Mapping and Delineating the Big Laurel Creek – Whitetop Laurel Creek Watershed

The Big Laurel Creek – Whitetop Laurel Creek watershed is located in southwest Virginia and northeast Tennessee, USA.  

The watershed is one of the headwaters of the South Fork Holston River, which flows into the Tennessee River which flows into the Mississippi River.   

The Big Laurel Creek – Whitetop Laurel Creek Watershed is assigned the US Geological Survey (USGS) Hydrologic Unit Code (HUC12) 060101020201 and is one of the most eastern source watersheds of the Tennessee River (HUC2 06) watershed.  

The eastern boundary of the Big Laurel Creek – Whitetop Laurel Creek watershed corresponds to the boundary between the Tennessee River (HUC2 06) and the Ohio River (HUC2 05) watershed.  This means that a raindrop that falls just on the west edge of the Big Laurel Creek – Whitetop Laurel Creek watershed boundary will reach the Mississippi River by the Tennessee River watershed much, much faster than a raindrop that falls east of the boundary and flows north in the New River, and eventually into the Ohio River that later joins the Mississippi River in southern Illinois.    

The Big Laurel Creek – Whitetop Laurel Creek watershed is 56.04 square miles (145.15 square kilometers or 14,515 hectares) in area, 50 miles (80.46 kilometers) in perimeter, 13.86 miles (22.3 kilometers) in length and 6.5 miles (10.46 kilometers) in width.

 

The Big Laurel Creek – Whitetop Laurel Creek watershed contains the towns of Taylors Valley, Konnarock, Green Cove, Azen and Big Hill in Virginia (none in Tennessee).  Significant geographic features are Straight Mountain, Iron Mountain, Grave Mountain, Chestnut Mountain, Lost Mountain and three of the five tallest summits in Virginia… #1 Mt Rogers (5,729 feet elevation), #2 Whitetop (5,525 feet elevation) and #4 Buzzard Rock (5,095 feet elevation).

 

The highest elevation in the Big Laurel Creek – Whitetop Laurel Creek Watershed is the summit of Mt Rogers at 5,729 feet (1,746.2 meters).  The lowest elevation is at the confluence of Whitetop Laurel Creek and Laurel Creek just upstream of the town of Damascus, VA, at 1,999 feet (609.3 meters).

 

There are four significant tributaries in the Big Laurel Creek – Whitetop Laurel Creek watershed.  A tributary drainage in the watershed is considered a significant tributary if it is more than 10% of the total drainage area or is a high order stream (3rd order or greater) stream at its confluence with Whitetop Laurel Creek.

 

Big Laurel Creek is the most significant tributary of the Whitetop Laurel Creek after it merges with Little Laurel Creek downstream of Konnarock, VA.  The confluence of Big Laurel Creek and Whitetop Laurel Creek is located at the lat-long geo-coordinates of 36.671, -81.626.  The Big Laurel Creek drainage area is 15.8 square miles, or 28% of the total Big Laurel Creek – Whitetop Laurel Creek drainage area.

 

The second most significant tributary of the Whitetop Laurel Creek is Green Cove Creek.  The confluence of Green Cove Creek and Whitetop Laurel Creek is located at the lat-long geo-coordinates of 36.648, -81.672 near Creek Junction, VA.  The Green Cove Creek drainage area is 10.8 square miles, or 19% of the total Big Laurel Creek – Whitetop Laurel Creek drainage area.

 

The third most significant tributary of the Whitetop Laurel Creek is Straight Branch.  The confluence of Straight Branch and Whitetop Laurel Creek is located at the lat-long geo-coordinates of 36.643, -81.740 along US Highway 58 near Damascus, VA. The Straight Branch drainage area is 7.54 square miles, or 13% of the total Big Laurel Creek – Whitetop Laurel Creek drainage area.

 

The fourth most significant tributary of the Whitetop Laurel Creek is Valley Creek.  The confluence of Valley Creek and Whitetop Laurel Creek located at the lat-long geo-coordinates of 36.6235, -81.7154 in Taylors Valley, VA.  The Valley Creek drainage area is 5.25 square miles, or 9% of the total Big Laurel Creek – Whitetop Laurel Creek drainage area.

References:

1. https://streamstats.usgs.gov/ss/

2. https://dwr.virginia.gov/wp-content/uploads/virginia-watersheds.pdf

3. https://dwr.virginia.gov/wp-content/uploads/va-watersheds-color.pdf

4. https://www.tn.gov/content/tn/environment/program-areas/wr-water-resources/water-quality/river-basins-regulated-by-the-inter-basin-transfer/jcr:content/content/tn_textandimage_copy/image.img.jpg/1508954947432.jpg

5. https://www.usgs.gov/media/images/regional-hydrologic-unit-map

6. https://www.hec.usace.army.mil/software/hec-ras/

7. https://www.hec.usace.army.mil/confluence/rasdocs/rmum/latest