The water in the Lehigh River comes from three sources: mountain streams,
melting snow, and rain. The area around Gouldsboro, PA, is a spring-flooded
wetland which drains into tributaries which combine to be the Lehigh
Rivers source. Winter snow then melts in March and April, which
increases the rivers flow in the spring. Finally, spring rains, called
freshets, also increase the river volume and have been the cause of
floods in the past. The floods have been known to destroy bridges and
dams on the river (Zagofsky, 1997).
The Lehigh River is 103 miles long and originates in the area of Pocono
Peak Lake near Gouldsboro, PA. It would take approximately 24 hours
for a single drop of water to travel from the beginning to the end of
the river. At the origin of the river, the elevation is approximately
2,100 feet above sea level. When the Lehigh River meets the Delaware
River, the elevation is about 200 feet above sea level, having dropped
1,900 feet from the origination in the Poconos (Tom Gettings).