Paint Branch is a tributaryU.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data
The National Map
accessed August 15, 2011 stream of the Anacostia River that flows Southeastwards through

Montgomery County Montgomery County may refer to: Australia * The former name of Montgomery Land District, Tasmania United Kingdom * The historic county of Montgomeryshire, Wales, also called County of Montgomery United States * Montgomery County, Alabama * Mon ...

and Prince George's County,

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), 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; ...

. Specifically, its primary

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 drainag ...

is of the Northeast Branch, which flows to 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 Poi ...

Potomac River The Potomac River () drains the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic United States, flowing from the Potomac Highlands of West Virginia, Potomac Highlands into Chesapeake Bay. It is long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Datas ...

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 ...

. The beginning elevation of the stream is 480 feet above sea level and it subsequently drops to 30 feet when its flows meet the

Indian Creek Indian Creek may refer to the following: Communities * Indian Creek, Orange Walk District, Belize, a village in Belize * Indian Creek, Toledo, a village in Belize * Indian Creek, Florida, U.S. * Indian Creek, Illinois, U.S. * Indian Creek No. 7 Pr ...

College Park, Maryland College Park is a city in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States, and is approximately four miles (6.4 km) from the northeast border of Washington, D.C. The population was 34,740 at the 2020 United States Census. It is best know ...

. 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 Th ...

of Paint Branch are located near Spencerville (about north of Washington, D.C.) and the stream flows south 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); ...

with the Northeast Branch. The

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 ...

area is and includes portions of the communities of Spencerville, Cloverly, Fairland, Colesville,

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 ' ...

and College Park, Maryland.Anacostia Watershed Restoration Partnership. Washington, DC
"Paint Branch: Profile."
Accessed 2009-09-16.

Watershed characteristics

Physical

The Paint Branch subwatershed is approximately 13,287 acres (20.7 miles) in size and 18% impervious. The areas along Maryland's route 29, the intersection of Sandy Spring Road, and Columbia Pike in Burtonsville, Maryland have undergone extensive commercial development. Contrasting this, counties that border the watershed's southern-flowing direction (Montgomery and Prince George's), offer the least amount of developed areas.

Biological and ecological

The Paint Branch tributary stream is classified according to the state of Maryland’s Department of the Environment as Use I and Use III waters. Specifically, the lower partition of the Paint Branch stream is the Use I section, and the upper partition of the stream is Use III. A Use I stream has water contact recreations and the protection of nontidal warmwater aquatic life. In so many words, this means that leisure occurs in these areas, while the growth of fish and other wildlife is protected. A Use III water expands on this concept, by categorically facilitating the growth and propagation of the trout species. Thus, in the upper parts of the Paint Branch stream, naturally reproducing brown trout are one of the most significant aquatic species in the community.

Tributaries

*Left Fork *Right Fork *Gum Springs Tributary *Good Hope Tributary *Snowden's Mill Branch *Fairland Farms *Columbia Park Tributary *Hollywood Branch *Martin Luther King Tributary *Tanley Road Tributary *Stewart-April Lane Tributary *West Farm Branch *Little Paint Branch *Indian Creek

Recreation

Paint branch trail montgomery county md 20201024 100410 1

There are two trails along the Paint Branch stream which holistically make up the Paint Branch Trail. One is a 3-mile hard surface trail in Montgomery County that runs from Martin Luther King Jr. Recreational Park to Fairland Road with a trail extension in progress to take the trail to Old Columbia Pike. The other is part of the Anacostia Tributary Trail System in Prince Georges County and goes from Lake Artemesia to Cherry Hill Road.

References

External links

Eyes of Paint Branch
Community watershed organization
Restoring Paint BranchAnacostia RiverkeeperCountywide Stream Protection Strategy: Paint Branch Watershed
Montgomery County Dept. of Environmental Protection
Anacostia Watershed SocietyAnacostia Watershed Restoration PartnershipPaint Branch Trail
Montgomery County Dept. of Parks

Prince George's County Dept. of Parks & Recreation Rivers of Montgomery County, Maryland Rivers of Prince George's County, Maryland Rivers of Maryland Anacostia River {{PrinceGeorgesCountyMD-geo-stub