Oatka Creek
Encyclopedia
Oatka Creek is the third longest tributary
of the Genesee River
, located entirely in the Western New York
region of the U.S. state of New York. From southern Wyoming County
, it flows 58 miles (93.3 km) to the Genesee near Scottsville
, draining an area
of 215 square miles (556.8 km²) that includes all or part of 23 towns and villages in Wyoming, Genesee
, Livingston
and Monroe
counties as well. Its name means "leaving the highlands" or "approaching an opening" in Seneca
.
Like its parent stream it originated during the end of the last Ice Age
, as glacial impact on the upper Allegheny Plateau
created a rolling landscape streams could gradually erode
through, The Oatka carved a deep groove known today as the Oatka Valley, where the upper creek's two major settlements would be established. Native Americans
of the Seneca nation
established a few settlements along it where clearings arose in the forest. The Revolutionary War
's Sullivan Expedition
, brought the valley's fertile soil to the attention of the emerging nation, and the region was opened for settlement shortly after the war.
For a time the Oatka was called Allan's Creek after the area's first settler, Ebenezer "Indian" Allan. Its waterpower facilitated early 19th-century European settlement
of the abundant fertile lands in the Holland Purchase
. Today it remains an important regional resource, used for water supply
and recreational purposes, and actively protected to assure water quality
. It is a popular trout
stream, stocked from the oldest fish hatchery
in the Western Hemisphere
near its mouth. A dam in Le Roy
makes the section below it a losing stream
, dry during the warm months of the year as the stream flows through subterranean channels.
s on the high plateau just in Gainesville
just south of the Warsaw
town line, a short distance west of Silver Spring Road. The new stream flows first south a mile, then turns northwest paralleling the Norfolk Southern railroad tracks toward the small hamlet of Rock Glen. There it crosses for the first time New York State Route 19
(NY 19), which it will parallel closely for much of the rest of its length.
To the west of Rock Glen, it passes through the narrow gorge that gave it its name, emerging at another hamlet, Newburg, at the head of the Oatka Valley it follows for the rest of its run. Again crossing under Route 19, it has descended 280 feet (85.3 m) since its rise. From Newburg it meanders northwest, then north, staying close to the highway on the valley floor.
Several miles further downstream it enters Warsaw
, the county seat
. It goes under Route 19 again and trends to the west, flowing under U.S. Route 20A
to pass to the west of Warsaw High School and its athletic fields. North of the village the valley widens, staying generally level. The creek and NY 19 cross again amid large cultivated fields.
The valley begins to angle northeasterly towards Wyoming
, which the Oatka bypasses to the southeast into a large wooded area. It then passes through the largest wetlands along it course. North of that it crosses Route 19 again as that road turns eastward briefly. The two return to each other when they cross into Genesee County
at Pavilion
, where NY 63
crosses as they resume a northward heading, and there is another significant wetlands area.
In another small wood two miles (3.2 km) north of Pavilion, US 20
crosses. The creek bends west, reaching its greatest distance from Route 19, then north-northeast back to the highway's vicinity. It enters the village of Le Roy
on a northeast course, crossing Route 19 again as it widens into a 26 acres (10.5 ha) reservoir behind the dam just south of NY 5
.
It narrows again north of the village towards Buttermilk Falls and the section that flows underground in warm, dry weather. The valley here is broad, its walls now long and gently sloped instead of steep and short. After going over the 60 feet (18.3 m) falls, marking the Onondaga Escarpment
, it turns east, leaving NY 19 a mile south of the New York State Thruway
. This geologically distinct section is known as the lower Oatka. It dips south, north and then south again through a largely wooded area as it approaches Genesee Country Village
and enters Monroe County
near Mumford
.
After bypassing that hamlet to the north, NY 383
parallels on the north and the CSX rail line across New York on the south, as the creek reaches Oatka Creek Park
, a large tract of former farmland to its south. Here both road and rail are to the north of the stream, widening again. Beyond the park it enters an area of predominantly farmland again as it passes south of Scottsville
, where NY 251
enters the village by bridging the Oatka. A mile further along, it empties into the Genesee.
, Pavilion
and Le Roy
are within the watershed, along with large portions of Covington
, Gainesville
, Middlebury
and Wheatland
. Most of the eastern half of Stafford
is in the Oatka basin even though only a small portion of the creek flows through it.
In Livingston County
Caledonia
is the only town with land in the watershed, consisting mostly of its northeastern corner and most of the village
of Caledonia. Other towns with no portions of the creek itself having large sections within its basin are Perry
, Orangeville
, and Bethany
. Small portions of Castile
, Wethersfield
, Byron
and Bergen
also drain into the Oatka.
There are five villages wholly or partially within the watershed. The former are Warsaw
, Wyoming
and Le Roy
. Closer to its mouth are Scottsville
and Caledonia
. These are the only concentrated areas of development and population within it. The majority (73%) of the watershed is active or inactive agricultural land. Forests cover another 21%. Most of the remainder is residential or commercial land, with industrial use accounting for just 1%.
The watershed's highest point of 1990 feet (606.6 m) is located in southeastern Orangeville; its lowest point, 525 feet (160 m), is the Oatka's mouth. Including the Oatka itself, there are 425 miles (684 km) of stream in the watershed.
There are few significant lakes or ponds within the watershed. The largest is Lake Le Roy, near the headwaters of Mud Creek in Pavilion. It is a 59 acres (23.9 ha) reservoir that serves as the main water supply
for the village of Le Roy. The only protected area
in the Oatka watershed besides Oatka Creek Park
is the 2580 acres (1,044.1 ha) Carlton Hill Wildlife Management Area in Middlebury, north of Warsaw.
maintains two stream gauge
s on the creek, at Garbutt
near the mouth and Warsaw below its headwaters. Average annual streamflow is 55 cubic feet per second (55 cubic feet (1.6 m³)/sec) at the upstream station and 219 cubic feet (219 cubic feet (6.2 m³)/sec) downstream. Flow at Warsaw averages 21–36% of what it is at Garbutt, but is much higher downstream in springtime and after significant runoff events.
Only one community along the creek, the village of Warsaw, uses it as a water supply
, putting it through a filtration plant
before distributing it to residents and other customers. Its wastewater treatment plant
is downstream of the intake. Le Roy and Scottsville also have state permits to discharge effluent
into the stream from their wasatewater plants, along with the Lapp Insulators plant in Le Roy and the fish hatchery
in Caledonia (via the Spring Creek tributary). The latter has the highest permitted discharge of any permit in the Oatka watershed. The villages of Caledonia and Wyoming, and one of Pavilion's water districts, use wells in the watershed.
The creek's water quality
has been extensively studied in its lower watershed, below Buttermilk Falls. Most chemicals within it are within normal limits, with slightly higher levels of sulfate
s due to the gypsum
and dolomite
present in the bedrock. Those minerals also produce detectable magnesium
and strontium
levels as well. Trichloroethylene
is sometimes found as well, the legacy of a spill from a railroad accident near Le Roy in the early 1970s. During high-runoff events, fecal coliform in the lower Oatka sometimes exceeds permitted levels.
There are no major issues at present that could significantly degrade water quality on most of the stream. Accordingly, the state's Department of Environmental Conservation
(DEC) classifies the Monroe and Genesee sections of the stream as "threatened", since some issues could arise in the future. The Wyoming County portion is considered "stressed", in that while its quality is generally good, occasional issues arise that limit use.
In 1999, following a "Caring for Creeks" conference in Rochester, the Oatka Creek Watershed Committee was formed. It sponsored research into the stream and watershed, including the first "State of the Basin" report two years later. Intermunicipal agreements were adopted in 2004, and an outline for an Oatka Creek Watershed Management Plan was adopted in 2006, in cooperation with the Genesee/Finger Lakes Regional Planning Council.
, threatened
or endangered
. To protect them more effectively it has limited publication of the exact species or location of the communities.
