Conemaugh River

---

title: "Conemaugh River" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["rivers-of-pennsylvania", "tributaries-of-the-kiskiminetas-river", "rivers-of-westmoreland-county,-pennsylvania", "rivers-of-cambria-county,-pennsylvania"] description: "River in Pennsylvania, United States" topic_path: "general/rivers-of-pennsylvania" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conemaugh_River" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary River in Pennsylvania, United States ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox river"]

Field	Value
name	Conemaugh River
image	USACE Conemaugh River Lake Dam 2.jpg
image_caption	Conemaugh River Lake Dam at low water
source1_coordinates
mouth_coordinates
subdivision_type1	Country
subdivision_name1	United States
mouth_elevation	827 ft
discharge1_location	Tunnelton
discharge1_avg	2431 cuft/s
river_system	Allegheny River
::

| name = Conemaugh River | image = USACE Conemaugh River Lake Dam 2.jpg | image_size = | image_alt = | image_caption = Conemaugh River Lake Dam at low water | map = | map_size = | map_alt = | map_caption = | source1_location = | source1_coordinates= | mouth_location = | mouth_coordinates = | subdivision_type1 = Country | subdivision_name1 = United States | progression = | length = | source1_elevation = | mouth_elevation = 827 ft | discharge1_location=Tunnelton | discharge1_avg =2431 cuft/s | basin_size = | river_system = Allegheny River | tributaries_left = | tributaries_right =

The Conemaugh River is a 70 mi tributary of the Kiskiminetas River in Westmoreland, Indiana, and Cambria counties in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. The name means 'Otter Creek', originating from the Unami-Lenape language word kwənəmuxkw 'otter'.

Course

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1f/USACE_Conemaugh_River_Lake_Dam.jpg" caption="Conemaugh River Lake Dam near Saltsburg, Pennsylvania"] ::

The Conemaugh River is formed at Johnstown (site of the Johnstown Flood) in southwestern Cambria County by the confluence of the Little Conemaugh and Stonycreek rivers. It flows generally west–northwest, in a winding course through the mountains along the northern edge of Laurel Hill and Chestnut Ridge. Northwest of Blairsville it is joined by Blacklick Creek. At Saltsburg it is joined from the south by Loyalhanna Creek to form the Kiskiminetas River. Along much of its lower course, the Conemaugh forms part of the boundary between Westmoreland and Indiana counties.

Watershed

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/47/Conemaugh_River_bridges.jpg" caption="Historic bridges downstream of Conemaugh River Lake Dam: 1864 railroad bridge pier, 1907 arch bridge, and 1952 railroad bridge"] ::

The Kiskiminetas-Conemaugh river basin flows through scenic mountainous country that forms the heart of the historic coal-producing areas of western Pennsylvania. Before the Dam was constructed, the town of Livermore served the area between Blairsville and Saltsburg as an important stop along the former canal, as well as the railroad. The watershed is considered among the most degraded in the state, largely from abandoned mine drainages. The recovery of the river has been an important ongoing ecological management project of state and private agencies.

Communities

Source:

• Blairsville
• Bolivar
• Johnstown
• New Florence
• Robinson
• Saltsburg
• Seward

References

References

1. "USGS Surface Water data for Pennsylvania: USGS Surface-Water Annual Statistics".
2. {{Cite gnis
3. Linder, Lee. (Jul 9, 1970). "Happenings in Pennsylvania". Observer-Reporter.
4. Storey, Henry Wilson. (1907). "History of Cambria County, Pennsylvania". Lewis.
5. "kwënëmuxkw". Lenape Talking Dictionary.
6. (March 4, 2024). "Kiski-Conemaugh River Water Trail".

::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::