Buffalo Creek is a tributary of the Monongahela River, 30.2 miles (48.6 km) long,[3] in northern West Virginia, in the United States. Via the Monongahela and Ohio rivers, it is part of the watershed of the Mississippi River, draining an area of 125 square miles (320 km²)[4] on the unglaciated portion of the Allegheny Plateau. The stream's entire course and drainage basin are in Marion County.

Buffalo Creek
Buffalo Creek in Mannington in 2010
Location of the mouth of Buffalo Creek in Fairmont, West Virginia
Location
Country	United States
State	West Virginia
County	Marion
Physical characteristics
Source
• location	near Brink
• coordinates	39.5395288°N 80.4895332°W / 39.5395288; -80.4895332[1]
• elevation	1,355 ft (413 m)[2]
Mouth	Monongahela River
• location	Fairmont
• coordinates	39.4956401°N 80.1250769°W / 39.4956401; -80.1250769[1]
• elevation	860 ft (260 m)[1]
Length	30.2 mi (48.6 km)
Basin size	125 sq mi (320 km2)
Discharge
• location	Barrackville
• minimum	0 cu ft/s (0 m3/s)
• maximum	10,400 cu ft/s (290 m3/s)
Basin features
Tributaries
• left	Pyles Fork

Buffalo Creek rises near Marion County's western boundary, near the community of Brink, and flows generally eastward through the communities of Logansport, Mannington, Rachel, Farmington, Pine Grove, and Barrackville to Fairmont, 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.[5]

According to the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection, approximately 84% of the Buffalo Creek watershed is forested, mostly deciduous. Approximately 14% is used for pasture and agriculture.[4]

Flow rate

At the United States Geological Survey's stream gauge at Barrackville, 4.4 miles (7.1 km) upstream of the creek's mouth, the annual mean flow of the river between 1907 and 2012 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.[6]

See also

• List of rivers of West Virginia
• Barrackville Covered Bridge

References