Little Catawissa Creek is a tributary of Catawissa Creek in Columbia County and Schuylkill County, in Pennsylvania, in the United States. It is approximately long and flows through Conyngham Township in Columbia County and Union Township and North Union Township in Schuylkill County. The named tributaries of the creek include Stony Run and Trexler Run. The creek has some alkalinity and is slightly acidic. The main rock formations in the watershed of it are the Mauch Chunk Formation, the Pocono Formation, and the Pottsville Formation. A number of other rock formations occur in small areas of the watershed as well. The main soils in the watershed are the Leck Kill soil and the Hazleton soil.
The watershed of Little Catawissa Creek has an area of . A number of bridges cross the creek. There are a number of major roads in the watershed of the creek and most of the creek is within several hundred meters of a road. The creek is a High-Quality Coldwater Fishery and Class A Wild Trout Waters in some places. In other places, it is a Coldwater Fishery and Class D Wild Trout Waters. There are many species of fish inhabiting the creek, including brook trout, brown trout, and others. The creek has been surveyed at least nine times by the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission.
Course
Little Catawissa Creek begins in a narrow valley in Conyngham Township. It flows east for a few miles in the valley, flowing roughly parallel to Aristes Ringtown Road. The creek eventually exits Conyngham Township and Columbia County.
Upon exiting Columbia County, Little Catawissa Creek enters Union Township, Schuylkill County. It continues east and its valley becomes narrower and shallower. Over the next several miles, the creek turns east-northeast and its valley gets broader again. It then turns abruptly north and passes through a ridge. The creek briefly turns northeast before turning north-northeast after a few hundred feet. Approximately a mile downstream, it receives its first named tributary, Trexler Run. At this point, the creek turns abruptly east-northeast. After some distance, it begins meandering northeast for a few miles, receiving the tributary Stony Run. It then begins meandering east for a few miles, briefly entering North Union Township, Schuylkill County before reentering East Union Township. Shortly afterwards, the creek turns north-northeast, crosses into North Union Township again. A few tenths of a mile downstream, it reaches its confluence with Catawissa Creek.
Little Catawissa Creek joins Catawissa Creek upstream of its mouth.
Tributaries
Little Catawissa Creek has a number of tributaries. These include Stony Run, Trexler Run, and an unnamed tributary known as "Trib 27584 To Little Catawissa Creek". Trexler Run flows through Roaring Creek Township, Columbia County and Union Township, Schuylkill County. Stony Run flows through Union Township, Schuylkill County. Stony Run joins Little Catawissa Creek upstream of its mouth. Its watershed has an area of . Trexler Run joins Little Catawissa Creek upstream of its mouth. Its watershed has an area of .
Hydrology
Little Catawissa Creek is infertile in its upper reaches, from its headwaters to T431, upstream of its mouth. The creek is infertile and slightly acidic from T431 to T435 ( upstream of the mouth to upstream of the mouth). When the waters of the creek flow into Catawissa Creek, they help offset some of the acidity of the latter creek, contributing to relatively high water quality downstream of the confluence.
At above its mouth, the concentration of alkalinity in Little Catawissa Creek is milligrams per liter. The pH of the creek at this location is 6.4. The creek at this location is infertile and acidic, with the potential to be affected by acid precipitation. Between T431 and T435, the creek's concentration of alkalinity ranges from and its pH ranges from 6.8 to 7.0. The concentration of water hardness in the creek's waters upstream of its mouth is . upstream of its mouth, the water hardness is and upstream of its mouth it is . The water hardness of the creek's waters upstream of its mouth is .
At 1:00 P.M. on June 26, 1997, the air temperature in the vicinity of Little Catawissa Creek upstream of its mouth was . The water temperature of the creek at this place and time was . At 12:40 P.M. on June 27, 1997, the air temperature near the creek was and the water temperature was . At upstream of the creek's mouth, the air temperature was and the water temperature was on June 27, 1997 at 11:00 A.M. At 11:10 A.M. on June 30, 1997, the air temperature of the creek upstream of its mouth was and the water temperature was .