Northwest Branch Anacostia River

Coordinates: 38°56′34″N 76°56′39″W / 38.942832°N 76.944036°W / 38.942832; -76.944036

Northwest Branch Anacostia River
Country	United States
State	Maryland
Tributaries
- left	Old Orchard, Bryants Nursery, Norwood, Rolling Stone
- right	Bachelors Forest, Longmeade, Bel Pre Creek, Wheaton Park, Lamberton Dr, Sligo Creek
Cities	Wheaton, Silver Spring, Hyattsville
Source
- location	Sandy Spring, Maryland
Mouth	Anacostia River
- location	Bladensburg, MD
- coordinates	38°56′34″N 76°56′39″W / 38.942832°N 76.944036°W / 38.942832; -76.944036
Length	21.5 mi (35 km)
Basin	53.5 sq mi (139 km2)
Map of the Anacostia River watershed showing the Northwest Branch

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.

Course

The headwaters of the Northwest Branch are located near the community of Sandy Spring. 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.^[2]

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 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.^[3][4]

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.^[5]

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).^[3] 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 Georges 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
• 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. ^ Neighbors of the Northwest Branch. "Mission Statement." Accessed 2009-08-31.
3. ^ ^{a b} Anacostia Watershed Restoration Partnership (AWRP). Washington, DC. "Northwest Branch: Profile." Accessed 2010-06-21.
4. ^ AWRP. "Sligo Creek: Profile." Accessed 2010-06-21.
5. ^ Montgomery Parks/MNCPPC. "Rachel Carson Greenway & Northwest Branch Stream Valley Park Trails." Accessed 2009-11-14.

• Montgomery County Department of Environmental Protection (MCDEP)(1997). "Northwest Branch Watershed Study." Rockville, MD. March 17, 1997.
• MCDEP. "Countywide Stream Protection Strategy: Northwest Branch Watershed." Accessed 2009-08-30.
• Anacostia Watershed Restoration Partnership (2008). "Anacostia River Watershed Restoration Plan: Interim Report Framework, September 2007–November 2008." Report to Congress.

External links

• Neighbors of the Northwest Branch
• Anacostia Watershed Society - Detailed maps and photos of stream conditions
• Anacostia Watershed Restoration Partnership
• Northwest Branch Trail - Montgomery County Dept. of Parks
• Wheaton Regional Park - Montgomery County Dept. of Parks
• Anacostia Tributary Trail System - Prince George's County Dept. of Parks & Recreation

Potomac River system Cities and towns | Bridges | Islands | Tributaries | Variant names District of Columbia | Maryland | Pennsylvania | Virginia | West Virginia Streams shown as: Major tributaries • subtributaries • (subsubtributaries) • (subsubsubtributaries)

Tidal Potomac River Gulf Branch | Donaldson Run | Maddox Branch | Windy Run | Spout Run | Foundry Branch | Rock Creek | Boundary Channel | Tiber Creek | Rocky Run | Washington Channel | Anacostia River • Pope Branch • Watts Branch • Hickey Run • Northwest Branch • (Sligo Creek) • Northeast Branch • (Paint Branch) | Four Mile Run | Oxon Creek | Hunting Creek • Cameron Run | Broad Creek | Henson Creek | Swan Creek | Piscataway Creek | Little Hunting Creek | Dogue Creek | Accotink Creek • Daniels Run | Pohick Creek | Pomonkey Creek | Occoquan River • Bull Run • Broad Run • Cedar Run | Neabsco Creek | Powells Creek | Mattawoman Creek | Chicamuxen Creek | Quantico Creek | Little Creek | Chopawamsic Creek | Tank Creek | Aquia Creek | Potomac Creek • Accokeek Creek | Nanjemoy Creek | Port Tobacco River | Popes Creek (Maryland) | Gambo Creek | Piccowaxen Creek | Upper Machodoc Creek | Cuckold Creek | Wicomico River | Monroe Creek | Mattox Creek | Popes Creek (Virginia) | St. Marys River | Yeocomico River | Coan River | Hull Creek Upper Potomac River North Branch Potomac River | South Branch Potomac River | Town Creek | Little Cacapon River • North Fork Little Cacapon River • South Fork Little Cacapon River | Fifteenmile Creek | Sideling Hill Creek | Cacapon River • Lost River • Trout Run • Capon Springs Run • Dillons Run • Edwards Run • Mill Branch • North River • (Grassy Lick Run) • (Tearcoat Creek) • (Bearwallow Creek) | Sir Johns Run | Warm Spring Run | Tonoloway Creek • Little Tonoloway Creek | Sleepy Creek • Meadow Branch | Licking Creek | Cherry Run | Back Creek • Hogue Creek • Isaacs Creek • Tilhance Creek | Little Conococheague Creek | Conococheague Creek • Back Creek | Opequon Creek • Abrams Creek • Mill Creek • Middle Creek • Tuscarora Creek (West Virginia) | Antietam Creek | Shenandoah River | Little Catoctin Creek | Catoctin Creek (Virginia) | Catoctin Creek (Maryland) | Tuscarora Creek (Maryland) | Monocacy River • Rock Creek • Marsh Creek • Alloway Creek • Toms Creek • (Middle Creek) • Double Pipe Creek • (Big Pipe Creek) • (Little Pipe Creek) • Owens Creek • Tuscarora Creek • Carroll Creek • Linganore Creek • Israel Creek • Double Pipe Creek • Bush Creek • Ballenger Creek • Bennett Creek | Little Monocacy River | Goose Creek • Little River | Broad Run (Virginia) | Sugarland Run | Broad Run (Maryland) | Seneca Creek • Dry Seneca Creek • Little Seneca Creek • Great Seneca Creek | Difficult Run | Cabin John Creek | Dead Run | Little Falls Branch | Pimmit Run | Rock Run | Watts Branch | Muddy Branch Shenandoah River North Fork Shenandoah River • Cedar Creek • Smith Creek | South Fork Shenandoah River • North River • (Middle River) • South River North Branch Potomac River Stony River | Abram Creek | Savage River | Georges Creek • Laurel Run | New Creek | Limestone Run | Warrior Run | Wills Creek • Brush Creek • Little Wills Creek | Evitts Creek | Patterson Creek • Mill Creek | Dans Run | Green Spring Run South Branch Potomac River North Fork South Branch Potomac River • Mill Creek • Seneca Creek | South Fork South Branch Potomac River • Kettle Creek | Lunice Creek | Mill Run | Mill Creek | Big Run | Buffalo Creek Lakes and reservoirs Lake Accotink | Lake Anne | Lake Artemesia | Lake Bernard Frank | Lake Braddock | Breckenridge Reservoir | Brushy Fork Lake | Burke Lake | Dalecarlia Reservoir | Georgetown Reservoir | Jennings Randolph Lake | Kingman Lake | Little Seneca Lake | McMillan Reservoir | Mount Storm Lake | Lake Needwood | Sleepy Creek Lake | Stony River Reservoir | Tidal Basin | Trout Pond | Warden Lake