science disciplines, concerning biology,...

's stream gauge

Stream gauge

A stream gauge, stream gage or gauging station is a location used by hydrologists or environmental scientists to monitor and test terrestrial bodies of water. Hydrometric measurements of water surface elevation and/or volumetric discharge are generally taken and observations of biota may also be...

at Barrackville, 4.4 miles (7.1 km) upstream of the creek's mouth, the annual mean flow of the river between 1907 and 2010 was 169 cubic feet per second (5 m³/s). The highest recorded flow during the period was 10,400 cu ft/s (294 m³/s) on February 19, 2000. The lowest recorded flow was 0 cu ft/s (0 m³/s) for an extended period in 1908.