| Northwest Branch Anacostia River | |
|---|---|
.jpg) | |
 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°56′34″N76°56′39″W / 38.942832°N 76.944036°W /38.942832; -76.944036 |
| 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 |
Northwest Branch Anacostia River is a 21.5-mile-long (34.6 km)[1] free-flowingstream inMontgomery County andPrince George's County,Maryland. It is atributary of theAnacostia River, which flows to thePotomac River and theChesapeake Bay.
Theheadwaters of the Northwest Branch are located near the community ofSandy Spring.[2] The stream flows southward for 21.5 miles (34.6 km) to itsconfluence with theNortheast Branch nearBladensburg to form themain stem of the Anacostia.[3]
Thewatershed 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, Woodmoor andTakoma Park. The Prince George's County portion of the watershed includesAdelphi,Langley Park,University Park,Chillum,Hyattsville,Avondale andBrentwood. The total watershed area, including a small portion of land inWashington, 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 theRachel Carson Environmental Area. It flows through a small gorge underneath theCapital Beltway between Colesville Road andAdelphi Mill. Located at the north end of theNorthwest Branch Trail, near the home of noted environmental authorRachel Carson, it is deliberately left rustic and unimproved.[6]
The majority of the Northwest Branch stream valley is ariparian buffer, protected as parkland by theMaryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC).[4] TheRachel Carson Greenway planned by M-NCPPC will extend theNorthwest Branch Trail into northern Montgomery County as an unimproved hiking trail, connecting to theAnacostia Tributary Trail System in Prince George's County.
Northwest Branch crosses the geologicalfall line between thePiedmont andAtlantic coastal plain regions, which forms a smallwaterfall on the stream 0.5 miles (0.80 km) south of theBurnt Mills Dam parks.[7] This area was a favorite spot ofTheodore Roosevelt.[8]
Several species of nativeanadromous fish spawn in the Northwest Branch watershed, includingalewife (Alosa pseudoharengus) andblueback herring (Alosa aestivalis).[9]
The total stream channel length of Northwest Branch and all tributaries is 75 miles (121 km).
Report to Congress
| International | |
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| National | |
