The Schuylkill River (/ˈskuːkəl/ SKOO-kəl) is a river in Pennsylvania, that William Penn chose in 1682 as one bank of the confluence upon which he founded the planned city of Philadelphia on lands purchased from the native Delaware nation. It is a designated Pennsylvania Scenic River, and its whole length was once part of the Delaware people's southern territories. Its upper end rises in what is called the richest anthracite coal fields in the world.The river is about 135 miles (217 km) long. Its watershed of about 2,000 sq mi (5,180 km2) lies entirely within the state of Pennsylvania. The source of its eastern branch is in the Poconos offshoot of the Appalachian Mountains at Tuscarora Springs, near Tamaqua in Schuylkill County. The West Branch starts near Minersville and joins the eastern branch at the town of Schuylkill Haven, Pennsylvania. It then combines with the Little Schuylkill River downstream in the town of Port Clinton, Pennsylvania. The Tulpehocken Creek joins it at the western edge of Reading. Wissahickon Creek joins it in northwest Philadelphia. Other major tributaries include: Maiden Creek, Manatawny Creek, French Creek, and Perkiomen Creek. The Schuylkill joins the Delaware River, of which it is the largest tributary, at the site of the former Philadelphia Navy Yard, now the Philadelphia Naval Business Center, just northeast of Philadelphia International Airport.
Length (km)
217261.440000
Maximum discharge (m³/s)
1141.168918
Minimum discharge (m³/s)
28.175262
Mouth elevation (µ)
0.000000
Source confluence elevation (µ)
347.472000
Source elevation (µ)
158.496000
469.392000
Watershed (km2)
5179976220.672000
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