Northwest Branch Anacostia River
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.
Northwest Branch Anacostia River | |
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![]() Map of the Anacostia River watershed showing the Northwest Branch | |
Location | |
Country | United States |
State | Maryland |
Cities | Wheaton, Silver Spring, Hyattsville |
Physical characteristics | |
Source | |
• location | Sandy Spring, Maryland |
Mouth | Anacostia River |
• location | Bladensburg, MD |
• coordinates | 38.942832°N 76.944036°W |
Length | 21.5 mi (34.6 km) |
Basin size | 53.5 sq mi (139 km2) |
Basin features | |
Tributaries | |
• left | Old Orchard, Bryants Nursery, Norwood, Rolling Stone |
• right | Bachelors Forest, Longmeade, Bel Pre Creek, Wheaton Park, Lamberton Dr, Sligo Creek |
Course
The headwaters of the Northwest Branch are located near the community of Sandy Spring.[2] 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.[3]
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.[4][5]
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.[6]
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).[4] 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).
- 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
- Wheaton Park Tributary
See also
- List of Maryland rivers
- Anacostia Tributary Trails
References
- U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data. The National Map, accessed August 15, 2011
- 39°08′46.9″N 77°02′08.3″W
- Neighbors of the Northwest Branch. "Mission Statement." Archived 2011-07-27 at the Wayback Machine Accessed 2009-08-31.
- Anacostia Watershed Restoration Partnership (AWRP). Washington, DC. "Northwest Branch: Profile." Archived 2016-01-06 at the Wayback Machine Accessed 2010-06-21.
- AWRP. "Sligo Creek: Profile." Accessed 2010-06-21.
- Montgomery Parks/MNCPPC. "Rachel Carson Greenway & Northwest Branch Stream Valley Park Trails." Accessed 2009-11-14.
- Montgomery County Department of Environmental Protection (MCDEP)(1997). "Northwest Branch Watershed Study." Rockville, MD. March 17, 1997.
- MCDEP. "Countywide Stream Protection Strategy: Northwest Branch Watershed." Accessed 2009-08-30.
- Anacostia Watershed Restoration Partnership (2008). "Anacostia River Watershed Restoration Plan: Interim Report Framework, September 2007–November 2008." Report to Congress.
External links
- Neighbors of the Northwest Branch
- Anacostia Watershed Society - Detailed maps and photos of stream conditions
- Anacostia Watershed Restoration Partnership
- Northwest Branch Trail - Montgomery County Dept. of Parks
- Wheaton Regional Park - Montgomery County Dept. of Parks
- Anacostia Tributary Trail System - Prince George's County Dept. of Parks & Recreation