Powells Creek (also sometimes spelt Powell's Creek) is a tributary of the lower tidal segment of 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 Augu ...

in eastern

Prince William County Prince William County is located on the Potomac River in the U.S. state of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population sits at 482,204, making it Virginia's second-most populous county. Its county seat is the independent city of Manassas ...

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 ...

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 territori ...

Course

Northeast Regional crossing Powells Creek, August 2008

Powells Creek starts northeast of the Prince William County Landfill in Independent Hill. The creek flows southeast from there and crosses Minnieville Road and Spriggs Road before being interrupted in Montclair at Lake Montclair. Powells Creek continues flow southeast crossing Waterway Drive and Northgate Drive then under Interstate 95 into the Eagles Pointe community in Leesylvania where it passes through a tunnel under Kramer Estate Drive. The creek then passes under

U.S. Route 1 U.S. Route 1 or U.S. Highway 1 (US 1) is a major north–south United States Numbered Highway that serves the East Coast of the United States. It runs from Key West, Florida, north to Fort Kent, Maine, at the Canadian border, making ...

and into the

swampland A swamp is a forested wetland.Keddy, P.A. 2010. Wetland Ecology: Principles and Conservation (2nd edition). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. 497 p. Swamps are considered to be transition zones because both land and water play a role in ...

s near the mouth in

Leesylvania State Park Leesylvania State Park is located in the southeastern part of Prince William County, Virginia. The land was donated in 1978 by philanthropist Daniel K. Ludwig, and the park was dedicated in 1985 and opened full-time in 1992. History At the time ...

. The mouth is finally passed over by the Powells Creek Crossing of the

RF&P Subdivision The RF&P Subdivision is a railroad line owned and operated by CSX Transportation. It runs from Washington, D.C., to Richmond, Virginia, over lines previously owned by the Pennsylvania Railroad and the Richmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac Railroad. ...

and then flows into the Potomac River at the

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 ...

border.

History

Powells Creek was originally referred to by the

Doeg people The Doeg (also called Dogue, Taux, Tauxenent) were a Native American people who lived in Virginia. They spoke an Algonquian language and may have been a branch of the Nanticoke tribe, historically based on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. The N ...

as ''Yosococomico'', who inhabited the region from the 1600s to the 1700s. On 3 December 2004, an accident occurred on the U.S. Route 1 bridge over Powells Creek where a

truck A truck or lorry is a motor vehicle designed to transport cargo, carry specialized payloads, or perform other utilitarian work. Trucks vary greatly in size, power, and configuration, but the vast majority feature body-on-frame constructi ...

hauling 27 tons of

lime Lime commonly refers to: * Lime (fruit), a green citrus fruit * Lime (material), inorganic materials containing calcium, usually calcium oxide or calcium hydroxide * Lime (color), a color between yellow and green Lime may also refer to: Botany ...

lost its trailer over the side of the bridge and into Powells Creek, spilling the material into the creek and killing fish. In 2020, a

boardwalk A boardwalk (alternatively board walk, boarded path, or promenade) is an elevated footpath, walkway, or causeway built with wooden planks that enables pedestrians to cross wet, fragile, or marshy land. They are also in effect a low type of brid ...

over Powells Creek connecting the Potomac Shores development and Leesylvania States Park similar to the

Neabsco Creek Neabsco Creek is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed August 15, 2011 tributary of the lower tidal segment of the Potomac River in eastern Prince William County, Virginia. T ...

Boardwalk was considered by David Brickley, proposer of the Neabsco Creek Boardwalk, and supported by Woodbridge District Supervisor Margaret Franklin. In April 2021, the Prince William County Department of Public Works began work on its largest project, a nearly 1-mile restoration project along Powells Creek in Montclair, replacing

sediment Sediment is a naturally occurring material that is broken down by processes of weathering and erosion, and is subsequently transported by the action of wind, water, or ice or by the force of gravity acting on the particles. For example, sa ...

on the

banks A bank is a financial institution that accepts deposits from the public and creates a demand deposit while simultaneously making loans. Lending activities can be directly performed by the bank or indirectly through capital markets. Becaus ...

of the creek with wetlands to prevent flooding and damage to a

sanitary sewer A sanitary sewer is an underground pipe or tunnel system for transporting sewage from houses and commercial buildings (but not stormwater) to a sewage treatment plant or disposal. Sanitary sewers are a type of gravity sewer and are part of an ...

main transmission line and to restore the creek to its original state before development in the area.

Notes

References

{{Potomac River System Rivers of Prince William County, Virginia Rivers of Virginia Tributaries of the Potomac River