• Source: Northwest Branch Anacostia River

Northwest Branch Anacostia River is a 21.5-mile-long (34.6 km) 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.




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, Woodmoor and Takoma Park. The Prince George's County portion of the watershed includes Adelphi, 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.
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.
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). 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 George's 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 0.5 miles (0.80 km) south of the Burnt Mills Dam parks. This area was a favorite spot of Theodore Roosevelt.




Ecology


Several species of native anadromous fish spawn in the Northwest Branch watershed, including alewife (Alosa pseudoharengus) and blueback herring (Alosa aestivalis).




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
Norwood Tributary
Old Orchard Tributary
Rolling Stone Tributary
Sandy Spring Tributary
Sligo Creek
Wheaton Park Tributary




Crossings






See also


List of Maryland rivers
Anacostia Tributary Trails




References






Bibliography


"Northwest Branch Watershed Study" (PDF). Montgomery County Department of Environmental Protection (MCDEP). Rockville, MD. March 17, 1997.
"Countywide Stream Protection Strategy: Northwest Branch Watershed". MCDEP. Retrieved August 30, 2009.
"Anacostia River Watershed Restoration Plan: Interim Report Framework". Anacostia Watershed Restoration Partnership. November 21, 2008. Archived from the original on September 16, 2009. 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
Anacostia, Northwest Branch
Northwest Branch Climbing Sections

Kata Kunci Pencarian:

• Northwest Branch Anacostia River
• Anacostia River
• List of rivers of Maryland
• Northwest Branch
• Northeast Branch Anacostia River
• List of crossings of the Anacostia River
• Anacostia
• Lewisdale, Maryland
• Chillum, Maryland
• Mount Rainier, Maryland