The Potomac
River
The Potomac River flows into the
Chesapeake Bay, located along the mid-Atlantic coast of the United
States.
The river is approximately 413
statute miles long, with a drainage area of about 14,700 square miles.
In terms of area, this makes the Potomac River the fourth largest
river along the Atlantic coast of the USA and the 21st largest in the
USA. Over 5 million people live within the Potomac watershed, where
precipitation provides the equivalent of over 2,100 US gallons of
water per person per year.
The river forms part of the borders
between Maryland and Washington, D.C. (the District of Columbia) on
the left bank and between Maryland and West Virginia and Virginia on
the river's right bank.
The entire lower Potomac River is
considered part of Maryland, with the exception of a small tidal
portion within the District of Columbia. Except for a small portion of
its headwaters in West Virginia, the North Branch Potomac River is
considered part of Maryland to the low water mark on the opposite
bank. The South Branch Potomac River lies completely within the state
of West Virginia except for its headwaters, which lie in Virginia.
The Potomac River runs 383 miles from
the Fairfax Stone in West Virginia to Point Lookout, Maryland and
drains 14,679 square miles. The average flow is 4.86 million US
gallons per minute. The largest flow ever recorded on the Potomac at
Washington, D.C. was in March 1936 when it reached 275 billion US
gallons per day . The lowest flow ever recorded at the same location
was 388 million US gallons per day in September 1966.
The river has two sources. The source
of the North Branch is at the Fairfax Stone located at the junction of
Grant, Tucker, Preston counties in West Virginia. The source of the
South Branch is located near Hightown in northern Highland County,
Virginia. The river's two branches converge just east of Green Spring
in Hampshire County, West Virginia to form the Potomac.
Once the Potomac drops from the
Piedmont to the Coastal Plain, tides further influence the river as it
passes through Washington, D.C. and beyond. Salinity in the Potomac
River Estuary increases thereafter with distance downstream. The
estuary also widens, reaching 11 statute miles wide at its mouth,
between Point Lookout, Maryland and Smith Point, Virginia before
flowing into the Chesapeake Bay.
The name Potomac is a European
spelling of an Algonquian name which supposedly means "river of
swans." Other accounts say the name means "place where
people trade" or "the place to which tribute is
brought". The natives called the river above the falls Cohongorooton,
translated as "river of geese", and that area was renowned
in early years for an abundance of both geese and swans. The spelling
of the name has been simplified over the years from Patawomeke
to Patowmack in the 18th century and now Potomac. The river's
name was officially decided upon as Potomac by the Board on Geographic
Names in 1931.
The Potomac River brings together a
variety of cultures throughout the watershed from the coal miners of
upstream West Virginia to the urban residents of the nation's capital
and, along the lower Potomac, the watermen of Virginia's Northern
Neck.
Being situated in an area rich in
American history and American heritage has led to the Potomac being
nicknamed "the Nation's River." George Washington, the first
President of the United States, was born in, surveyed, and spent most
of his life within the Potomac basin. All of Washington, D.C., the
nation's capital city, also lies within the watershed. The 1859 siege
of Harper's Ferry at the river's confluence with the Shenandoah was a
precursor to numerous epic battles of the Civil War in and
around the Potomac and its tributaries. General Robert E. Lee crossed
the river, thereby invading the North and threatening Washington, D.C.
twice in campaigns climaxing in the battles of Antietam and
Gettysburg.
The Patowmack Canal was intended by
George Washington to connect the Tidewater near Georgetown with
Cumberland, Maryland. Started in 1785, it was not completed until
1802. Financial troubles closed the canal in 1830. The Chesapeake and
Ohio Canal operated along the banks of the Potomac in Maryland from
1850 to 1924 and also connected Cumberland to Washington, D.C. This
allowed freight to be transported around the rapids known as the Great
Falls of the Potomac River, as well as many other, smaller rapids.