More specific data exists on benthic
macroinvertebrate
s, or larger organisms that depend on the sediment on the stream floor. These are primarily the immature forms of insects that live on land as adults. Many of these species, such as caddisflies and stoneflies, are pollution-intolerant and thus their presence is an indicator of good water quality. They were found during a 1989–90 survey of the lower Oatka, but in lower numbers than expected. The stream is thus considered "slightly impacted" by pollution.
Many of those insects constitute the food supply for various trout
species. The lower Oatka is considered a blue-ribbon brown trout
fishery
, with some brook trout
populating the water as well. The state fish hatchery
on Spring Creek near Caledonia stocks the stream annually, and there is also evidence of a wild trout fishery on the stretch between Bowerman and Wheatland Center roads. A 1999 survey estimated the creek's total trout biomass
at 30 pounds per acre (33 kg per hectare) bass
, walleye
and northern pike
have also been taken near the Genesee.
formations, with the shale
s and sandstone
s of the Sonyea Group, shale-limestone
Genesee Group and Tully
Limestone dominating from the headwaters to Pavilion. Between there and Le Roy the shales and thin limestones of the Hamilton
Group underlie the creek.
North of Le Roy, the Oatka becomes a losing stream
, with water disappearing into the ground. In the warmer months this results in the creekbed drying up above Buttermilk Falls, and slowly re-emerging further down from springs and seeps. After it does, and turns to the east, it flows over the Akron Dolomite
, Bertie Group of dolomitic shales, and the Salina
Group. The latter is diverse, including evaporite
s such as halite
and gypsum
in addition to its limestones and shales.
In the lower section of the creek there is significant groundwater entering the creek. As it discharges, it weathers the gypsum and limestone. This results in increased sulfate
s in the water, and bicarbonate
s and calcium
have also been found near the falls. These concentrations are in winter and spring, when heavier precipitation and runoff offsets the impact of the groundwater.
was a rolling expanse of drumlin
s and depressions in which meltwater and precipitation could accumulate. It was ideal topography
for stream formation, and these bodies of water eventually combined and became the Oatka, eroding the Oatka Valley. Fertile soil from the highlands accumulated in the valley, and the land eventually reforested
.
The Native Americans
who would become the Seneca nation
eventually came and settled in the area. They established a few small communities at the clearings in the forest where they found good hunting, and were first to farm the lands in the valley. The network of trails that connected them eventually became part of today's road network in the area. The Senecas eventually became part of the Iroquois Confederation, where the Oatka was at the very westernmost extent, giving them the honorific "Keepers of the Western Door" within the Confederation.
In 1779, during the Revolutionary War
the Continental Army
's Sullivan Expedition
came into Western New York
to suppress Senecas who had professed loyalty to the British or might do so. Many of the troops came from farms in New England
and recognized the quality of land in the Oatka watershed. After the war they agitated for it to be opened to settlement. After the war, New York and Massachusetts
resolved the latter's claim to the area, and the 1797 Treaty of Big Tree (today Geneseo
) extinguished all Native land claims.
The first settler along the Oatka was Ebenezer "Indian" Allan, who established himself near the mouth of the stream, in today's Wheatland, in 1786. The creek would be known as Allan's Creek for years afterwards. After he moved further down the Genesee, other settlers came, the beginnings of what became Scottsville. In the 1790s settlement progressed upstream with the establishment of Le Roy
where the stream intersected an old Indian trail that later became New York State Route 5
. Settlement moved quickly afterwards, with all present communities as far south as Gainesville seeing their first settlers in the opening years of the 19th century, when the Holland Land Company
owned much of it.
ing purposes in the 19th century have been abandoned and/or removed. There are no power plants or flood control
projects along the creek.
There are 32 bridges currently spanning the creek, built between 1915 and 2003. The oldest carries Union Street in Wheatland; the newest is the NY 251
bridge into Scottsville above the creek's mouth. Seven of them carry NY 19 over the creek. These include both the longest, the 227 feet (69.2 m) crossing over the lake created by the Le Roy dam, northernmost along Route 19, and the shortest and southernmost, its 29 feet (8.8 m) bridge south of Rock Glen. Most are steel or concrete stringer or box girder structures, with the US 20
bridge in Pavilion and one of the Route 19 bridges north of Warsaw being steel truss
designs.
and discharge for the wastewater of the two most populous villages along it, Le Roy and Warsaw.
The narrow and deep Oatka Valley was a preferred transportation corridor
through eastern Wyoming and Genesee counties. First came the road that became Route 19 in 1930. In 1874 it was paralleled by the Rochester and State Line Railroad
; today operated by Norfolk Southern after many ownership changes. Intersections with major east-west routes that became NY 5
and US 20A
prompted the development of Le Roy and Warsaw around them.
in three distinct fisheries
.
The upper creek, above Warsaw, is stocked
with 1,850 yearling brown trout in the spring of each year, supplementing an indigenous wild population. DEC surveys have found that by June few of the stocked trout remain, showing that the stretch has heavy fishing pressure. The record size for trout taken from this stretch is 16 inches (40.6 cm). DEC has not acquired any public fishing rights along the four miles (4 miles (6.4 km)) south of, but public access is relatively unhindered as there are several bridges, paralleling railroad tracks (both of which automatically create public access to adjacent areas of the stream under New York law) and the area is otherwise lightly posted against trepassing
.
From Warsaw to Le Roy, the stream matures and warms. This is conducive to different species of sport fish, particularly bass
, pike, sunfish
, crappie
s and bullhead
. There is access from bridges and some public land owned by municipalities in the area.
The lower Oatka is the portion most popular with fly fishermen
. The groundwater infusions from the Blue Hole and falls cool the creek again; from the bend eastward to its mouth it is a freestone stream with a large population of stocked and wild brown trout. The 11,200 fry added to the waters each year come from the state fish hatchery
north of Caledonia on the Oatka's Spring Creek tributary established in 1864 by Seth Green
, the oldest such facility in the Western Hemisphere
. Brown trout was first introduced to American waters from it; today the 170000 pounds (77,110.7 kg) of fish produced supply almost all of the state's stocked streams.
Public access to this section is extensive. The 1.7 miles (2.7 km) section in Oatka Creek Park
is the most frequently used, since special regulations to conserve the wild trout population there allow no-kill
fishing there with artificial lures
year-round. Similar rules apply between October and March in the less-accessible stretch downstream of the park to Bowerman Road; during the regular season anglers are limited to two fish per day at a 12 inches (30.5 cm) minimum. Black bass
and northern pike
have also taken flies
in those waters.
Access is also available from a small Scottsville village park on the south bank east of Route 251, the hundred feet on the other side of that highway and both sides of the NY 36
bridge near Wheatland Center, as well as 50 ft (15 m) on either side of county roads that cross the creek. DEC has also acquired public fishing easement
s on a small stretch in Mumford and much of both banks along Oatka Trail in the Town of Le Roy
between Mud Creek and the unnamed northern tributary two miles (3.2 km) upstream. These allow use of the 33 feet (11 m) adjoining the river by anglers for access to the water. They are subject to regular DEC fishing regulations.
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 Genesee River
Genesee River
The Genesee River is a North American river flowing northward through the Twin Tiers of Pennsylvania and New York. The river provided the original power for the Rochester area's 19th century mills and still provides hydroelectric power for downtown Rochester....
, located entirely in the Western New York
Western New York
Western New York is the westernmost region of the state of New York. It includes the cities of Buffalo, Rochester, Niagara Falls, the surrounding suburbs, as well as the outlying rural areas of the Great Lakes lowlands, the Genesee Valley, and the Southern Tier. Some historians, scholars and others...
region of the U.S. state of New York. From southern Wyoming County
Wyoming County, New York
Wyoming County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. At the 2010 census, the population was 42,155. The county seat is Warsaw. The name is from a modified Delaware Indian word meaning "broad bottom lands"...
