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
Map of the Anacostia River watershed showing the Northwest Branch
Location
CountryUnited States
StateMaryland
CitiesWheaton, Silver Spring, Hyattsville
Physical characteristics
Source 
 • locationSandy Spring, Maryland
MouthAnacostia River
 • location
Bladensburg, MD
 • coordinates
38.942832°N 76.944036°W / 38.942832; -76.944036
Length21.5 mi (34.6 km)
Basin size53.5 sq mi (139 km2)
Basin features
Tributaries 
 • leftOld Orchard, Bryants Nursery, Norwood, Rolling Stone
 • rightBachelors 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
  1. U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data. The National Map, accessed August 15, 2011
  2. 39°08′46.9″N 77°02′08.3″W
  3. Neighbors of the Northwest Branch. "Mission Statement." Archived 2011-07-27 at the Wayback Machine Accessed 2009-08-31.
  4. Anacostia Watershed Restoration Partnership (AWRP). Washington, DC. "Northwest Branch: Profile." Archived 2016-01-06 at the Wayback Machine Accessed 2010-06-21.
  5. AWRP. "Sligo Creek: Profile." Accessed 2010-06-21.
  6. Montgomery Parks/MNCPPC. "Rachel Carson Greenway & Northwest Branch Stream Valley Park Trails." Accessed 2009-11-14.
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