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Footprints and Ripples

Creek vs. River

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Susan

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Creek vs. River

As I paddled the Blackwater Creek, I wondered, “Why a creek, why not Blackwater River?” I asked my friend Bill. He suggested that it merely depended upon the person who named it.

Paddling Blackwater Creek
Blackwater Creek

So, I Googled my question, sending it out to the online universe. The answer was pretty much just that. According to the USGS, although some believe that a creek is smaller than, and must run into, a river, the term “creek” is ambiguous and has no clear meaning other than that it fits under the larger category of “a linear body of water” along with about 121 other bodies of water.  So, there really is no clear, official distinction between a river and a creek.  In the end, it simply does depend upon the person who names it.

2 responses to “Creek vs. River”

  1. ccerebrations Avatar
    ccerebrations

    This is interesting! I guess I thought it would be determined by size or maybe current or source.

    Also this post reminds me of a silly argument from back home in Minnesota. So MN is the land of 10,000 lakes and we like to feud with our neighbor Wisconsin about pointless stuff like who is better blah blah and how water/drinking fountains absolutely should not be called bubblers. Well one thing Wiscansiners sometimes like to try to pull is that they technically have more lakes than us. But if you do a deep dive you will find out that the two states define what qualifies as a lake differently and Wisconsin is trying to upsell ponds as lakes…

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    1. Susan Avatar
      Susan

      Exactly! Similar thing! I did a quick search, and although there are some guides, there is no real standardization–and like rivers and creeks, they received their names before any organization decided to categorize them. This article refers to NOAA: https://a-z-animals.com/blog/lake-vs-pond-the-3-main-differences-explained/.
      So, what’s a harmless feud between neighboring states, right? lol

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