Oatka Creek
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Oatka Creek is a major tributary of the Genesee River; located in western New York in the United States, it enters the Genesee approximately one mile east of Scottsville.
Originally called Allan's Creek (and not related to the contemporary Allens Creek in Rochester), after the area's first settler, Ebenezer "Indian" Allan, Oatka Creek is 58 miles (92 km) long and has a watershed area of 215 square miles. It is part of the west side of the Genesee River watershed. Much of this area is used for agriculture.
"Oatka" - both the word and its pronunciation - comes from the original Seneca Indian name for the creek, O-at-ka (translated: Queen of Water).
Oatka Creek rises in the Town of Gainsville in Wyoming County and passes through the towns of Warsaw, Middlebury, and Covington before entering Genesee County. There, the creek passes through the towns of Pavilion, Stafford, and Le Roy before flowing into Monroe County in the Town of Wheatland.
The National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration operates a stream level gauge on the Oatka in Garbutt. Monroe County's Oatka Creek Park is in Wheatland.
Portions of the creek formerly had rapids and waterfalls where it crossed the Onondaga Escarpment near Le Roy, which provided water power for early mills. A dam in the Village of Le Roy impounds a reservoir of approximately 25 acres. Several rapids and a major waterfall, Buttermilk Falls (79ft) are still exposed north of Le Roy. During the low-flow summer months, a section of the creek approximately 2.3 miles in length dries up as water flow continues through subterranean channels and re-emerges downstream of Buttermilk Falls. The exposed creek bed reveals a rich fossil record.
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