With increasing mining and
agriculture upstream and urban sewage and runoff downstream, the water
quality of the Potomac River deteriorated. This created conditions of
severe eutrophication. It is said that President Abraham Lincoln used
to escape to the highlands on summer nights to escape the river's
stench. In the 1960s, with dense green algal blooms covering the
river's surface, President Lyndon Johnson declared the river "a
national disgrace" and set in motion a long-term effort to reduce
sewage pollution and restore the beauty and ecology of this historic
river.
By the end of the 20th century, there was notable success, as
massive algal blooms vanished and recreational fishing and boating
rebounded. Still, the aquatic habitat of the Potomac River and its
tributaries remain vulnerable to eutrophication, heavy metals,
pesticides and other toxic chemicals, over-fishing, alien species, and
pathogens associated with fecal coliform bacteria and shellfish
diseases. It was designated as one of the American Heritage Rivers in
1997.
For 400 years Maryland and Virginia
have disputed control of the Potomac and its North Branch, since both
states' original colonial charters grant the entire river rather than
half of it as is normally the case with boundary rivers. In its first
state constitution adopted in 1776, Virginia ceded its claim to the
entire river but reserved free use of it, an act disputed by Maryland.
Both states acceded to the Compact of 1785 and the 1877 Black-Jenkins
Award which grants Maryland the river bank-to-bank from the low water
mark on the Virginia side, while permitting Virginia full riparian
rights short of obstructing navigation.
From 1957 to 1996, the Maryland
Department of the Environment (MDE) routinely issued permits applied
for by Virginia entities concerning use of the Potomac, however, in
1996 the MDE denied a permit applied for by the Fairfax County Water
Authority to build a water intake valve 725 feet offshore, citing
potential harm to Maryland's interests by an increase in Virginia
sprawl caused by the project. After years of failed appeals within the
Maryland government's appeal processes, in 2000 Virginia took the case
to the Supreme Court of the United States, which exercises original
jurisdiction in cases between two states.
Maryland claimed Virginia
lost its riparian rights by acquiescing to MDE's permit process for 63
years (MDE began its permit process in 1933). A Special Master
appointed by the Supreme Court to investigate recommended the case be
settled in favor of Virginia, citing the language in the 1785 Compact
and the 1877 Award. On December 9, 2003, the Court agreed in a 7-2
decision. Virginia v. Maryland, 129 S.Ct. 598.
The original charters are silent as
to which branch from the upper Potomac serves as the boundary, but
this was settled by the 1785 Compact. When West Virginia seceded from
Virginia in 1863, the question of West Virginia's succession in title
to the lands between the branches of the river was raised, as well as
title to the river itself. Claims by Maryland to West Virginia land
north of the South Branch (all of Mineral and Grant Counties and parts
of Hampshire, Hardy, Tucker and Pendleton Counties) and by West
Virginia to the Potomac's high water mark were rejected by the Supreme
Court in two separate decisions in 1910. State of Md. v. State of
W.Va., 217 U.S. 1 State of Md. v. State of W.Va., 217 U.S. 577
The source of the North Branch
Potomac River is at the Fairfax Stone located at the junction of
Grant, Tucker and Preston Counties in West Virginia.
Tributaries are listed in order from
the source of the North Branch Potomac River to its mouth.
- Stony River (West Virginia)
- Abram Creek (West Virginia)
- Savage River (Maryland)
- Georges Creek (Maryland)
- New Creek (West Virginia)
- Limestone Run (West Virginia)
- Wills Creek (Pennsylvania/Maryland)
- Brush Creek (Pennsylvania)
- Little Wills Creek (Pennsylvania)
- Evitts Creek (Maryland)
- Patterson Creek (West Virginia)
- Mill Creek (West Virginia)
- Dans Run (West Virginia)
- Green Spring Run (West Virginia)
The South Branch Potomac River
has its headwaters in northwestern Highland County, Virginia near
Hightown along the eastern edge of the Allegheny Front. The mouth of
the South Branch lies east of Green Spring in Hampshire County, West
Virginia where it meets the North Branch Potomac River to form the
Potomac.
