Northwest Branch Anacostia River is a
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 ...
in
Montgomery County and
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
The headwaters of a river or stream is the farthest place in that river or stream from its estuary or downstream confluence with another river, as measured along the course of the river. It is also known as a river's source.
Definition
The ...
of the Northwest Branch are located near the community of
Sandy Spring. The stream flows southward for to its
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 ...
with the
Northeast Branch near
Bladensburg to form the
main stem
In hydrology, a mainstem (or trunk) is "the primary downstream segment of a river, as contrasted to its tributaries". Water enters the mainstem from the river's drainage basin, the land area through which the mainstem and its tributaries flow.. A ...
of the Anacostia.
Watershed
The
watershed in Montgomery County includes portions of the communities of Norwood, Bel Pre Manor,
Colesville, Layhill,
Glenmont,
Wheaton,
Hillandale,
White Oak
The genus ''Quercus'' contains about 500 species, some of which are listed here. The genus, as is the case with many large genera, is divided into subgenera and sections. Traditionally, the genus ''Quercus'' was divided into the two subgenera ''C ...
,
Silver Spring,
Kemp Mill, Four Corners, Woodmoor and
Takoma Park
Takoma Park is a city in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. It is a suburb of Washington, and part of the Washington metropolitan area. Founded in 1883 and incorporated in 1890, Takoma Park, informally called " Azalea City", is a Tree ...
. The Prince George's County portion of the watershed includes
Adelphi,
Langley Park,
University Park,
Chillum,
Hyattsville
Hyattsville is a city in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States, and also a close, urban suburb of Washington, D.C. The population was 21,187 at the 2020 United States Census.
History
Before Europeans reached the area, the upper A ...
,
Avondale and
Brentwood. The total watershed area, including a small portion of land in
Washington, D.C.
)
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, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
, is , with a resident population of about 254,000.
The middle section of the Northwest Branch is referred to as the
Rachel Carson Environmental Area. It flows through a small gorge underneath the
Capital Beltway
The Capital Beltway is a Interstate Highway in the Washington metropolitan area that surrounds Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States, and its inner suburbs in adjacent Maryland and Virginia. It is the basis of the phrase " inside ...
between Colesville Road and
Adelphi Mill
The Adelphi Mill is the only surviving historic mill in Prince George's County, Maryland. It is the oldest and largest mill in the Washington, D.C. area.
History
The Adelphi Mill and Storehouse is located on the Northwest Branch of the Anacosti ...
. Located at the north end of the
Northwest Branch Trail
The Northwest Branch Trail is a multi-use (hiking, biking, equestrian) trail that follows the Northwest Branch of the Anacostia River in the Maryland suburbs of Washington DC. It is part of the Rachel Carson Greenway and the Anacostia Trib ...
, near the home of noted environmental author
Rachel Carson
Rachel Louise Carson (May 27, 1907 – April 14, 1964) was an American marine biologist, writer, and conservationist whose influential book ''Silent Spring'' (1962) and other writings are credited with advancing the global environmental m ...
, it is deliberately left rustic and unimproved.
The majority of the Northwest Branch stream valley is a
riparian buffer
A riparian buffer or stream buffer is a vegetated area (a "buffer strip") near a stream, usually forested, which helps shade and partially protect the stream from the impact of adjacent land uses. It plays a key role in increasing water quality i ...
, protected as parkland by the
Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission
The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC) is a bi-county agency that administers parks and planning in Montgomery and Prince George's counties in Maryland.
History
The commission was formed in 1927 by the Maryland G ...
(M-NCPPC).
The
Rachel Carson Greenway
The Rachel Carson Greenway is a planned 25-mile stretch of trails, spanning from the historic Adelphi Mill in Prince George's County north through eastern Montgomery County, Maryland to Patuxent River State Park, and incorporating existing Nor ...
planned by M-NCPPC will extend the
Northwest Branch Trail
The Northwest Branch Trail is a multi-use (hiking, biking, equestrian) trail that follows the Northwest Branch of the Anacostia River in the Maryland suburbs of Washington DC. It is part of the Rachel Carson Greenway and the Anacostia Trib ...
into northern Montgomery County as an unimproved hiking trail, connecting to the
Anacostia Tributary Trail System
The Anacostia Tributary Trail System (ATTS) is a unified and signed system of stream valley trails joining trails along the Anacostia tributaries of Northwest Branch, Northeast Branch, Indian Creek and Paint Branch with a trail along the Ana ...
in Prince George's County.
Geology
![Northwest branch fall line 20201024 091652 1 crop](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c1/Northwest_branch_fall_line_20201024_091652_1_crop.jpg)
Northwest Branch crosses the geological
fall line
A fall line (or fall zone) is the area where an upland region and a coastal plain meet and is typically prominent where rivers cross it, with resulting rapids or waterfalls. The uplands are relatively hard crystalline basement rock, and the coa ...
between the
Piedmont
it, Piemontese
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and
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 ...
regions, which forms a small
waterfall
A waterfall is a point in a river or stream where water flows over a vertical drop or a series of steep drops. Waterfalls also occur where meltwater drops over the edge of a tabular iceberg or ice shelf.
Waterfalls can be formed in several wa ...
on the stream south of the
Burnt Mills Dam parks.
This area was a favorite spot of
Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt Jr. ( ; October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), often referred to as Teddy or by his initials, T. R., was an American politician, statesman, soldier, conservationist, naturalist, historian, and writer who served as the 26t ...
.
Tributaries
The total stream channel length of Northwest Branch and all tributaries is .
* Bachelors Forest Tributary
* Bel Pre Creek
* Bryants Nursery Tributary
* Lamberton Drive Tributary
* Lockridge Drive Tributary
* Longmeade Tributary
* Norwood Tributary
* Old Orchard Tributary
* Rolling Stone Tributary
* Sandy Spring Tributary
*
Sligo Creek
Sligo Creek is a free-flowing tributary of the Northwest Branch of the Anacostia River in Maryland. (The Anacostia, in turn, feeds into the Potomac River and eventually empties into the Atlantic Ocean via Chesapeake Bay.) The creek is approximat ...
* Wheaton Park Tributary
Crossings
See also
*
List of Maryland rivers
List of rivers of Maryland (U.S. state).
The list is arranged by drainage basin from east to west, with respective tributaries indented under each larger stream's name and ordered from downstream to upstream.
By drainage basin
Delaware River
*C ...
*
Anacostia Tributary Trails
The Anacostia Tributary Trail System (ATTS) is a unified and signed system of stream valley trails joining trails along the Anacostia tributaries of Northwest Branch, Northeast Branch, Indian Creek and Paint Branch with a trail along the Anac ...
References
Bibliography
*
*
*
External links
Neighbors of the Northwest BranchAnacostia Watershed Society- Detailed maps and photos of stream conditions
Anacostia Watershed Restoration PartnershipNorthwest Branch Trail- Montgomery County Dept. of Parks
Wheaton Regional Park- Montgomery County Dept. of Parks
- Prince George's County Dept. of Parks & Recreation
Anacostia, Northwest Branch
{{authority control
Anacostia River
Rivers of Montgomery County, Maryland
Rivers of Prince George's County, Maryland
Rivers of Maryland