Nature never ceases to amaze me! I found this at the tail on a long pool on a tiny brookie stream.

Attach file:

---

  Whirlpool.jpg (111.09 KB)

Well I guess that answers the age old question "Does a fox poop in the woods?"

Now you did it! That branch you grabbed - yup, it was the flush handle!

there's a small brookie stream in lancaster that has/had on of those too. Its kind of unsettling when you see it.

What's the explanation? Where is that water going?

Presumably underground, to come up again somewhere downstream. That's not uncommon at all on small freestoners. Many times a good percentage of the flow is underground and comes and goes.

But having the "drain" be that obvious is fairly rare.

Is it in a mining area or limestone area?

Quote:

At least he flushed....

Quote:

No. Well, I dunno, you'd have to ask Fox. But it doesn't have to be either.

Freestone brookie streams do this commonly, just not for long distances. i.e. the "drain" is only a short distance from the re-emergent "spring" in freestoners, rarely more than 100 feet, and typically much less. In limestoners, it can be miles.

You notice it a lot on the smaller, higher gradient streams when it's low and clear. Many times the stream will be dry or nearly dry in the riffles, but there's still plenty of current in the pools, which obviously makes you think. I think many underestimate how much of the flow of some of these streams is underground, or at least under rock/rubble instead of over it. But it only happens on the steeper parts, it pretty much ends when you get down to bedrock (and usually the fishing gets worse, too).

And, Chaz, I know we share familiarity with a few streams that do this.

This was in a freestone "un-named" trib and as far as I could tell re-emerged in the next pool.

It's against board etiquet to not name the place you were.

I do alot of pump arounds and based on the funnel I'd say that stream is dropping out about 300 gallons per minute. Thats what it looks like when I am using a three inch pump at full throttle.

I'll add that depending on the substrate there can be a great deal of water traveling through the bedload.

For that water to be leaving at that rate it must be coming out somewhere down grade like a waterfall or else shooting out like a fire hose.

So I bet its above a set of falls.