Ganargua Creek
Ganargua Creek, also known as Mud Creek, is a main tributary which feeds the Erie Canal and Clyde River in Wayne County, New York, United States. The creek begins just east of the village of Victor in nearby Ontario County and meanders approximately 34 miles (55 kilometers) from west to east before emptying into the Erie Canal in the hamlet of Lyons. Ganargua Creek is actually split into two sections as it runs concurrent with the Erie Canal for about 3 miles (5 kilometers) near the village of Palmyra. Numerous tributaries feed Ganargua Creek along its route.
| Ganargua Creek Mud Creek | |
|---|---|
Ganargua Creek, looking upstream, from Norsen Bridge Park near Newark, New York. | |
| Location | |
| Country | United States |
| State | New York |
| Region | Finger Lakes |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | Confluence of Mud Creek, Fish Creek and Great Brook |
| • location | Victor, Ontario County, New York, United States |
| • coordinates | 42°58′48″N 77°23′14″W |
| • elevation | 547 ft (167 m) |
| Mouth | Erie Canal |
• location | Lyons, Wayne County, New York, United States |
• coordinates | 43°03′48″N 77°00′11″W |
• elevation | 397 ft (121 m) |
| Length | 34 mi (55 km) |
| Basin size | 118 sq mi (310 km2) |
| Discharge | |
| • location | Lyons, New York |
| Basin features | |
| Tributaries | |
| • left | Red Creek (two different waterways), Butternut Run |
| • right | Trap Brook, Hathaway Brook (into Erie Canal) |
Ganargua Creek is part of the Clyde River watershed which feeds the Seneca River. From there, the Seneca River enters the Oswego River and into Lake Ontario.
The name Ganargua has been translated as "where the village sprang up" or "a village suddenly sprang up", and the name was given to by the creek by the region's original Iroquois inhabitants. The nickname of 'Mud Creek' is given due to the murkiness of the water. Ganargua Creek is a primary spot for fishing, canoeing and kayaking. Even though a channel has been cut through the foliage, paddling trips on the creek can be difficult due to a number of log jams from fallen trees as a result of ice storms which hit the greater Rochester area in 1991 and 2003.