Nanticoke Creek is a tributary of the Susquehanna River in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, in the United States.

Nanticoke Creek impaired by pH and metals due to abandoned mine drainage.

Numerous passive and active treatment systems have been installed in the watershed in recent times.

It flows west for a short distance before turning north-northwest and passing through the Weller Gap.

After this, it turns northwest again for a few tenths of a mile before receiving Espy Run, its only named tributary, from the left.

[1] Nanticoke Creek joins the Susquehanna River 183.04 miles (294.57 km) upriver of its mouth.

[1] Espy Run joins Nanticoke Creek 0.42 miles (0.68 km) upstream of its mouth.

[3] Nanticoke Creek is considered by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection to be impaired, meaning that it fails to attain water quality standards.

[4] In June 1999, the pH of Nanticoke Creek downstream of the Truesdale Mine Discharge was 6.8 and in October 1999, it was 6.4.

[4] During the 1970s, the acidity concentration of the creek's waters ranged from 18 to 365 parts per million on the main stem.

[4] In June 1999, the concentration of dissolved oxygen in Nanticoke Creek downstream of the Truesdale Mine Discharge was measured to be 9.4 milligrams per liter.

In October of the same year, the concentration of dissolved oxygen at the creek's mouth was 8.9 milligrams per liter.

The chloride concentration of the creek at the Truesdale Mine Discharge was 19.0 milligrams per liter in June 1999 and 720 in October 1999.

The sulfate concentration of the creek at the Truesdale Mine Discharge was 690 milligrams per liter in June 1999 and 720 in October 1999.

[4] There is some evidence of sewage contamination, including sewer odors and debris, in the lower reaches of Nanticoke Creek.

[7] Orange sediment is deposited on the creek's streambed, indicating a high concentration of iron in the waters.

[11] Yellow boy is also present along the creek in some places and can be seen from South Cross Valley Expressway.

[8] The concentration of total dissolved solids in the creek is 622 milligrams per liter, higher than the United States Environmental Protection Agency criterion for suitability for aquatic life.

[4] Near its mouth, the surficial geology in the vicinity of Nanticoke Creek mainly consists of alluvium (which mainly consists of stratified silt, sand, and gravel, with some boulders), Wisconsinan Outwash (which contains stratified sand and gravel), and urban land (which is highly disrupted by cut and fill).

Further upstream, the surficial geology mainly consists of coal dumps and surface mining land (both of which are rich in rick waste), as well as a glacial or resedimented till known as Wisconsinan Till, and bedrock consisting of sandstone and shale.

The upper reaches of the creek mainly are around surficial geology consisting of surface mining land, bedrock, and Wisconsinan Till.

The topography of the watershed features refuse piles, crop falls, and strip pits in numerous places due to past mining.

[18] All of these names were described as erroneous in Henry C. Bradsby's 1893 book History of Luzerne County, Pennsylvania.

[9] A concrete tee beam bridge carrying State Route 2002 over Nanticoke Creek was built in 1955 and repaired in 1969.

[20] An active treatment project by the Earth Conservancy began in 2012, with the intent to repair damage caused by the Askam Borehole.

[8] The Bureau of Abandoned Mine Reclamation of the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection has a permit to discharge stormwater into the creek during earth-moving activities involving filling in dangerous strip pits.

[10] The United States Army Corps of Engineers published a report on Nanticoke Creek in 2005.