Sauquoit Creek

Sauquoit Creek
Location of the mouth of the Sauquoit Creek in New York State. Show map of New York Sauquoit Creek (the United States) Show map of the United States
Location
Country	United States
State	New York
County	Oneida
Physical characteristics
Source
• location	Paris
• coordinates	42°58′28″N 75°18′57″W[1]
Mouth	Mohawk River
• location	Whitesboro
• coordinates	43°07′29″N 75°16′05″W[1]
Length	17 mi (27 km)[2]
Basin size	61.7 sq mi (160 km^2)[2]

Sauquoit Creek is a 17.0-mile-long (27.4 km)^[2] river in New York, United States. It lies within the southern part of Oneida County. The creek flows eastward, then turns sharply and flows generally northward through the Sauquoit Valley to the Mohawk River, entering the river on the east side of Whitesboro. It is therefore part of the Hudson River watershed.

History

The word Sauquoit is a form of spelling of the Oneida word Sa-da-quoit, which means "smooth pebbles in a stream".^[3]

The first cotton mills in the area were located on the Sauquoit at New York Mills in 1804.^[4]

Hydrology

The United States Geological Survey (USGS) maintains a stream gauge on the creek two miles (3.2 km) upstream from the mouth and 420 feet (130 m) upstream from NY 5A. The station has been in operation since September 2014. The station had a maximum discharge of 6,170 cubic feet per second (175 m³/s) and a gauge height of 10.17 feet (3.10 m) on October 31, 2019. It had minimum discharge of 13 cubic feet per second (0.37 m³/s) per second on many days in September 2018 and a minimum gauge height of 10.17 feet (3.10 m) on August 10, 2016.^[5]

Flooding

Flooding is common in the portion of Whitesboro along the creek, often causing road closures. One of the most impactful floods occurred on the night of Halloween 2019, when residents were evacuated and houses were destroyed. A FEMA buyout is being pursued by the village of Whitesboro.^[6]

Fishing

Sauquoit Creek offers trout fishing along 5.6 miles (9.0 km) of Public Fishing Rights easements. The stream is stocked annually approximately 6,000 yearling brown trout, in addition to 330 two-year-old fish. Wild brown and brook trout are found in the stream's headwaters.^[7]

Management

The creek is managed by Sauquoit Creek Basin Intermunicipal Commission (SCBIC). They are responsible for managing issues related watershed management, flooding, and stormwater along Sauquoit Creek.^[8]

Communities along the creek

• Clayville
• Sauquoit
• Chadwicks
• Washington Mills
• New Hartford
• New York Mills
• Whitesboro

See also

• List of rivers in New York

References

1. "Sauquoit Creek". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved May 4, 2016.
2. U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data. The National Map, accessed August 31, 2015
3. Beauchamp, William Martin (1907). Aboriginal Place Names of New York (New York State Museum Bulletin, Volume 108). New York State Education Department. p. 141. Retrieved May 4, 2016.
4. Greene, Nelson (1924). "Summary". The Old Mohawk-Turnpike Book. Charles B Knox Gelatine Co. Inc. Retrieved May 4, 2016.
5. "USGS 01339060 Sauquoit Creek at Whitesboro NY". waterdata.usgs.gov. United States Geological Survey. Retrieved November 22, 2021.
6. "Oneida County residents mull buyouts, anxiety one year after Halloween floods". Utica Observer Dispatch. Retrieved 2023-06-29.
7. "Sauquoit Creek Public Fishing Rights Maps" (PDF). NYS Department of Environmental Conservation. Retrieved May 4, 2016.
8. "Sauquoit Creek Basin Intermunicipal Commission: Homepage". Sauquoit Creek Basin Intermunicipal Commission. Archived from the original on January 18, 2016. Retrieved May 4, 2016.