| Patuxent River Patuxent tributary/Patuxent affluent | |
|---|---|
 Patuxent River nearBowie | |
 Patuxent River drainage basin | |
| Location | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Maryland |
| Major cities | Columbia,Laurel,Bowie,Upper Marlboro |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | |
| • location | 2.3 mi (3.7 km) southwest ofMount Airy, Maryland, U.S. |
| • coordinates | 39°20′55″N77°10′39″W / 39.34861°N 77.17750°W /39.34861; -77.17750 |
| • elevation | 823 ft (251 m) |
| Mouth | Chesapeake Bay |
• location | 2 mi (3.2 km) east ofSolomons, Maryland |
• coordinates | 38°18′43″N76°25′19″W / 38.31194°N 76.42194°W /38.31194; -76.42194 |
• elevation | 0 ft (0 m) |
| Length | 115 mi (185 km) |
| Basin size | 908 sq mi (2,350 km2) |
| Discharge | |
| • location | Laurel, Maryland |
| • average | 171 cu ft/s (4.8 m3/s) |
| • minimum | 8 cu ft/s (0.23 m3/s) |
| • maximum | 2,870 cu ft/s (81 m3/s) |
| Discharge | |
| • location | Bowie, Maryland |
| • average | 647 cu ft/s (18.3 m3/s) |
| • minimum | 134 cu ft/s (3.8 m3/s) |
| • maximum | 4,500 cu ft/s (130 m3/s) |
| Basin features | |
| Tributaries | |
| • left | Little Patuxent River |
| • right | Western Branch |
ThePatuxent River is atributary of theChesapeake Bay in the state ofMaryland. There are three main river drainages for central Maryland: thePotomac River to the west passing throughWashington, D.C., thePatapsco River to the northeast passing through Baltimore, and the Patuxent River between the two. The 908-square-mile (2,352 km2)[1] Patuxentwatershed had a rapidly growing population of 590,769 in 2000.[citation needed] It is the largest and longest river entirely within Maryland, and itswatershed is the largest completely within the state.
The river source, 115 miles (185 km) from the Chesapeake, is in the hills of the MarylandPiedmont near the intersection of four counties –Howard,Frederick,Montgomery andCarroll, and only 0.6 miles (0.97 km) from Parr's Spring, the source of the south fork of thePatapsco River. Flowing in a generally southeastward direction, the Patuxent crosses the urbanized corridor betweenBaltimore andWashington, D.C., and opens up into a navigable tidalestuary near the colonial seaport ofQueen Anne inPrince George's County, Maryland, just southeast ofBowie. The river is bounded by significant marsh areas for 22 miles (35 km) from theWaysons Corner area to the Hunting Creek confluence. The 52 miles (84 km)-long tidalestuary is never wider than 2.3 miles (3.7 km).
It marks the boundary betweenMontgomery,Prince George's,Charles andSt. Mary's counties on the west andHoward,Anne Arundel, andCalvert counties on the east. The Patuxent estuary's deepest point, 130 feet (40 m) below sea level, is in the lower Patuxent.
The three largest cities in the watershed areColumbia,Bowie, andLaurel, Maryland. There is a percentage ofagricultural activity in the region as well. The mid and lower banks of the river have swamp and marshlandecosystems. Many of those ecosystems are protected by some form of parkland, on the state and local levels, the most notable of which includeJug Bay Wetlands Sanctuary,Merkle Wetlands Sanctuary,[2][3] andPatuxent River Park. Farther north is the 20 square milePatuxent Wildlife Research Refuge, the largest protected area in the watershed.
TheLittle Patuxent River, theMiddle Patuxent River, and theWestern Branch are the three largest tributaries. The Middle Patuxent flows into the Little Patuxent just upstream from the historicSavage Mill inSavage. The Little Patuxent then joins the Patuxent just southwest ofCrofton. The Middle Patuxent flows 24 miles (39 km) through the middle of Howard County, while the Little Patuxent flows 38 miles (61 km) through northeast and southeast Howard County and western Anne Arundel County.[4] Western Branch originates under the name Folly Branch in the Wingate Drive area of the northern part ofGlenn Dale, assuming the name "Western Branch" inWoodmore, continuing southward through Prince George's County, joined byCollington Branch before it joins the Patuxent nearUpper Marlboro.
