Northeast Branch Anacostia River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data
The National Map
accessed August 15, 2011 free-flowing

stream A stream is a continuous body of water, body of surface water Current (stream), flowing within the stream bed, bed and bank (geography), banks of a channel (geography), channel. Depending on its location or certain characteristics, a stream ...

Prince George's County ) , demonym = Prince Georgian , ZIP codes = 20607–20774 , area codes = 240, 301 , founded date = April 23 , founded year = 1696 , named for = Prince George of Denmark , leader_title = Executive , leader_name = Angela D. Alsobrook ...

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

. It is a

tributary A tributary, or affluent, is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream or main stem (or parent) river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries and the main stem river drain the surrounding drainage ...

of the

Anacostia River The Anacostia River is a river in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States. It flows from Prince George's County in Maryland into Washington, D.C., where it joins with the Washington Channel to empty into the Potomac River at Buzzard Point. ...

, which flows to the

Potomac River The Potomac River () drains the Mid-Atlantic United States, flowing from the Potomac Highlands into Chesapeake Bay. It is long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map. Retrieved Augus ...

and the

Chesapeake Bay The Chesapeake Bay ( ) is the largest estuary in the United States. The Bay is located in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region and is primarily separated from the Atlantic Ocean by the Delmarva Peninsula (including the parts: the ...

Course

The headwaters of the Northeast Branch are at the

confluence In geography, a confluence (also: ''conflux'') occurs where two or more flowing bodies of water join to form a single channel. A confluence can occur in several configurations: at the point where a tributary joins a larger river (main stem); o ...

of Indian Creek and Paint Branch, located on the eastern edge of the community of College Park. The stream flows southward for about to its confluence with the Northwest Branch near Bladensburg to form the mainstem of the Anacostia.

Watershed

The Northeast Branch

watershed Watershed is a hydrological term, which has been adopted in other fields in a more or less figurative sense. It may refer to: Hydrology * Drainage divide, the line that separates neighbouring drainage basins * Drainage basin, called a "watershe ...

in Prince George's County includes portions of the communities of

Beltsville Beltsville is a census-designated place (CDP) in northern Prince George's County, Maryland, United States. The community was named for Truman Belt, a local landowner. The 2020 census counted 20,133 residents. Beltsville includes the unincorporated ...

Greenbelt A green belt is a policy and land-use zone designation used in land-use planning to retain areas of largely undeveloped, wild, or agricultural land surrounding or neighboring urban areas. Similar concepts are greenways or green wedges, which hav ...

, College Park, New Carrollton, Riverdale Park, Hyattsville, Berwyn Heights and Edmonston. Portions of the Paint Branch and Little Paint Branch tributaries also drain the Cloverly, Colesville, Fairland, White Oak and Hillandale communities in Montgomery County. Major institutions in the watershed include the

Beltsville Agricultural Research Center The Henry A. Wallace Beltsville Agricultural Research Center (BARC), also known as the National Agricultural Research Center, is a unit of the United States Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Research Service. It is located in unincorporate ...

University of Maryland, College Park The University of Maryland, College Park (University of Maryland, UMD, or simply Maryland) is a public land-grant research university in College Park, Maryland. Founded in 1856, UMD is the flagship institution of the University System of Mary ...

and

Greenbelt Park Greenbelt Park is a park in Greenbelt, Maryland, that is managed by the National Park Service. The forested park lies approximately 10 miles (16 km) northeast of Washington, D.C., and is situated just within the Capital Beltway (which bounds ...

. The total watershed area, including tributaries, is , with a resident population of about 246,530.

Geology

Northeast Branch is located in the

Atlantic coastal plain The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the "Old World" of Afr ...

geologic region.

Tributaries

The total stream channel length of Northeast Branch and all tributaries is .Anacostia Watershed Restoration Partnership (2008)
"Anacostia River Watershed Restoration Plan: Interim Report Framework, September 2007–November 2008."
Report to Congress. * Brier Ditch * Indian Creek * Little Paint Branch * Paint Branch * Still Creek * Upper Beaverdam Creek

Crossings

References

* Maryland Department of Natural Resources, Annapolis, MD (2005)
"Characterization of the Anacostia River Watershed in Prince George’s County, Maryland."
* Montgomery County Department of Environmental Protection (MCDEP), Rockville, MD (1997)
"Little Paint Branch Watershed Study."
* MCDEP (1998)
"Countywide Stream Protection Strategy: Paint Branch Watershed."

External links

Anacostia Watershed Society
- Detailed maps and photos of stream conditions
Anacostia Watershed Restoration Partnership

- Prince George's County Dept. of Parks & Recreation {{authority control Anacostia River Rivers of Montgomery County, Maryland Rivers of Prince George's County, Maryland Rivers of Maryland