, it flows 58 miles (93.3 km) to the Genesee near Scottsville
Scottsville, New York
Scottsville is a village in southwestern Monroe County, New York, United States, and is in the northeastern part of the Town of Wheatland. The population was 2,128 at the 2000 census. The village is named after an early settler, Isaac Scott...
, draining an area
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 215 square miles (556.8 km²) that includes all or part of 23 towns and villages in Wyoming, Genesee
Genesee County, New York
Genesee County is a county located in Western New York, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population was 60,079. Its name is from the Seneca Indian word Gen-nis'-hee-yo meaning "The Beautiful Valley." Its county seat is Batavia.- History :...
, Livingston
Livingston County, New York
As of the census of 2000, there were 64,328 people, 22,150 households, and 15,349 families residing in the county. The population density was 102 people per square mile . There were 24,023 housing units at an average density of 38 per square mile...
and Monroe
Monroe County, New York
Monroe County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2010 census, the population was 744,344. It is named after James Monroe, fifth President of the United States of America. Its county seat is the city of Rochester....
counties as well. Its name means "leaving the highlands" or "approaching an opening" in Seneca
Seneca language
Seneca is the language of the Seneca people, one of the Six Nations of the Iroquois League. About 10,000 Seneca live in the United States and Canada, primarily on reservations in western New York, with others living in Oklahoma and near Brantford, Ontario.-Phonology:Seneca words are written with...
.
Like its parent stream it originated during the end of the last Ice Age
Wisconsin glaciation
The last glacial period was the most recent glacial period within the current ice age occurring during the last years of the Pleistocene, from approximately 110,000 to 10,000 years ago....
, as glacial impact on the upper 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...
created a rolling landscape streams could gradually erode
Erode
Erode is a city, a municipal corporation and the headquarters of Erode district in the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu.It is situated at the center of the South Indian Peninsula, about southwest from the state capital Chennai and on the banks of the rivers Cauvery and Bhavani, between 11° 19.5"...
through, The Oatka carved a deep groove known today as the Oatka Valley, where the upper creek's two major settlements would be established. Native Americans
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
of the Seneca nation
Seneca nation
The Seneca are a group of indigenous people native to North America. They were the nation located farthest to the west within the Six Nations or Iroquois League in New York before the American Revolution. While exact population figures are unknown, approximately 15,000 to 25,000 Seneca live in...
established a few settlements along it where clearings arose in the forest. The Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
's Sullivan Expedition
Sullivan Expedition
The Sullivan Expedition, also known as the Sullivan-Clinton Expedition, was an American campaign led by Major General John Sullivan and Brigadier General James Clinton against Loyalists and the four nations of the Iroquois who had sided with the British in the American Revolutionary War.The...
, brought the valley's fertile soil to the attention of the emerging nation, and the region was opened for settlement shortly after the war.
For a time the Oatka was called Allan's Creek after the area's first settler, Ebenezer "Indian" Allan. Its waterpower facilitated early 19th-century European settlement
European colonization of the Americas
The start of the European colonization of the Americas is typically dated to 1492. The first Europeans to reach the Americas were the Vikings during the 11th century, who established several colonies in Greenland and one short-lived settlement in present day Newfoundland...
of the abundant fertile lands in the Holland Purchase
Holland Purchase
The Holland Purchase was a large tract of land in what is now the western portion of the U.S. state of New York. It consisted of about 3,250,000 acres of land from a line approximately 12 miles to the west of the Genesee River to the present western border and boundary of New York State.The land...
. Today it remains an important regional resource, used for water supply
Water supply
Water supply is the provision of water by public utilities, commercial organisations, community endeavours or by individuals, usually via a system of pumps and pipes...
and recreational purposes, and actively protected to assure water quality
Water quality
Water quality is the physical, chemical and biological characteristics of water. It is a measure of the condition of water relative to the requirements of one or more biotic species and or to any human need or purpose. It is most frequently used by reference to a set of standards against which...
. It is a popular trout
Trout
Trout is the name for a number of species of freshwater and saltwater fish belonging to the Salmoninae subfamily of the family Salmonidae. Salmon belong to the same family as trout. Most salmon species spend almost all their lives in salt water...
stream, stocked from the oldest fish hatchery
Fish hatchery
A fish hatchery is a "place for artificial breeding, hatching and rearing through the early life stages of animals, finfish and shellfish in particular". Hatcheries produce larval and juvenile fish primarily to support the aquaculture industry where they are transferred to on-growing systems...
in the Western Hemisphere
Western Hemisphere
The Western Hemisphere or western hemisphere is mainly used as a geographical term for the half of the Earth that lies west of the Prime Meridian and east of the Antimeridian , the other half being called the Eastern Hemisphere.In this sense, the western hemisphere consists of the western portions...
near its mouth. A dam in Le Roy
Le Roy (village), New York
Le Roy is a village in Genesee County, New York, United States. The population was 4,462 at the 2000 census.The Village of Le Roy lies in the center of the Town of Le Roy at the intersection of Routes 5 and 19.- History :...
makes the section below it a losing stream
Losing stream
A losing stream, or influent stream, is a stream or river that loses water as it flows downstream. The water infiltrates into the ground recharging the local groundwater, because the water table is below the bottom of the stream channel...
, dry during the warm months of the year as the stream flows through subterranean channels.
Course
Several small streams, some of which ultimately rise to the north at elevations of almost 1600 feet (487.7 m), come together to create the main stem of the creek amid the fields and woodlotWoodlot
A woodlot is a term used in North America to refer to a segment of a woodland or forest capable of small-scale production of forest products such as wood fuel, sap for maple syrup, sawlogs, as well as recreational uses like bird watching, bushwalking, and wildflower appreciation...
s on the high plateau just in Gainesville
Gainesville (town), New York
Gainesville is a town in Wyoming County, New York, USA. The population was 2,333 at the 2000 census. The town is named after General Edmund P. Gaines....
just south of the Warsaw
Warsaw (town), New York
Warsaw is a town in Wyoming County, New York, USA. The population was 5,423 at the 2000 census. It is located approximately 37 miles east southeast of Buffalo and approximately 37 miles southwest of Rochester. The town may have been named after Warsaw in Poland.The Town of Warsaw is centrally...
town line, a short distance west of Silver Spring Road. The new stream flows first south a mile, then turns northwest paralleling the Norfolk Southern railroad tracks toward the small hamlet of Rock Glen. There it crosses for the first time New York State Route 19
New York State Route 19
New York State Route 19 is a north–south state highway in Western New York in the United States. It is the longest state highway in that region, and the only other one besides NY 14 to completely transect the state from the Pennsylvania state line to the shore of Lake Ontario...
(NY 19), which it will parallel closely for much of the rest of its length.
To the west of Rock Glen, it passes through the narrow gorge that gave it its name, emerging at another hamlet, Newburg, at the head of the Oatka Valley it follows for the rest of its run. Again crossing under Route 19, it has descended 280 feet (85.3 m) since its rise. From Newburg it meanders northwest, then north, staying close to the highway on the valley floor.
Several miles further downstream it enters Warsaw
Warsaw (village), New York
Warsaw is a village in Wyoming County, New York in the USA. It is the county seat of Wyoming County and lies inside the Town of Warsaw. The village of Warsaw is near the center of the town in a valley. The population was 3,814 at the 2000 census. A branch of Genesee Community College is in Warsaw.-...
, the county seat
County seat
A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....
. It goes under Route 19 again and trends to the west, flowing under U.S. Route 20A
U.S. Route 20A (New York)
U.S. Route 20A is an east–west alternate route of US 20 that extends for across the western portion of New York in the United States. It leaves US 20 in Hamburg, a suburb of Buffalo, and rejoins it in East Bloomfield about five miles west of Canandaigua, the county seat of...
to pass to the west of Warsaw High School and its athletic fields. North of the village the valley widens, staying generally level. The creek and NY 19 cross again amid large cultivated fields.
The valley begins to angle northeasterly towards Wyoming
Wyoming, New York
Wyoming is a village in Wyoming County, New York, United States. As of the 2000 census, the village has a total population of 513.The Village of Wyoming lies within the Town of Middlebury by the eastern town line...