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Native Americans have lived along the Patuxent River since at least 1100 BC.[5] An archaeological dig atPig Point (just north ofJug Bay at the end of Wrighton Road[6]) uncovered some of the oldest known artifacts in the Mid Atlantic states,[7] including pottery, arrow and spear points, and remnants of wigwams, fires and foodways. The site was probably a center of trade in the region and has one of the best unbroken archaeological records on the East Coast.[7] The Pig Point site includes remnants of the oldest structures ever found in Maryland,wigwam post holes dating to the third century.[7]
The wordPatuxent is derived from theAlgonquian language used by the indigenous people living in the area prior to the arrival of the European settlers. Its meaning is debated. According to some sources it means "water running over loose stones"[8] while others believe it means the "place where tobacco grows".[9]
The Patuxent River was first named ("Pawtuxunt") on the detailed map resulting from the 1608 voyage upriver byJamestown, Virginia settlerJohn Smith.[10]Captain Smith got as far as the rough vicinity of the present-day Merkle Wildlife Sanctuary (Lyons Creek) area, 40 miles (60 km) from the Chesapeake near what is now the Anne Arundel–Calvert–Prince George's County tripoint.[11][12][13]This was most likely the second visit by Europeans to the Patuxent, as in June 1588 a smallSpanish expedition underVicente Gonzalez is believed to have anchored for the night in the Patuxent mouth.[14][15][16][17]The river was an important colonial shipping port with the government's garrison situated at the mouth of the river whereCharles Calvert was first Collector in 1673.[18][19] In 1699,Thomas Browne, sometimes referred to as 'The Patuxent Ranger', followed the river from the Snowden plantation to whereClarksville is sited.[20][21][22][23] In 1702 George Plater I was the Patuxent naval officer (later based atSotterley Plantation),[24] having earlier served as Collector after Calvert, Rousby, Sewall, Digges, and Payne held the collectorship.By the mid and late seventeenth century respectively,colonists spread upriver to Mt. Calvert and Billingsley Point, two 18th-century mansions 43.5 miles (70 km) upriver from the Chesapeake that are today part of Patuxent River Park. By 1705, the Snowdeniron ore furnace (also known as thePatuxent Iron Works) just southeast ofLaurel,[25][26]was shipping "pig iron" downriver from the current vicinity of the 1783Montpelier Mansion, also part of Patuxent River Park.
In August 1814, CommodoreJoshua Barney and hisChesapeake Bay Flotilla were trapped in the Patuxent by theBritish fleet under Admiral SirGeorge Cockburn. To keep them from British hands, Barney's men ignited themagazines of his ships in the four mile (6 km) stretch above Pig Point, 44 miles (71 km) upriver from the Chesapeake when the British approached.[27] The British then launched their attack onWashington, D.C., from their warships in the Patuxent atBenedict, 22 miles (35 km) away. From there, the troops marched through Nottingham,Upper Marlboro,Bladensburg, and on to Washington.[28]
The Patuxent's waters contain several fish uncommon / not found in the other drainages of Maryland. The stripeback darter,[29] glassy darter,[30] and shield darter[31] all reside within various tributaries in the Patuxent, with the stripeback and glassy darters entirely extirpated from other drainages in the state. The shield darter is found in extremely low densities in the mainstem Potomac river and in fair numbers in the Susquehanna drainage. The upper Patuxent starts in the piedmont, and thus contains several fish not found downstream in the lower coastal plain Patuxent, such as the rosyside dace and cutlips minnow.
Tobacco farming dominated the Patuxent's economy for the two centuries following white settlement, with about sixty percent of Maryland's tobacco coming from the Patuxent valley by the late eighteenth century.
Destruction of the plantations by the British and of the soil by centuries of tobacco farming brought the mid and lower Patuxent valley into a period of decline that would last until the 1930s, when there were fewer residents in the Patuxent's Calvert County than there were in the 1840s, and only a few hundred more than in the first Calvert Countycensus in 1790.
The Patuxent was plied by regularsteamship service, mostly from the Weems Line, from the 1820s to the 1920s, replacing theschooners and sailingpackets that had for the previous centuries served the river's many landings and docks along the 52-mile (84 km) tidal reach.
