The West Branch Schuylkill River (also known simply as the West Branch) is an approximately 12.9-mile-long (20.8 km) tributary of the Schuylkill River in central Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania, USA, with a watershed approximately 21 square miles (54 km2) in size. Several small communities are located in the watershed, which include Beaver Meadows, Buck Run, Glen Dower, Minersville, Pottsville, Cressona, and Schuylkill Haven. Mild amounts of acid mine drainage affect the West Branch and its tributaries. From its headwaters near Interstate 81, the river flows southeast through several water gaps in the Ridge-and-Valley Appalachians, ending at its confluence with the Schuylkill River in Schuylkill Haven.