| Watts Branch | |
|---|---|
 | |
  Location of the mouth in Maryland | |
| Location | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Maryland |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | |
| • location | Rockville, Maryland |
| • coordinates | 39°05′48″N77°09′26″W / 39.0967748°N 77.1572024°W /39.0967748; -77.1572024 |
| Mouth | Potomac River |
• location | Montgomery County, Maryland |
• coordinates | 39°02′23″N77°15′36″W / 39.0398312°N 77.2599817°W /39.0398312; -77.2599817 |
• elevation | 167 ft (51 m) |
| Length | 11.2 mi (18.0 km) |
| Basin size | 22 sq mi (57 km2) |
| Basin features | |
| Tributaries | |
| • left | Fallsmead, Horizon Hill, Cold Spring, Fallsreach, Kilgour Branch |
| • right | Research Blvd., Lakewood, Valley Dr., Piney Branch, Sandy Branch |
Watts Branch is atributary stream of thePotomac River inMontgomery County,Maryland.
Theheadwaters of the stream originate in the city ofRockville, and the branch flows southwest for 11.2 miles (18.0 km),[1] under theC&O Canal near Swain's Lock, to the Potomac River, which drains to theChesapeake Bay. Thewatershed area is about 22 square miles (57 km2).[2]: p. 1–3
Portions of Watts Branch flow through a stream valley park, a mostly undeveloped natural area which acts as ariparian buffer zone to help minimize stream bankerosion and filter pollutants from stormwaterrunoff.[3]
While some parts of the Watts Branch watershed areparkland or remainforested, the area is adjacent to Rockville town center and theInterstate 270 corridor. This community has experienced extensive residential and commercialdevelopment over the past several decades. Population in the Rockville city limits (of which only a portion is in the Watts Branch watershed) more than doubled between 1960 and 2010, from approximately 26,000 to 61,000.[4] These development trends have led to degradedwater quality due tostormwaterpollution in some portions of the Watts Branch mainstem and tributaries. The stream and watershed have been the subject of extensive studies andplanning by Montgomery County and the City of Rockville.[2][5] A number ofstream restoration projects have been undertaken by both governments.[6][7]
In order to preserve water quality in a partially developed area, the county imposed some restrictions on development (i.e. designation of a "Special Protection Area") in part of the Piney Branch sub-watershed in 1994. Following intensive land development after 1998, county scientists found that the special restrictions had only a limited effect, and water quality declined where development had occurred.[8]
Major tributaries of Watts Branch include:
