﻿HYDROLOGY 
  OF 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  209 
  

  

  The 
  following 
  are 
  the 
  catchment 
  areas 
  of 
  a 
  few 
  of 
  these 
  streams 
  : 
  

  

  Square 
  miles 
  

  

  Eighteen 
  Mile 
  creek 
  (tributary 
  to 
  Lake 
  Ontario) 
  90 
  

  

  Johnson 
  creek 
  105 
  

  

  Oak 
  Orchard 
  creek. 
  295 
  

  

  Sandy 
  creek 
  85 
  

  

  West 
  and 
  Salmon 
  creeks 
  110 
  

  

  Irondequoit 
  river 
  135 
  

  

  The 
  following 
  notes 
  on 
  these 
  streams 
  have 
  been 
  collected 
  from 
  

   various 
  sources: 
  

  

  Eighteen 
  Mile 
  creek. 
  Eighteen 
  Mile 
  creek 
  rises 
  near 
  Gasport, 
  

   and 
  flows 
  first 
  westerly 
  and 
  then 
  northerly 
  to 
  Lake 
  Ontario 
  at 
  

   Olcott. 
  A 
  small 
  branch 
  of 
  the 
  stream 
  flows 
  through 
  the 
  city 
  of 
  

   Lockport, 
  rising 
  two 
  or 
  three 
  miles 
  south 
  of 
  that 
  city. 
  Ever 
  

   since 
  the 
  construction 
  of 
  the 
  Erie 
  canal 
  the 
  Lockport 
  branch 
  has 
  

   received 
  a 
  considerable 
  quantity 
  of 
  water 
  which 
  is 
  discharged 
  by 
  

   the 
  water 
  powers 
  at 
  Lockport 
  drawing 
  their 
  supply 
  from 
  the 
  

   canal. 
  

  

  Oak 
  Orchard 
  creek. 
  Oak 
  Orchard 
  creek 
  rises 
  in 
  the 
  eastern 
  

   part 
  of 
  Orleans 
  county, 
  Avhence 
  it 
  flows 
  to 
  West 
  Shelby 
  and 
  then 
  

   turns 
  northeasterly, 
  reaching 
  Lake 
  Ontario 
  at 
  Point 
  Breeze. 
  

   Above 
  West 
  Shelby 
  it 
  mostly 
  flows 
  through 
  swamps 
  and 
  swampy 
  

   channels, 
  while 
  below 
  that 
  point 
  the 
  country 
  is 
  dry 
  and 
  rolling. 
  

   The 
  distance 
  from 
  the 
  head 
  of 
  the 
  swamp 
  to 
  its 
  foot 
  near 
  West 
  

   Shelby 
  is 
  sixteen 
  miles 
  in 
  a 
  direct 
  line, 
  but 
  upwards 
  of 
  twenty 
  

   miles 
  folloAving 
  the 
  stream 
  channel. 
  The 
  fall 
  of 
  the 
  stream 
  is 
  37 
  

   feet, 
  making 
  the 
  average 
  slope 
  1.8 
  feet 
  per 
  mile. 
  The 
  topography 
  

   of 
  the 
  country 
  adjacent 
  to 
  the 
  swamp 
  is 
  level 
  and 
  its 
  boundaries 
  

   are 
  accordingly 
  indefinite. 
  Large 
  areas 
  of 
  land 
  around 
  the 
  mar- 
  

   gin 
  of 
  the 
  swamp 
  are 
  wet 
  during 
  the 
  fall 
  and 
  spring 
  and 
  dry 
  

   during 
  the 
  summer. 
  There 
  are 
  about 
  20,000 
  acres 
  of 
  imperfectly 
  

   drained 
  or 
  marshy 
  land 
  lying 
  along 
  this 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  Tonawanda 
  

   creek 
  and 
  about 
  25,000 
  acres 
  in 
  Oak 
  Orchard 
  swamp 
  proper. 
  

   Swamp 
  lands 
  occur 
  in 
  the 
  towns 
  of 
  Alabama, 
  Byron, 
  Elba 
  and 
  

   Oakfield 
  in 
  Genesee 
  county. 
  The 
  catchment 
  area 
  of 
  Oak 
  Orchard 
  

   swamp 
  is 
  about 
  133 
  square 
  miles. 
  

  

  