Early pioneer sources claim that the
indigenous American Indians of the region referred to the South Branch
Potomac River as the Wappatomaka. Other variants of this name
throughout the river's history were South Branch of Potowmac River,
South Branch of the Potowmac River, South Fork Potomac River,
Wapacomo River, Wapocomo River, Wappacoma River, Wappatomaka
River, and Wappatomica River.
Places settled in the South Branch
valley bearing variants of "Wappatomaka" include Wappacoma
plantation built in 1773 and the unincorporated hamlet of Wappocomo
(sometimes spelled Wapocomo) at Hanging Rocks, both north of Romney on
West Virginia Route 28.
The exact location of the South
Branch's source is northwest of Hightown along Parkersburg Pike (U.S.
Route 250) on the eastern side of Lantz Mountain (3,934 feet) in
Highland County. From Hightown, the South Branch is a small meandering
stream that flows northeast along Crab Bottom Road through the
communities of New Hampden and Crab Bottom. At Forks of Waters, the
South Branch joins with Strait Creek and flows north across the
Virginia/West Virginia border into Pendleton County.
The river then
travels on a northeastern course along the western side of Jack
Mountain (4,045 feet), followed by Sandy Ridge (2,297 feet) along U.S.
Route 220. North of the confluence of the South Branch with Smith
Creek, the river flows along Town Mountain (2,848 feet) around
Franklin at the junction of U.S. Route 220 and U.S. Route 33.
After
Franklin, the South Branch continues north through the Monongahela
National Forest to Upper Tract where it joins with three sizeable
streams: Reeds Creek, Mill Run, and Deer Run. Between Big Mountain
(2,582 feet) and Cave Mountain (2,821 feet), the South Branch bends
around the Eagle Rock (1,483 feet) outcrop and continues its flow
northward into Grant County. Into Grant, the South Branch follows the
western side of Cave Mountain until its confluence with the North Fork
at Cabins, where it flows east to Petersburg. At Petersburg, the South
Branch is joined with the South Branch Valley Railroad, which it
parallels until its mouth at Green Spring.
In its eastern course from Petersburg
into Hardy County, the South Branch becomes more navigable allowing
for canoes and smaller river vessels. The river splits and forms a
series of large islands while it heads northeast to Moorefield. At
Moorefield, the South Branch is joined by the South Fork South Branch
Potomac River and runs north to Old Fields where it is fed by Anderson
Run and Stony Run.
At McNeill, the South Branch flows into the Trough
where it is bound to its west by Mill Creek Mountain (2,119 feet) and
to its east by Sawmill Ridge (1,644 feet). This area is the habitat to
endangered bald eagles. The Trough passes into Hampshire County and
ends at its confluence with Sawmill Run south of Glebe and Sector.
The
South Branch continues north parallel to South Branch River Road
(County Route 8) toward Romney with a number of historic plantation
farms adjoining it. En route to Romney, the river is fed by Buffalo
Run, Mill Run, McDowell Run, and Mill Creek at Vanderlip. The South
Branch is traversed by the Northwestern Turnpike (U.S. Route
50) and
joined by Sulphur Spring Run where it forms Valley View Island to the
west of town. Flowing north of Romney, the river still follows the
eastern side of Mill Creek Mountain until it creates a horseshoe bend
at Wappocomo's Hanging Rocks around the George W. Washington
plantation, Ridgedale.
To the west of Three Churches on the western
side of South Branch Mountain (3,028 feet), the South Branch creates a
series of bends and flows to the northeast by Springfield through
Blue's Ford. After another horseshoe bend, the South Branch flows
under the old Baltimore and Ohio Railroad mainline between Green
Spring and South Branch Depot, and joins the North Branch to form the
Potomac.