, which the Oatka bypasses to the southeast into a large wooded area. It then passes through the largest wetlands along it course. North of that it crosses Route 19 again as that road turns eastward briefly. The two return to each other when they cross into Genesee County
Genesee County, New York
Genesee County is a county located in Western New York, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population was 60,079. Its name is from the Seneca Indian word Gen-nis'-hee-yo meaning "The Beautiful Valley." Its county seat is Batavia.- History :...
at Pavilion
Pavilion, New York
Pavilion is a town in Genesee County, New York, United States. The population was 2,467 at the 2000 census. The town was named after a hotel in Saratoga, New York by an early resident.The Town of Pavilion is in the southeast corner of Genesee County...
, where NY 63
New York State Route 63
New York State Route 63 is a state highway in the western part of New York in the United States. The southern terminus of the route is at an intersection with NY 15 and NY 21 in the village of Wayland in Steuben County. Its northern end is at a junction with NY 18 in the town...
crosses as they resume a northward heading, and there is another significant wetlands area.
In another small wood two miles (3.2 km) north of Pavilion, US 20
U.S. Route 20 in New York
U.S. Route 20 is a part of the U.S. Highway System that runs from Newport, Oregon, to Boston, Massachusetts. In the U.S. state of New York, US 20 extends from the Pennsylvania state line at Ripley to the Massachusetts state line in the Berkshire Mountains. US 20 is the longest...
crosses. The creek bends west, reaching its greatest distance from Route 19, then north-northeast back to the highway's vicinity. It enters the village of Le Roy
Le Roy (village), New York
Le Roy is a village in Genesee County, New York, United States. The population was 4,462 at the 2000 census.The Village of Le Roy lies in the center of the Town of Le Roy at the intersection of Routes 5 and 19.- History :...
on a northeast course, crossing Route 19 again as it widens into a 26 acres (10.5 ha) reservoir behind the dam just south of NY 5
New York State Route 5
New York State Route 5 is a state highway that extends for across the state of New York in the United States. It begins at the Pennsylvania state line in the Chautauqua County town of Ripley and passes through Buffalo, Syracuse, Utica, Schenectady, and several other smaller cities and...
.
It narrows again north of the village towards Buttermilk Falls and the section that flows underground in warm, dry weather. The valley here is broad, its walls now long and gently sloped instead of steep and short. After going over the 60 feet (18.3 m) falls, marking the Onondaga Escarpment
Onondaga (geological formation)
The Onondaga Formation is a group of hard limestones and dolostones of Devonian age that form an important geographic feature in some areas in which it outcrops, in others; especially its Southern Ontario portion, the formation can be less prominent as a local surface feature.In upstate New York...
, it turns east, leaving NY 19 a mile south of the New York State Thruway
New York State Thruway
The New York State Thruway is a system of limited-access highways located within the state of New York in the United States. The system, known officially as the Governor Thomas E. Dewey Thruway for former New York Governor Thomas E. Dewey, is operated by the New York State Thruway Authority and...
. This geologically distinct section is known as the lower Oatka. It dips south, north and then south again through a largely wooded area as it approaches Genesee Country Village
Genesee Country Village and Museum
The Genesee Country Village and Museum is a 19th-century living history museum covering more than located in small hamlet of Mumford, New York, about from Rochester, New York, USA. On the museum property is the 19th-century village , the John L...
and enters Monroe County
Monroe County, New York
Monroe County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2010 census, the population was 744,344. It is named after James Monroe, fifth President of the United States of America. Its county seat is the city of Rochester....
near Mumford
Mumford, New York
The hamlet of Mumford lies on the west side of the Town of Wheatland, south of Oatka Creek on NY 36 and south of the terminus of NY 383.-History:The story of Mumford has been written by several local historians...
.
After bypassing that hamlet to the north, NY 383
New York State Route 383
New York State Route 383 is an north–south state highway in Monroe County, New York, in the United States. The southern terminus of the route is at an intersection with NY 36 in the hamlet of Mumford within the town of Wheatland. Its northern terminus is at a junction with NY 31 in...
parallels on the north and the CSX rail line across New York on the south, as the creek reaches Oatka Creek Park
Oatka Creek Park
Oatka Creek Park, part of the Monroe County , lies near the center of the Town of Wheatland. The park is bounded on the east by Union Street , the north by the tracks of the Rochester & Southern Railroad, and the west and south by Stewart Road...
, a large tract of former farmland to its south. Here both road and rail are to the north of the stream, widening again. Beyond the park it enters an area of predominantly farmland again as it passes south of Scottsville
Scottsville, New York
Scottsville is a village in southwestern Monroe County, New York, United States, and is in the northeastern part of the Town of Wheatland. The population was 2,128 at the 2000 census. The village is named after an early settler, Isaac Scott...
, where NY 251
New York State Route 251
New York State Route 251 is an east–west state highway in western New York in the United States. It extends for from NY 383 in Scottsville, Monroe County, to NY 96 in the town of Victor, Ontario County...
enters the village by bridging the Oatka. A mile further along, it empties into the Genesee.
Watershed
The Oatka's basin is relatively narrow and does not extend far from the Oatka Valley or the towns through which the creek itself flows. Almost all of the towns of WarsawWarsaw (town), New York
Warsaw is a town in Wyoming County, New York, USA. The population was 5,423 at the 2000 census. It is located approximately 37 miles east southeast of Buffalo and approximately 37 miles southwest of Rochester. The town may have been named after Warsaw in Poland.The Town of Warsaw is centrally...
, Pavilion
Pavilion, New York
Pavilion is a town in Genesee County, New York, United States. The population was 2,467 at the 2000 census. The town was named after a hotel in Saratoga, New York by an early resident.The Town of Pavilion is in the southeast corner of Genesee County...
and Le Roy
Le Roy (town), New York
Le Roy, or more commonly LeRoy, is a town in Genesee County, New York, United States. The population was 7,790 at the 2000 census. The town is named after one of the original land owners, Herman Le Roy....
are within the watershed, along with large portions of Covington
Covington, New York
Covington is a town in Wyoming County, New York, United States. The population was 1,357 at the 2000 census. The town was named after General Leonard Covington.The Town of Covington is on eastern border of the county.- History :...
, Gainesville
Gainesville (town), New York
Gainesville is a town in Wyoming County, New York, USA. The population was 2,333 at the 2000 census. The town is named after General Edmund P. Gaines....
, Middlebury
Middlebury, New York
----Middlebury is a town in Wyoming County, New York, United States. The population was 1,508 at the 2000 census. The town is on the north border of the county.- History :The Town of Middlebury was formed in 1812 from the Town of Warsaw.-Geography:...
and Wheatland
Wheatland, New York
Wheatland is a town in Monroe County, New York, United States. The population was 4,775 at the 2010 census. The town is home to Genesee Country Village and Museum.The Town of Wheatland is located in the southwest part of the county....
. Most of the eastern half of Stafford
Stafford, New York
Stafford is a town in Genesee County, New York, United States. The population was 2,409 at the 2000 census. The town was named after a the town of the same name in England....
is in the Oatka basin even though only a small portion of the creek flows through it.
In Livingston County
Livingston County, New York
As of the census of 2000, there were 64,328 people, 22,150 households, and 15,349 families residing in the county. The population density was 102 people per square mile . There were 24,023 housing units at an average density of 38 per square mile...
Caledonia
Caledonia (town), New York
Caledonia is a town in Livingston County, New York, United States. The population was 4,567 at the 2000 census .The Town of Caledonia contains the Village of Caledonia. The town is in the northwest part of the county and is southwest of Rochester, NY.- Community amenities :Caledonia's high school...
is the only town with land in the watershed, consisting mostly of its northeastern corner and most of the village
Caledonia (village), New York
Caledonia is a village in Livingston County, New York, USA. The population was 2,327 at the 2000 census. The name refers to Scotland.The Village of Caledonia is located inside the Town of Caledonia and is southwest of Rochester, Monroe County....
of Caledonia. Other towns with no portions of the creek itself having large sections within its basin are Perry
Perry (town), New York
Perry is a town in Wyoming County, New York, USA. The population was 6,654 at the 2000 census. The town is named after Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry....
