The New York, Ontario and Western Railway historically passed through the watershed of the East Branch Lackawanna River.
The East Branch Lackawanna River begins in a small lake in Preston Township, Wayne County.
The river then turns south and slightly west for several miles, entering Herrick Township and receiving several more unnamed tributaries from both sides.
It eventually crosses Pennsylvania Route 371 and enters Union Dale, where it turns south-southeast for a few tenths of a mile and then begins flowing south again.
[5] The Preserve at Dunn Lake has received a permit from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection to discharge 19,000 gallons of treated sewage per day into the river.
[9] The concentration of dissolved oxygen in the East Branch Lackawanna River at Uniondale was measured to be 11.0 milligrams per liter on November 4, 1975.
[9] The concentration of magnesium in the filtered waters of the East Branch Lackawanna River at Uniondale ranged from 0.90 to 1.50 milligrams per liter.
[9] In the early 1900s, the average annual rate of precipitation in the watershed of the East Branch Lackawanna River was 35 to 40 inches (89 to 102 cm).
[10] The channel of the West Branch Lackawanna River is sinuous and flows through rock formations consisting of sandstone and shale.
[11] The watershed of the East Branch Lackawanna River is largely undeveloped, with farms, small communities, and residential areas.
The mouth of the river is at Stillwater Dam, which was built by the United States Army Corps of Engineers in 1960.
[3] The East Branch Lackawanna River was entered into the Geographic Names Information System on August 2, 1979.
[11] The New York, Ontario and Western Railway historically passed through the watershed of the East Branch Lackawanna River, entering it at Lake Lorain.
[10] A concrete slab bridge carrying Pennsylvania Route 370 over the East Branch Lackawanna River was built in 1948.
It is 22.0 feet (6.7 m) long and is situated in Preston Township, Wayne County, 0.1 miles (0.16 km) east of the count line.
A concrete tee beam bridge carrying State Route 4035/Oxbow Road over the river was constructed in Preston Township in 1960.
[12] A steel stringer/multi-beam or girder bridge carrying T592/Suecz Road in Susquehanna County crosses the river 3 miles (4.8 km) north of Union Dale and was repaired in 1993.
A three-span prestressed box beam or girders bridge carrying Pennsylvania Route 171 was built over the East Branch Lackawanna River in 1958 and was repaired in 1996.
[14] A reach of the river is designated by the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission as Class B wild trout waters.
[15] Wild trout naturally reproduce in the river from Mud Pond downstream to its mouth, a distance of 8.30 miles (13.36 km).
[17] The East Branch Lackawanna River has been described as an "excellent wild trout fishery" and a "pristine cold-water fisher[y]".
Additionally, the Union Dale Park is capable of serving as a public access point to the river.
[18] A 1970 report proposed a reservoir for the dual purposes of recreation and fishing on the East Branch Lackawanna River.
It was to be located 9 miles (14 km) north of Forest City and to have an area of 45 acres (18 ha) and a volume of 416 acre-feet, with an earth-fill dam with a height of 60 feet (18 m).