Hammer Creek

The Hammer Creek Watershed is located in the Northcentral area of the county.   This 35 square mile watershed was originally named for the hammering sounds of countless mills located within the watershed.  Today there are about 51 miles of streams in the Hammer Cr. Watershed.  The mainstem starts in Lebanon County around Buffalo Springs and then flows southeast to its confluence with the Cocalico Cr. around the village of Millway.  According to the USGS Stream Stats website nearly 37% of the watershed is forested and only about 3% of the watershed has urban development on it.  The watershed does not flow through any significant towns but in the middle of the watershed lies Speedwell Forge Lake.  This lake is run by the Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission and is nearly halfway in the middle of the Hammer Cr. Watershed.  Presently there is not an active watershed association working within the Hammer but there was a small group in the past doing some conservation work within the watershed.  This organization mostly dealt with education and outreach and stream restoration work below Speedwell Forge Lake.  There have been some watershed surveys and plans conducted on the Hammer over the years both surface water and groundwater related.