TheWashington Suburban Sanitary Commission constructed two dams on the main branch in the mid-twentieth century.Brighton Dam was constructed 96 miles (154 km) from the Chesapeake in 1943, impounding the waters ofTriadelphia Reservoir; in 1952 theT. Howard Duckett Dam was constructed 14 miles (23 km) farther downstream, near Laurel, thus creatingRocky Gorge Reservoir.[32] The land surrounding the two reservoirs is administered by the WSSC, creating a forested reserve of 4,400 acres (18 km2) accessible to the public for horseback riding, hunting, fishing, and picnicking in limited areas. The state of Maryland classifies the T. Howard Duckett Dam as "high hazard" because large releases of water flood areas of North Laurel.[33]
With public recreational land on one or both shores of 74 of the river's 115 miles including the reservoir land, the impact that recreation in natural settings now has on the river's economy is obvious. ThePatuxent Naval Air Station at the mouth of the river has continued to grow during past decades along with tourism, providing another main economic engine in the lower river valley that includes the popular boating center ofSolomons.
The Patuxent River is the sole known source for Maryland's State Gemstone, a form of agate calledPatuxent River stone.[34]
According to EcoHealth Report Cards, the Patuxent River has a below average health rating, scoring a 38%, compared to the Chesapeake's over all health rating of 54%, as of 2016. However, the river does have higher ratings in dissolved oxygen, and likely, will soon have higher ratings in phosphorus.[35]
The Middle and Little Patuxent watersheds include nearly all ofColumbia, Maryland, including its downtown urbanLake Kittamaqundi and Wilde Lake. Columbia is a large planned community in Howard County that opened in 1967. Columbia's major downtown roadway is called Little Patuxent Parkway, andMaryland Route 175 in East Columbia was known as the Patuxent Parkway until May 2006, when it was renamed for Columbia's founder, the lateJames Rouse, and his wife, Patty. It was the largely uncheckederosion from this late 1960s and 1970s building spree that contributed the bulk of the Patuxent River's highest and most damagingsediment,siltation, andpollution levels to date downstream. This in turn led to a nearly complete destruction of a once thrivingseafood industry along thebrackish portion of the river.
"The Patuxent River has known no greater friend, advocate, and defender thanBernie Fowler."[36] Fowler, as an early-1970s Calvert County commissioner, led the way in a lawsuit filed by downriver Charles, Calvert and St. Mary's counties against upriver counties. The lawsuit forced the state, the upriver counties, and theU.S. Environmental Protection Agency to enact pollution control measures. Between 1985 and 2005, the Patuxent saw a 26% decrease innitrogen, a 46% decrease inphosphorus, and a 35% reduction in sediment, despiteurban areas increasing to 31% of the watershed by 2002. Of the Chesapeake's major tributaries, the Patuxent is the only one having most of its harmful phosphorus and nitrogen nutrient overloads coming fromurban runoff. The river's other two largest contributors,point sources (industrial,sewage, etc.) and the declining (24%)agricultural areas, contribute less of the nutrient load.Forested areas account for 43% of the watershed.[37][38]
In 2004, Fred Tutman became the first "Riverkeeper" for the Patuxent.[39] The mission of the Patuxent Riverkeeper organization, a member of the worldwideWaterkeeper Alliance, is to protect and improve the quality of the river's water and watershed and provide access and education at its facility inNottingham.[40]
Over the past 50 years, nationally recognized land preservation efforts in this part of Maryland have saved tens of thousands of acres from the Baltimore-Washingtonbedroom communitysprawl. The southern half of the U.S. Army'sFort Meade was added to thePatuxent Wildlife Research Center, which, at 12,300 acres (50 km2), is thesecond largest contiguous public park-refuge within 30 miles (50 km) of either Washington or Baltimore. It is located midway between these two cities. The contiguous public area of 8,575 acres (35 km2) centered on Jug Bay, 42 miles (68 km) upriver from the Chesapeake, form the fifth largest such Baltimore-D.C. preserve and largest tidewater one and consist of theJug Bay Wetlands Sanctuary, the Merkle Wildlife Sanctuary, and the Jug Bay component of the Patuxent River Park. The 6,600-acre (27 km2) Patuxent River State Park in the uppermost part of the basin is the seventh largest.
