TheGreen Branch of thePatuxent River inPrince George's County, Maryland is part of the Upper Patuxent Watershed.[1] The stream passes centrally through the Governor Bridge Natural Area / Patuxent River Park[2] and joins the Patuxent, just south ofGovernor's Bridge.
The stream cuts a narrow gorge through theAquia greensand between Crain Highway and its junction with the Patuxent.[3]
Green Branch drains the communities of Heather Hills, Ensleigh, Essington, Easthaven, Heather Ridge, Palisades, Pin Oak Village, Covington Manor, Governors Green and Longlea as well as the commercial areas of Bowie Gateway Center andPrince George's Stadium withinBowie, Maryland.[4]
The major pollutant in this stream isnon-point sediment.[4] The source of the sediment is erosion from construction, storm water runoff carrying lawn chemicals such as excess fertilizer, and pet waste runoff from lawns.[4] Increased amount of runoff causes water to flow at a faster rate, which erodes stream banks and increases sediment in the water.[4]
A large culvert on Green Branch, was significantly impairing fish passage to spawning grounds upstream on the Patuxent in 2008. Fish includingherring,alewife, andAmerican eel could not pass through the three-pipe culvert located under an access road within the Governor Bridge Natural Area. The Patuxent Riverkeeper has been working with theMaryland Department of Natural Resources Fish Passage Program to fix this and has received funding fromFish America Foundation andChesapeake Bay Trust to support the project.[5]
38°56′46.6″N76°42′29.5″W / 38.946278°N 76.708194°W /38.946278; -76.708194