It is approximately 11.2 miles (18.0 km) long and flows through Roaring Brook Township, Scranton, and Moosic.
Stafford Meadow Brook has a very high level of water quality for much of its length and part of it meets the criteria for an Exceptional Value designation.
Several railroads historically operated in the watershed and a number of bridges were built over the stream in the 20th century.
It flows in a broad valley alongside Pennsylvania Route 307, crossing it three times and receiving five unnamed tributaries: three from the left and two from the right.
From the southern end of the lake, the stream flows southwest for a few miles, receiving one unnamed tributary from the left and another from the right.
It then reenters Scranton and continues flowing southwest, receiving one more unnamed tributary from the left.
The stream eventually receives Mountain Lake Run, its only named tributary, and turns northwest for several tenths of a mile, crossing US Route 11 and reaching its confluence with the Lackawanna River.
[2] Stafford Meadow Brook joins the Lackawanna River 9.06 miles (14.58 km) upriver of its mouth.
[4] Stafford Meadow Brook has very high water quality as far downstream as the old Lackawanna and Wyoming Valley Railroad corridor.
[5] However, its banks are affected by urban debris such as yard waste in some parts of its lower reaches.
[7] At its mouth, the peak annual discharge of Stafford Meadow Brook has a 10 percent chance of reaching 2640 cubic feet per second.
[8] The peak annual discharge of Stafford Meadow Brook some distance upstream of its mouth (at a point where it drains an area of 13.0 square miles (34 km2)) has a 10 percent chance of reaching 2340 cubic feet per second.
It flows through rock formations consisting of sandstone and shale, with some coal occurring in its lower reaches.
[13] Between one of Stafford Meadow Brook's reservoirs and southern Scranton, the watershed of the stream is glacially deformed.
From Pittston Avenue downstream to its mouth, it flows through an open box culvert built in 1960 for flood control purposes.
[14] The channel is 1,350 feet (410 m) long and is part of a flood control project by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection.
[14] The average annual rate of precipitation in the watershed of Stafford Meadow Brook is between 35 and 40 inches (89 and 102 cm).
[10] Upstream of the Interstate 81 crossing, the watershed of Stafford Meadow Brook is mainly forested and mountainous, with little development.
[4] The remains of iron ore quarries occur along Stafford Meadow Creek downstream of Lake Scranton.
[4] In the early 1900s, the main industries in the watershed of Stafford Meadow Brook included agriculture and coal mining.
[4] Historic sites in the watershed of Stafford Meadow Brook include the Pennsylvania Gravity Railroad and Ore Mine Road.
[4] In the early 1900s, major communities in the watershed of Stafford Meadow Brook included Scranton.
[10] A masonry arch bridge carrying Webster Avenue was constructed over Stafford Meadow Brook in 1885 and repaired in 1947.
A concrete tee beam bridge carrying Pennsylvania Route 307 over the stream was constructed in 1934 and repaired in 1939.
[5] In the 1940s, the Scranton-Spring Brook Water Company owned 93 percent of the upper 11.5 square miles (30 km2) of the watershed.
[18] A large section of the stream from its headwaters to the lower Pennsylvania Route 307 bridge meets the criteria for an Exceptional Value designation.
[5] Wild trout naturally reproduce in the stream at least as far upstream as river mile 6.82 and as far downstream as its mouth.
[21] Numerous macroinvertebrate species have been observed in Stafford Meadow Brook, including 18 taxa in the orders Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera, and Trichoptera.
[17] In the early 2000s, the Lackawanna River Watershed Conservation Plan recommended creating a 1000-foot riparian buffer around the Stafford Meadow Brook corridor.
[4] One part of Stafford Meadow Brook is in the vicinity of the Montage Mountain Ski Resort and a multi-sport stadium.