On 20 April 2022,PBS released a 26 minute documentary: "Troubled Tributary: Maryland's Patuxent River" -The Patuxent River is a crucial tributary of the Chesapeake Bay. Despite the central role the river has played in the history of the Bay's environmental movement and abundant conservation resources funneled to it over the years, it remains polluted. Its riverkeeper, Fred Tutman, believes that environmental injustice exists along its banks.
On 21 April 2022,PBS released a 56 minute special: "The Chesapeake Bay Summit 2022" -Experts, scientists and policy makers converge for a compelling discussion on the health of the Chesapeake Bay watershed, led by host Frank Sesno.
| Crossing | Carries | Location | Coordinates |
|---|---|---|---|
| Montgomery County – Howard County | |||
| MD 27 bridge |  MD 27 (Ridge Road) | Southwest ofMt. Airy | |
| Windsor Forest Road bridge | Windsor Forest Road | Southwest ofMt. Airy | |
| Long Corner Road bridge | Long Corner Road | Damascus | |
| MD 94 bridge |  MD 94 (Annapolis Rock Road/Woodbine Road) | Damascus | |
| Mullinix Mill Road bridge | Mullinix Mill Road | Damascus | |
| Hipsley Mill Road bridge | Hipsley Mill Road | Etchison | |
| Howard Chapel Road bridge | Howard Chapel Road | Unity | |
| MD 97 bridge |  MD 97 (Georgia Avenue/Roxbury Mills Road) | North ofBrookeville | |
| Triadelphia Reservoir | Brighton Dam Road | Brookeville Clarksville | 39°12′27″N77°00′48″W / 39.207517°N 77.013302°W /39.207517; -77.013302 |
| Haviland Mill Road bridge | Haviland Mill Road | Brinklow | |
| Mink Hollow Road bridge | Mink Hollow Road | Brinklow | |
| Snell's Bridge |  MD 108 (Ashton Road/Clarksville Pike) | Ashton Highland | |
| Brown's Bridge | Ednor Road/Browns Bridge Road | Ashton Highland | |
| US 29 bridge overRocky Gorge Reservoir |  US 29 (Columbia Pike) | North ofBurtonsville | |
| Prince George's County – Howard County | |||
| I-95 bridge nearT. Howard Duckett Dam |  I-95 | Laurel | |
| MD 216 bridge |  MD 216 (7th Street) | Laurel | |
| US 1 bridges |  US 1 (Washington Boulevard, southbound traffic; 2nd Street, northbound traffic) | Laurel | |
| Howard County – Prince George's County – Anne Arundel County | |||
| B&O bridge | CSXCapital Subdivision | Laurel | |
| Prince George's County – Anne Arundel County | |||
| MD 198 bridge |  MD 198 (Laurel Fort Meade Road) | Laurel | |
| Brock Bridge Road bridge | Brock Bridge Road | Laurel | |
| Baltimore–Washington Parkway bridge | Baltimore-Washington Parkway | Laurel | |
| Duval Bridge (not open to public vehicular traffic) | Old Telegraph Road (Lago Road) | Patuxent Wildlife Research Center | |
| Northeast Corridor bridge | AmtrakNortheast Corridor | Bowie (nearBowie State University) | |
| Priest Bridge |   MD 3 /MD 450 (Robert Crain Highway) | Bowie Crofton | |
| US 50 bridge |    I-595 /US 50 /US 301 (John Hanson Highway) | Davidsonville | |
| Governor's Bridge | Governor Bridge Road | Davidsonville | 39°00′24″N76°46′46″W / 39.00667°N 76.77944°W /39.00667; -76.77944 |
| MD 214 bridge |  MD 214 (Central Avenue) | Queen Anne | |
| Queen Anne Bridge (closed in 2007 to all use) | Queen Anne Bridge Road | Queen Anne | 38°53′42.65″N76°40′34.65″W / 38.8951806°N 76.6762917°W /38.8951806; -76.6762917 |
| Hills Bridge |  MD 4 (Pennsylvania Avenue) | Upper Marlboro | |
| Calvert County –Charles County | |||
| Benedict Bridge |  MD 231 | Benedict | |
| Calvert County –St. Mary's County | |||
| Governor Thomas Johnson Bridge | MD 4 | Solomons | 38°19′34.7″N76°28′17.23″W / 38.326306°N 76.4714528°W /38.326306; -76.4714528 |
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