, Orangeville
Orangeville, New York
Orangeville is a town in Wyoming County, New York, United States. The population was 1,301 at the 2000 census.The Town of Orangeville is centrally located in the county. U.S. Route 20A passes across the town.- History :...
, and Bethany
Bethany, New York
Bethany is a town in Genesee County, New York, United States. The population was 1,760 at the 2000 census.The Town of Bethany lies on the south border of Genesee County...
. Small portions of Castile
Castile (town), New York
Castile is a town in Wyoming County, New York, USA. The population was 2,873 at the 2000 census. The town is named after Castile in Spain.The Town of Castile is on the east border of the county...
, Wethersfield
Wethersfield, New York
Wethersfield is a town in Wyoming County, New York, United States. The population was 891 at the 2000 census.The Town of Wethersfield is centrally located in the county.- History :...
, Byron
Byron, New York
Byron is a town in Genesee County, New York, United States. It was named in honor of Lord Byron. The town is on the northern border of the county, and lies northeast of the city of Batavia. The population was 2,493 at the 2000 census. The local school district, Byron-Bergen Central School District...
and Bergen
Bergen (town), New York
Bergen is a town in Genesee County, New York, United States. The town is in the northeast corner of the county. There is also a village of Bergen in the town...
also drain into the Oatka.
There are five villages wholly or partially within the watershed. The former are Warsaw
Warsaw (village), New York
Warsaw is a village in Wyoming County, New York in the USA. It is the county seat of Wyoming County and lies inside the Town of Warsaw. The village of Warsaw is near the center of the town in a valley. The population was 3,814 at the 2000 census. A branch of Genesee Community College is in Warsaw.-...
, Wyoming
Wyoming, New York
Wyoming is a village in Wyoming County, New York, United States. As of the 2000 census, the village has a total population of 513.The Village of Wyoming lies within the Town of Middlebury by the eastern town line...
and Le Roy
Le Roy (village), New York
Le Roy is a village in Genesee County, New York, United States. The population was 4,462 at the 2000 census.The Village of Le Roy lies in the center of the Town of Le Roy at the intersection of Routes 5 and 19.- History :...
. Closer to its mouth are Scottsville
Scottsville, New York
Scottsville is a village in southwestern Monroe County, New York, United States, and is in the northeastern part of the Town of Wheatland. The population was 2,128 at the 2000 census. The village is named after an early settler, Isaac Scott...
and Caledonia
Caledonia (village), New York
Caledonia is a village in Livingston County, New York, USA. The population was 2,327 at the 2000 census. The name refers to Scotland.The Village of Caledonia is located inside the Town of Caledonia and is southwest of Rochester, Monroe County....
. These are the only concentrated areas of development and population within it. The majority (73%) of the watershed is active or inactive agricultural land. Forests cover another 21%. Most of the remainder is residential or commercial land, with industrial use accounting for just 1%.
The watershed's highest point of 1990 feet (606.6 m) is located in southeastern Orangeville; its lowest point, 525 feet (160 m), is the Oatka's mouth. Including the Oatka itself, there are 425 miles (684 km) of stream in the watershed.
There are few significant lakes or ponds within the watershed. The largest is Lake Le Roy, near the headwaters of Mud Creek in Pavilion. It is a 59 acres (23.9 ha) reservoir that serves as the main water supply
Water supply
Water supply is the provision of water by public utilities, commercial organisations, community endeavours or by individuals, usually via a system of pumps and pipes...
for the village of Le Roy. The only protected area
Protected area
Protected areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognised natural, ecological and/or cultural values. There are several kinds of protected areas, which vary by level of protection depending on the enabling laws of each country or the regulations of the international...
in the Oatka watershed besides Oatka Creek Park
Oatka Creek Park
Oatka Creek Park, part of the Monroe County , lies near the center of the Town of Wheatland. The park is bounded on the east by Union Street , the north by the tracks of the Rochester & Southern Railroad, and the west and south by Stewart Road...
is the 2580 acres (1,044.1 ha) Carlton Hill Wildlife Management Area in Middlebury, north of Warsaw.
Water quality
The United States Geological SurveyUnited 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,...
maintains two 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...
s on the creek, at Garbutt
Garbutt, New York
Garbutt, New York is a hamlet located between the village of Scottsville and the hamlet of Mumford. It sits at the intersection of Scottsville-Mumford Road and Union Street in the Town of Wheatland in Monroe County...
near the mouth and Warsaw below its headwaters. Average annual streamflow is 55 cubic feet per second (55 cubic feet (1.6 m³)/sec) at the upstream station and 219 cubic feet (219 cubic feet (6.2 m³)/sec) downstream. Flow at Warsaw averages 21–36% of what it is at Garbutt, but is much higher downstream in springtime and after significant runoff events.
Only one community along the creek, the village of Warsaw, uses it as a water supply
Water supply
Water supply is the provision of water by public utilities, commercial organisations, community endeavours or by individuals, usually via a system of pumps and pipes...
, putting it through a filtration plant
Water purification
Water purification is the process of removing undesirable chemicals, materials, and biological contaminants from contaminated water. The goal is to produce water fit for a specific purpose...
before distributing it to residents and other customers. Its wastewater treatment plant
Sewage treatment
Sewage treatment, or domestic wastewater treatment, is the process of removing contaminants from wastewater and household sewage, both runoff and domestic. It includes physical, chemical, and biological processes to remove physical, chemical and biological contaminants...
is downstream of the intake. Le Roy and Scottsville also have state permits to discharge effluent
Effluent
Effluent is an outflowing of water or gas from a natural body of water, or from a human-made structure.Effluent is defined by the United States Environmental Protection Agency as “wastewater - treated or untreated - that flows out of a treatment plant, sewer, or industrial outfall. Generally refers...
into the stream from their wasatewater plants, along with the Lapp Insulators plant in Le Roy and the fish hatchery
Fish hatchery
A fish hatchery is a "place for artificial breeding, hatching and rearing through the early life stages of animals, finfish and shellfish in particular". Hatcheries produce larval and juvenile fish primarily to support the aquaculture industry where they are transferred to on-growing systems...
in Caledonia (via the Spring Creek tributary). The latter has the highest permitted discharge of any permit in the Oatka watershed. The villages of Caledonia and Wyoming, and one of Pavilion's water districts, use wells in the watershed.
The creek's water quality
Water quality
Water quality is the physical, chemical and biological characteristics of water. It is a measure of the condition of water relative to the requirements of one or more biotic species and or to any human need or purpose. It is most frequently used by reference to a set of standards against which...
has been extensively studied in its lower watershed, below Buttermilk Falls. Most chemicals within it are within normal limits, with slightly higher levels of sulfate
Sulfate
In inorganic chemistry, a sulfate is a salt of sulfuric acid.-Chemical properties:...
s due to the gypsum
Gypsum
Gypsum is a very soft sulfate mineral composed of calcium sulfate dihydrate, with the chemical formula CaSO4·2H2O. It is found in alabaster, a decorative stone used in Ancient Egypt. It is the second softest mineral on the Mohs Hardness Scale...
and dolomite
Dolomite
Dolomite is a carbonate mineral composed of calcium magnesium carbonate CaMg2. The term is also used to describe the sedimentary carbonate rock dolostone....
present in the bedrock. Those minerals also produce detectable magnesium
Magnesium
Magnesium is a chemical element with the symbol Mg, atomic number 12, and common oxidation number +2. It is an alkaline earth metal and the eighth most abundant element in the Earth's crust and ninth in the known universe as a whole...
and strontium
Strontium
Strontium is a chemical element with the symbol Sr and the atomic number 38. An alkaline earth metal, strontium is a soft silver-white or yellowish metallic element that is highly reactive chemically. The metal turns yellow when exposed to air. It occurs naturally in the minerals celestine and...
levels as well. Trichloroethylene
Trichloroethylene
The chemical compound trichloroethylene is a chlorinated hydrocarbon commonly used as an industrial solvent. It is a clear non-flammable liquid with a sweet smell. It should not be confused with the similar 1,1,1-trichloroethane, which is commonly known as chlorothene.The IUPAC name is...
is sometimes found as well, the legacy of a spill from a railroad accident near Le Roy in the early 1970s. During high-runoff events, fecal coliform in the lower Oatka sometimes exceeds permitted levels.
