Piscataway Creek is a tributary of the
Rappahannock River
The Rappahannock River is a river in eastern Virginia, in the United States, approximately in length.U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed April 1, 2011 It traverses the entir ...
in eastern
Virginia
Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...
, in the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
, approximately in length. It is fed by the Sturgeon Swamp and Mussel Swamp, lowlands near
US Route 360 on the
Middle Peninsula
The Middle Peninsula is the second of three large peninsulas on the western shore of Chesapeake Bay in Virginia, in the United States. As of the 2020 census, the Middle Peninsula was home to 92,886 people. It lies between the Northern Neck and ...
, and empties into the Rappahannock River three miles (5 km) downstream from the town of
Tappahannock. It is
tidal
Tidal is the adjectival form of tide.
Tidal may also refer to:
* ''Tidal'' (album), a 1996 album by Fiona Apple
* Tidal (king), a king involved in the Battle of the Vale of Siddim
* TidalCycles, a live coding environment for music
* Tidal (servic ...
for much of its course.
The creek drains an area of . Its watershed is 63% forested. Agriculture encompasses 26.5 percent of the watershed, with 16.1 percent cropland and 10.4 pasture/hayland. The remainder consists of swampland and residential area.
Description
Piscataway Creek follows a winding path through the central part of
Essex county. It is navigable for about four miles (6 km) upstream from the Rappahannock river. The navigable portion extends just beyond the
US Route 17 bridge. There are no aids to navigation.
In 1883, the United States government considered improving the navigability of the creek to serve the agricultural and foresting interests of the area. The channel was found to be narrow, but deep enough to support commercial vessels. The major inhibitor to commercial navigation was the
bar
Bar or BAR may refer to:
Food and drink
* Bar (establishment), selling alcoholic beverages
* Candy bar
* Chocolate bar
Science and technology
* Bar (river morphology), a deposit of sediment
* Bar (tropical cyclone), a layer of cloud
* Bar (u ...
extending across the northern portion of the mouth of the creek. It was ultimately decided that improved access was not worth the cost of dredging, and goods continued to be taken to
Ware's Wharf via wagon.
Annual Report of the Secretary of War, pp 1006–07
/ref>
The Tappahannock-Essex County Airport, opened in 2007, sits in the southern portion of the Piscataway's watershed.
See also
*List of Virginia rivers
This is a list of rivers in the U.S. state of Virginia.
By drainage basin
This list is arranged by drainage basin, with respective tributaries, arranged in the order of their confluence from mouth to source, indented under each larger stream's nam ...
References
Tributaries of the Rappahannock River
Bodies of water of Essex County, Virginia
{{EssexCountyVA-geo-stub