Chilliquaque Creek is in the running for Pennsylvania River of the Year. The 20-mile-long Chillisquaque Creek may not be the largest Pennsylvania River of the Year finalist, but the tributary of the Susquehanna’s West Branch is definitely symbolic of the greater river basin’s history, issues and potential to overcome those challenges with creative collaborative solutions, according to Middle Susquehanna Riverkeeper John Zaktansky.
The creek joins the Conestoga River and Lower Schuylkill River as the three finalists for the 2026 Pennsylvania River of the Year award. Voting is open through Jan. 16, 2026, with the winning waterway receiving specialized awareness and funding for a sojourn and other key projects and events.
One of the big projects the River of the Year award would help impact is connectivity between the town of Washingtonville and the Susquehanna River. Currently, there are numerous log jams that make paddling from the borough’s kayak launch at Mill Park to the river extremely difficult.