There are no major issues at present that could significantly degrade water quality on most of the stream. Accordingly, the state's Department of Environmental Conservation
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation is responsible for the conservation, improvement, and protection of natural resources within the U.S. state of New York. It was founded in 1970, replacing the previous Conservation Department...
(DEC) classifies the Monroe and Genesee sections of the stream as "threatened", since some issues could arise in the future. The Wyoming County portion is considered "stressed", in that while its quality is generally good, occasional issues arise that limit use.
In 1999, following a "Caring for Creeks" conference in Rochester, the Oatka Creek Watershed Committee was formed. It sponsored research into the stream and watershed, including the first "State of the Basin" report two years later. Intermunicipal agreements were adopted in 2004, and an outline for an Oatka Creek Watershed Management Plan was adopted in 2006, in cooperation with the Genesee/Finger Lakes Regional Planning Council.
Wildlife
There is limited data on the fish and plant species that thrive in and around the creek as no comprehensive survey has been done. The state has identified several communities of species it lists as rareRare species
A rare species is a group of organisms that are very uncommon or scarce. This designation may be applied to either a plant or animal taxon, and may be distinct from the term "endangered" or "threatened species" but not "extinct"....
, threatened
Threatened species
Threatened species are any speciesg animals, plants, fungi, etc.) which are vulnerable to endangerment in the near future.The World Conservation Union is the foremost authority on threatened species, and treats threatened species not as a single category, but as a group of three categories,...
or endangered
Endangered species
An endangered species is a population of organisms which is at risk of becoming extinct because it is either few in numbers, or threatened by changing environmental or predation parameters...
. To protect them more effectively it has limited publication of the exact species or location of the communities.
More specific data exists on benthic
Benthic zone
The benthic zone is the ecological region at the lowest level of a body of water such as an ocean or a lake, including the sediment surface and some sub-surface layers. Organisms living in this zone are called benthos. They generally live in close relationship with the substrate bottom; many such...
macroinvertebrate
Macrobenthos
Macrobenthos consists of the organisms that live at the bottom of a water column and are visible to the naked eye. In some classification schemes, these organisms are larger than 1 mm; in another, the smallest dimension must be at least 0.5 mm...
s, or larger organisms that depend on the sediment on the stream floor. These are primarily the immature forms of insects that live on land as adults. Many of these species, such as caddisflies and stoneflies, are pollution-intolerant and thus their presence is an indicator of good water quality. They were found during a 1989–90 survey of the lower Oatka, but in lower numbers than expected. The stream is thus considered "slightly impacted" by pollution.
Many of those insects constitute the food supply for various trout
Trout
Trout is the name for a number of species of freshwater and saltwater fish belonging to the Salmoninae subfamily of the family Salmonidae. Salmon belong to the same family as trout. Most salmon species spend almost all their lives in salt water...
species. The lower Oatka is considered a blue-ribbon brown trout
Brown trout
The brown trout and the sea trout are fish of the same species....
fishery
Fishery
Generally, a fishery is an entity engaged in raising or harvesting fish which is determined by some authority to be a fishery. According to the FAO, a fishery is typically defined in terms of the "people involved, species or type of fish, area of water or seabed, method of fishing, class of boats,...
, with some brook trout
Brook trout
The brook trout, Salvelinus fontinalis, is a species of fish in the salmon family of order Salmoniformes. In many parts of its range, it is known as the speckled trout or squaretail. A potamodromous population in Lake Superior are known as coaster trout or, simply, as coasters...
populating the water as well. The state fish hatchery
Fish hatchery
A fish hatchery is a "place for artificial breeding, hatching and rearing through the early life stages of animals, finfish and shellfish in particular". Hatcheries produce larval and juvenile fish primarily to support the aquaculture industry where they are transferred to on-growing systems...
on Spring Creek near Caledonia stocks the stream annually, and there is also evidence of a wild trout fishery on the stretch between Bowerman and Wheatland Center roads. A 1999 survey estimated the creek's total trout biomass
Biomass (ecology)
Biomass, in ecology, is the mass of living biological organisms in a given area or ecosystem at a given time. Biomass can refer to species biomass, which is the mass of one or more species, or to community biomass, which is the mass of all species in the community. It can include microorganisms,...
at 30 pounds per acre (33 kg per hectare) bass
Bass (fish)
Bass is a name shared by many different species of popular gamefish. The term encompasses both freshwater and marine species. All belong to the large order Perciformes, or perch-like fishes, and in fact the word bass comes from Middle English bars, meaning "perch."-Types of basses:*The temperate...
, walleye
Walleye
Walleye is a freshwater perciform fish native to most of Canada and to the northern United States. It is a North American close relative of the European pikeperch...
and northern pike
Northern Pike
The northern pike , is a species of carnivorous fish of the genus Esox...
have also been taken near the Genesee.
Geology
Buttermilk Falls divides Oatka Creek into two distinct geological regions. The upper stream's bedrock is local sedimentary rockSedimentary rock
Sedimentary rock are types of rock that are formed by the deposition of material at the Earth's surface and within bodies of water. Sedimentation is the collective name for processes that cause mineral and/or organic particles to settle and accumulate or minerals to precipitate from a solution....
formations, with the shale
Shale
Shale is a fine-grained, clastic sedimentary rock composed of mud that is a mix of flakes of clay minerals and tiny fragments of other minerals, especially quartz and calcite. The ratio of clay to other minerals is variable. Shale is characterized by breaks along thin laminae or parallel layering...
s and sandstone
Sandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
s of the Sonyea Group, shale-limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
Genesee Group and Tully
Tully, New York
Tully, New York may refer to:* Tully , New York* Tully , New York...
Limestone dominating from the headwaters to Pavilion. Between there and Le Roy the shales and thin limestones of the Hamilton
Hamilton (village), New York
The Village of Hamilton is a village located within the town of Hamilton in Madison County, New York, USA.-Geography and climate:The village, located at , lies in the Chenango Valley, just south of the headwaters of the Chenango River. The village is approximately southeast of Syracuse and ...
Group underlie the creek.
North of Le Roy, the Oatka becomes a losing stream
Losing stream
A losing stream, or influent stream, is a stream or river that loses water as it flows downstream. The water infiltrates into the ground recharging the local groundwater, because the water table is below the bottom of the stream channel...
, with water disappearing into the ground. In the warmer months this results in the creekbed drying up above Buttermilk Falls, and slowly re-emerging further down from springs and seeps. After it does, and turns to the east, it flows over the Akron Dolomite
Dolomite
Dolomite is a carbonate mineral composed of calcium magnesium carbonate CaMg2. The term is also used to describe the sedimentary carbonate rock dolostone....
, Bertie Group of dolomitic shales, and the Salina
Salina, New York
Salina is a town in Onondaga County, New York, United States. The population was 33,290 at the 2000 census. The name of the town is derived from the Latin word for "salt."...
Group. The latter is diverse, including evaporite
Evaporite
Evaporite is a name for a water-soluble mineral sediment that result from concentration and crystallization by evaporation from an aqueous solution. There are two types of evaporate deposits, marine which can also be described as ocean deposits, and non-marine which are found in standing bodies of...
s such as halite
Halite
Halite , commonly known as rock salt, is the mineral form of sodium chloride . Halite forms isometric crystals. The mineral is typically colorless or white, but may also be light blue, dark blue, purple, pink, red, orange, yellow or gray depending on the amount and type of impurities...
and gypsum
Gypsum
Gypsum is a very soft sulfate mineral composed of calcium sulfate dihydrate, with the chemical formula CaSO4·2H2O. It is found in alabaster, a decorative stone used in Ancient Egypt. It is the second softest mineral on the Mohs Hardness Scale...
in addition to its limestones and shales.
