HYDROLOGY OF NEW YORK 



205 



these streams will be discussed in detail on a later page. Tona- 

 wanda creek, which flows into Niagara river at Tonawanda, is 

 used for several miles as a part of Erie canal. This stream is 

 sluggish throughout nearly its whole course and affords only a 

 small amount of power. The water supply of the village of Attica 

 is taken from its headwaters. 



Lake Erie and Niagara river drainage. There are a number of 

 streams tributary to Lake Erie and Niagara river, but with the 

 exception of Cayuga, Buffalo and Cazenovia creeks, which unite 

 to form Buffalo river, within the city of Buffalo, Eighteen Mile 

 creek (tributary to Lake Erie), Cattaraugus creek, Tonawanda 

 creek and Ellicott creek, none of these streams are very large. 

 The catchment areas of these different streams, as determined 

 from Bien's atlas, are as follows : 



Square miles. 



Cayuga creek 127 



Buffalo creek 145 



Cazenovia creek 141 



Below the junction of these several streams Buffalo river has 

 a catchment of about 7 square miles, making a total of 420 square 

 miles. The following are the catchment areas of the remainder 

 of the streams tributary to Lake Erie and Niagara river : 



Square miles. 



Smoke creek 25 



Big Sister creek 50 



Muddy creek 15 



Cattaraugus creek 560 



Walnut creek, Silver creek 60 



Canadaway creek 35 



Chautauqua creek 32 



Tonawanda creek, Ellicott creek 610 



Cayuga creek. Cayuga creek rises in the western part of 

 Wyoming county and flows through generally level country to its 

 junction with Buffalo creek. Buffalo creek also rises in the west- 

 ern part of Wyoming county and flows westerly. Its headwa+cr* 

 are at an elevation of about 1500 feet above tide. 



