Northwest Branch Anacostia River

Northwest Branch Anacostia River
Country United States
State Maryland
Tributaries
 - left Old Orchard, Bryants Nursery, Norwood, Rolling Stone
 - right Bachelors Forest, Longmeade, Bel Pre Creek, Wheaton Park, Lamberton Dr, Sligo Creek
Cities Wheaton, Silver Spring, Hyattsville
Source
 - location Sandy Spring, Maryland
Mouth Anacostia River
 - location Bladensburg, MD
 - coordinates 38°56′34″N 76°56′39″W / 38.942832°N 76.944036°W / 38.942832; -76.944036Coordinates: 38°56′34″N 76°56′39″W / 38.942832°N 76.944036°W / 38.942832; -76.944036
Length 21.5 mi (35 km)
Basin 53.5 sq mi (139 km2)
Map of the Anacostia River watershed showing the Northwest Branch

Northwest Branch Anacostia River is a 21.5-mile-long (34.6 km)[1] free-flowing stream in Montgomery County and Prince George's County, Maryland. It is a tributary of the Anacostia River, which flows to the Potomac River and the Chesapeake Bay.

Course

The headwaters of the Northwest Branch are located near the community of Sandy Spring. The stream flows southward for 21.5 miles (34.6 km) to its confluence with the Northeast Branch near Bladensburg to form the main stem of the Anacostia.[2]

Watershed

The watershed in Montgomery County includes portions of the communities of Norwood, Bel Pre Manor, Colesville, Layhill, Glenmont, Wheaton, Hillandale, White Oak, Silver Spring, Kemp Mill, Four Corners and Takoma Park. The Prince George's County portion of the watershed includes Adelphi, Langley Park, University Park, Chillum, Hyattsville, Avondale and Brentwood. The total watershed area, including a small portion of land in Washington, D.C., is 53.5 square miles (139 km2), with a resident population of about 254,000.[3][4]

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 between Colesville Road and Adelphi Mill. Located at the north end of the Northwest Branch Trail, near the home of noted environmental author Rachel Carson, it is deliberately left rustic and unimproved.[5]

The majority of the Northwest Branch stream valley is a riparian buffer, protected as parkland by the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC).[3] The Rachel Carson Greenway planned by M-NCPPC will extend the Northwest Branch Trail into northern Montgomery County as an unimproved hiking trail, connecting to the Anacostia Tributary Trail System in Prince George's County.

Geology

Northwest Branch crosses the geological fall line between the piedmont and Atlantic coastal plain regions, which forms a small waterfall on the stream near White Oak.

Tributaries

The total stream channel length of Northwest Branch and all tributaries is 75 miles (121 km).

See also

References

  1. ↑ U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data. The National Map, accessed August 15, 2011
  2. ↑ Neighbors of the Northwest Branch. "Mission Statement." Accessed 2009-08-31.
  3. 1 2 Anacostia Watershed Restoration Partnership (AWRP). Washington, DC. "Northwest Branch: Profile." Accessed 2010-06-21.
  4. ↑ AWRP. "Sligo Creek: Profile." Accessed 2010-06-21.
  5. ↑ Montgomery Parks/MNCPPC. "Rachel Carson Greenway & Northwest Branch Stream Valley Park Trails." Accessed 2009-11-14.
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