In the lower section of the creek there is significant groundwater entering the creek. As it discharges, it weathers the gypsum and limestone. This results in increased sulfate
Sulfate
In inorganic chemistry, a sulfate is a salt of sulfuric acid.-Chemical properties:...
s in the water, and bicarbonate
Bicarbonate
In inorganic chemistry, bicarbonate is an intermediate form in the deprotonation of carbonic acid...
s and calcium
Calcium
Calcium is the chemical element with the symbol Ca and atomic number 20. It has an atomic mass of 40.078 amu. Calcium is a soft gray alkaline earth metal, and is the fifth-most-abundant element by mass in the Earth's crust...
have also been found near the falls. These concentrations are in winter and spring, when heavier precipitation and runoff offsets the impact of the groundwater.
History
As the glaciers retreated 12,000 years ago the landscape they left behind on the Allegheny PlateauAllegheny 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...
was a rolling expanse of drumlin
Drumlin
A drumlin, from the Irish word droimnín , first recorded in 1833, is an elongated whale-shaped hill formed by glacial ice acting on underlying unconsolidated till or ground moraine.-Drumlin formation:...
s and depressions in which meltwater and precipitation could accumulate. It was ideal topography
Topography
Topography is the study of Earth's surface shape and features or those ofplanets, moons, and asteroids...
for stream formation, and these bodies of water eventually combined and became the Oatka, eroding the Oatka Valley. Fertile soil from the highlands accumulated in the valley, and the land eventually reforested
Reforestation
Reforestation is the natural or intentional restocking of existing forests and woodlands that have been depleted, usually through deforestation....
.
The Native Americans
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
who would become the Seneca nation
Seneca nation
The Seneca are a group of indigenous people native to North America. They were the nation located farthest to the west within the Six Nations or Iroquois League in New York before the American Revolution. While exact population figures are unknown, approximately 15,000 to 25,000 Seneca live in...
eventually came and settled in the area. They established a few small communities at the clearings in the forest where they found good hunting, and were first to farm the lands in the valley. The network of trails that connected them eventually became part of today's road network in the area. The Senecas eventually became part of the Iroquois Confederation, where the Oatka was at the very westernmost extent, giving them the honorific "Keepers of the Western Door" within the Confederation.
In 1779, during the Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
the Continental Army
Continental Army
The Continental Army was formed after the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War by the colonies that became the United States of America. Established by a resolution of the Continental Congress on June 14, 1775, it was created to coordinate the military efforts of the Thirteen Colonies in...
's Sullivan Expedition
Sullivan Expedition
The Sullivan Expedition, also known as the Sullivan-Clinton Expedition, was an American campaign led by Major General John Sullivan and Brigadier General James Clinton against Loyalists and the four nations of the Iroquois who had sided with the British in the American Revolutionary War.The...
came into Western New York
Western New York
Western New York is the westernmost region of the state of New York. It includes the cities of Buffalo, Rochester, Niagara Falls, the surrounding suburbs, as well as the outlying rural areas of the Great Lakes lowlands, the Genesee Valley, and the Southern Tier. Some historians, scholars and others...
to suppress Senecas who had professed loyalty to the British or might do so. Many of the troops came from farms in New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
and recognized the quality of land in the Oatka watershed. After the war they agitated for it to be opened to settlement. After the war, New York and Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
resolved the latter's claim to the area, and the 1797 Treaty of Big Tree (today Geneseo
Geneseo, New York
Geneseo is the name of a town and its village in Livingston County in the Finger Lakes region of New York, USA, outside of Rochester, New York. The town's population is approximately 9,600, of which about 7,600 live in the village...
) extinguished all Native land claims.
The first settler along the Oatka was Ebenezer "Indian" Allan, who established himself near the mouth of the stream, in today's Wheatland, in 1786. The creek would be known as Allan's Creek for years afterwards. After he moved further down the Genesee, other settlers came, the beginnings of what became Scottsville. In the 1790s settlement progressed upstream with the establishment of Le Roy
Le Roy (village), New York
Le Roy is a village in Genesee County, New York, United States. The population was 4,462 at the 2000 census.The Village of Le Roy lies in the center of the Town of Le Roy at the intersection of Routes 5 and 19.- History :...
where the stream intersected an old Indian trail that later became New York State Route 5
New York State Route 5
New York State Route 5 is a state highway that extends for across the state of New York in the United States. It begins at the Pennsylvania state line in the Chautauqua County town of Ripley and passes through Buffalo, Syracuse, Utica, Schenectady, and several other smaller cities and...
. Settlement moved quickly afterwards, with all present communities as far south as Gainesville seeing their first settlers in the opening years of the 19th century, when the Holland Land Company
Holland Land Company
The Holland Land Company was a purchaser of the western two-thirds of the western New York land tract known as the Phelps and Gorham Purchase. This tract was known thereafter as The Holland Purchase...
owned much of it.
River modifications
The only significant change made to the river by human engineering is the dam at Le Roy near where Route 5 crosses the creek. It creates a 25 acres (10.1 ha) lake in the center of the village. Other dams or diversions that were created for millWatermill
A watermill is a structure that uses a water wheel or turbine to drive a mechanical process such as flour, lumber or textile production, or metal shaping .- History :...
ing purposes in the 19th century have been abandoned and/or removed. There are no power plants or flood control
Flood control
In communications, flood control is a feature of many communication protocols designed to prevent overwhelming of a destination receiver. Such controls can be implemented either in software or in hardware, and will often request that the message be resent after the receiver has finished...
projects along the creek.
There are 32 bridges currently spanning the creek, built between 1915 and 2003. The oldest carries Union Street in Wheatland; the newest is the NY 251
New York State Route 251
New York State Route 251 is an east–west state highway in western New York in the United States. It extends for from NY 383 in Scottsville, Monroe County, to NY 96 in the town of Victor, Ontario County...
bridge into Scottsville above the creek's mouth. Seven of them carry NY 19 over the creek. These include both the longest, the 227 feet (69.2 m) crossing over the lake created by the Le Roy dam, northernmost along Route 19, and the shortest and southernmost, its 29 feet (8.8 m) bridge south of Rock Glen. Most are steel or concrete stringer or box girder structures, with the US 20
U.S. Route 20 in New York
U.S. Route 20 is a part of the U.S. Highway System that runs from Newport, Oregon, to Boston, Massachusetts. In the U.S. state of New York, US 20 extends from the Pennsylvania state line at Ripley to the Massachusetts state line in the Berkshire Mountains. US 20 is the longest...
bridge in Pavilion and one of the Route 19 bridges north of Warsaw being steel truss
Truss bridge
A truss bridge is a bridge composed of connected elements which may be stressed from tension, compression, or sometimes both in response to dynamic loads. Truss bridges are one of the oldest types of modern bridges...
designs.
Economy
In the early days of settlement the creek contributed directly to the local economy through the mills established along it. They were removed in later years when industrialization elsewhere made them less profitable. Today the creek's direct economic value comes from its role as a water supplyWater supply
Water supply is the provision of water by public utilities, commercial organisations, community endeavours or by individuals, usually via a system of pumps and pipes...
and discharge for the wastewater of the two most populous villages along it, Le Roy and Warsaw.
The narrow and deep Oatka Valley was a preferred transportation corridor
Transport corridor
A transportation corridor is a tract of land in which at least one main line for transport, be it road, rail or canal, has been built...
through eastern Wyoming and Genesee counties. First came the road that became Route 19 in 1930. In 1874 it was paralleled by the Rochester and State Line Railroad
Rochester and State Line Railroad
The Rochester and State Line Railroad typifies those transportation companies of the 19th century which arose from more than the customary desire to amass great amounts of money...
; today operated by Norfolk Southern after many ownership changes. Intersections with major east-west routes that became NY 5
New York State Route 5
New York State Route 5 is a state highway that extends for across the state of New York in the United States. It begins at the Pennsylvania state line in the Chautauqua County town of Ripley and passes through Buffalo, Syracuse, Utica, Schenectady, and several other smaller cities and...
and US 20A
U.S. Route 20A (New York)
U.S. Route 20A is an east–west alternate route of US 20 that extends for across the western portion of New York in the United States. It leaves US 20 in Hamburg, a suburb of Buffalo, and rejoins it in East Bloomfield about five miles west of Canandaigua, the county seat of...
prompted the development of Le Roy and Warsaw around them.
Recreation
Oatka Creek's primary direct contribution to the local economy today is as a scenic and recreational resource. The former is enhanced by the Oatka Valley. The latter consists of hiking, boating and primarily anglingAngling
Angling is a method of fishing by means of an "angle" . The hook is usually attached to a fishing line and the line is often attached to a fishing rod. Fishing rods are usually fitted with a fishing reel that functions as a mechanism for storing, retrieving and paying out the line. The hook itself...
in three distinct fisheries
Fishery
Generally, a fishery is an entity engaged in raising or harvesting fish which is determined by some authority to be a fishery. According to the FAO, a fishery is typically defined in terms of the "people involved, species or type of fish, area of water or seabed, method of fishing, class of boats,...
.
The upper creek, above Warsaw, is stocked
Fish stocking
Fish stocking is the practice of raising fish in a hatchery and releasing them into a river, lake, or the ocean to supplement existing populations, or to create a population where none exists...
with 1,850 yearling brown trout in the spring of each year, supplementing an indigenous wild population. DEC surveys have found that by June few of the stocked trout remain, showing that the stretch has heavy fishing pressure. The record size for trout taken from this stretch is 16 inches (40.6 cm). DEC has not acquired any public fishing rights along the four miles (4 miles (6.4 km)) south of, but public access is relatively unhindered as there are several bridges, paralleling railroad tracks (both of which automatically create public access to adjacent areas of the stream under New York law) and the area is otherwise lightly posted against trepassing
Trespass to land
Trespass to land is a common law tort that is committed when an individual or the object of an individual intentionally enters the land of another without a lawful excuse. Trespass to land is actionable per se. Thus, the party whose land is entered upon may sue even if no actual harm is done...
.
From Warsaw to Le Roy, the stream matures and warms. This is conducive to different species of sport fish, particularly bass
Bass fishing
Bass fishing is the activity of angling for the North American gamefish known colloquially as the black bass. There are numerous black bass species considered as gamefish in North America, including largemouth bass , smallmouth bass , Spotted bass or Kentucky bass , Guadalupe bass Bass fishing is...
, pike, sunfish
Centrarchidae
The sunfishes are a family of freshwater ray-finned fish belonging to the order Perciformes. The type genus is Centrarchus . The family's 27 species includes many fishes familiar to North Americans, including the rock bass, largemouth bass, bluegill, pumpkinseed, and crappies...
, crappie
Crappie
Crappie is a genus of freshwater fish in the sunfish family of order Perciformes. The type species is P. annularis, the white crappie...
s and bullhead
Bullhead
-Fishes:* Certain sculpins, including:** European bullhead, Cottus gobio** Siberian bullhead, Cottus poecilopus** Norway bullhead, Taurulus Liljeborgi* Catfish of the genus Ameiurus, including:** Black bullhead, Ameiurus melas...
. There is access from bridges and some public land owned by municipalities in the area.
The lower Oatka is the portion most popular with fly fishermen
Fly fishing
Fly fishing is an angling method in which an artificial 'fly' is used to catch fish. The fly is cast using a fly rod, reel, and specialized weighted line. Casting a nearly weightless fly or 'lure' requires casting techniques significantly different from other forms of casting...
. The groundwater infusions from the Blue Hole and falls cool the creek again; from the bend eastward to its mouth it is a freestone stream with a large population of stocked and wild brown trout. The 11,200 fry added to the waters each year come from the state fish hatchery
Fish hatchery
A fish hatchery is a "place for artificial breeding, hatching and rearing through the early life stages of animals, finfish and shellfish in particular". Hatcheries produce larval and juvenile fish primarily to support the aquaculture industry where they are transferred to on-growing systems...
north of Caledonia on the Oatka's Spring Creek tributary established in 1864 by Seth Green
Seth Green (Pisciculture)
Seth Green was a pioneer in fish farming . He established the first fish hatchery in the United States in the Town of Caledonia....
, the oldest such facility in the Western Hemisphere
Western Hemisphere
The Western Hemisphere or western hemisphere is mainly used as a geographical term for the half of the Earth that lies west of the Prime Meridian and east of the Antimeridian , the other half being called the Eastern Hemisphere.In this sense, the western hemisphere consists of the western portions...
. Brown trout was first introduced to American waters from it; today the 170000 pounds (77,110.7 kg) of fish produced supply almost all of the state's stocked streams.
Public access to this section is extensive. The 1.7 miles (2.7 km) section in Oatka Creek Park
Oatka Creek Park
Oatka Creek Park, part of the Monroe County , lies near the center of the Town of Wheatland. The park is bounded on the east by Union Street , the north by the tracks of the Rochester & Southern Railroad, and the west and south by Stewart Road...
is the most frequently used, since special regulations to conserve the wild trout population there allow no-kill
Catch and release
Catch and release is a practice within recreational fishing intended as a technique of conservation. After capture, the fish are unhooked and returned to the water before experiencing serious exhaustion or injury...
fishing there with artificial lures
Fishing lure
A fishing lure is an object attached to the end of a fishing line which is designed to resemble and move like the prey of a fish. The purpose of the lure is to use movement, vibration, and colour to catch the fish's attention so it bites the hook...
year-round. Similar rules apply between October and March in the less-accessible stretch downstream of the park to Bowerman Road; during the regular season anglers are limited to two fish per day at a 12 inches (30.5 cm) minimum. Black bass
Black bass
Micropterus , is a genus of freshwater fish in the sunfish family of order Perciformes. The type species is M. dolomieu, the smallmouth bass...
and northern pike
Northern Pike
The northern pike , is a species of carnivorous fish of the genus Esox...
have also taken flies
Artificial fly
An artificial fly or fly lure is a type of fishing lure, usually used in the sport of fly fishing . In general, artificial flies are the bait which fly fishers present to their target species of fish while fly fishing...
in those waters.
Access is also available from a small Scottsville village park on the south bank east of Route 251, the hundred feet on the other side of that highway and both sides of the NY 36
New York State Route 36
New York State Route 36 is a north–south state highway in the western part of New York in the United States. The highway extends for from the Pennsylvania state line at Troupsburg, Steuben County northward to Ogden, Monroe County, where it ends at an intersection with NY 31...
bridge near Wheatland Center, as well as 50 ft (15 m) on either side of county roads that cross the creek. DEC has also acquired public fishing easement
Easement
An easement is a certain right to use the real property of another without possessing it.Easements are helpful for providing pathways across two or more pieces of property or allowing an individual to fish in a privately owned pond...
s on a small stretch in Mumford and much of both banks along Oatka Trail in the Town of Le Roy
Le Roy (town), New York
Le Roy, or more commonly LeRoy, is a town in Genesee County, New York, United States. The population was 7,790 at the 2000 census. The town is named after one of the original land owners, Herman Le Roy....
between Mud Creek and the unnamed northern tributary two miles (3.2 km) upstream. These allow use of the 33 feet (11 m) adjoining the river by anglers for access to the water. They are subject to regular DEC fishing regulations.
Tributaries
- Relyea Creek
- Stony Creek
- Pearl Creek
- White Creek
- Mud Creek
- Spring Creek