- Big Run (West Virginia)
- Lunice Creek (West Virginia)
- Mill Creek (West Virginia)
- Mill Run (West Virginia)
- North Fork South Branch Potomac River
(West Virginia)
- Mill Creek (West Virginia)
- Seneca Creek (West Virginia)
- South Fork South Branch Potomac River
(West Virginia/Virginia)
- Kettle Creek (West Virginia)
The North Fork South Branch
Potomac River forms just north of the Virginia/West Virginia
border in Pendleton County at the confluence of the Laurel Fork and
Straight Fork along Big Mountain (3,881 feet). From Circleville, the
North Fork flows northeast through Pendleton County between the Fore
Knobs (2,949 feet) to its west and the River Knobs (2,490 feet) to its
east. At Seneca Rocks, the North Fork is met by Seneca Creek. From
Seneca Rocks, the North Fork continues to flow northeast along the
western edge of North Fork Mountain (3,389 feet) into Grant County.
Flowing east through North Fork Gap, the North Fork joins the South
Branch Potomac at the town of Cabins, west of Petersburg.
The South Fork South Branch
Potomac River forms just north of U.S. Route 250 in Highland
County, Virginia near Head Waters and flows 55 miles
north-northeastward to the South Branch Potomac River at Moorefield in
Hardy County, West Virginia. From 1896 to 1929, it was briefly named
the Moorefield River by the Board on Geographic Names to avoid
confusion with the South Branch.
This stretch encompasses the stretch
of the Potomac River from the confluence of the North and South
Branches to the Great Falls of the Potomac River at Great Falls,
Virginia.
Above the fall-line
- North Branch Potomac River
(Maryland/West Virginia)
- South Branch Potomac River (West
Virginia/Virginia)
- Town Creek (Maryland/Pennsylvania)
- Little Cacapon River (West Virginia)
- North Fork Little Cacapon River
(West Virginia)
- South Fork Little Cacapon River
(West Virginia)
- Sideling Hill Creek
(Maryland/Pennsylvania)
- Cacapon River (West Virginia)
- Capon Springs Run (West Virginia)
- Dillons Run (West Virginia)
- Edwards Run (West Virginia)
- Lost River (West Virginia)
- Mill Branch (West Virginia)
- North River (West Virginia)
- Grassy Lick Run (West
Virginia)
- Tearcoat Creek (West
Virginia)
- Bearwallow Creek (West
Virginia)
- Trout Run (West Virginia)
- Sir Johns Run (West Virginia)
- Warm Spring Run (West Virginia)
- Tonoloway Creek
(Maryland/Pennsylvania)
- Sleepy Creek (West Virginia/Virginia)
- Meadow Branch (West Virginia)
- Cherry Run (West Virginia)
- Back Creek (West Virginia/Virginia)
- Hogue Creek (Virginia)
- Isaacs Creek (Virginia)
- Tilhance Creek (West Virginia)
- Conococheague Creek
(Maryland/Pennsylvania)
- Back Creek (Pennsylvania)
- Opequon Creek (West
Virginia/Virginia)
- Middle Creek (West Virginia)
- Mill Creek (West
Virginia/Virginia)
- Tuscarora Creek (West Virginia)
- Antietam Creek
(Pennsylvania/Maryland)
- Shenandoah River (West
Virginia/Virginia)
- North Fork Shenandoah River
(Virginia)
- South Fork Shenandoah River
(Virginia)
- Catoctin Creek (Virginia)
- Catoctin Creek (Maryland)
- Tuscarora Creek (Maryland)
- Monocacy River (Maryland)
- Little Monocacy River (Maryland)
- Goose Creek (Virginia)
- Seneca Creek (Maryland)
- Difficult Run (Virginia)
- Dead Run (Virginia)
- Little Falls Creek (Maryland)
- Pimmit Run (Virginia)
The Tidal or Lower Potomac River lies
below the fall line. This stretch encompasses the Potomac from about
one mile below the Washington, DC - Maryland line, just below the
Little Falls of the Potomac River where the tidal river begins, to the
Chesapeake Bay.
- Donaldson Run (Virginia)
- Windy Run (Virginia)
- Spout Run (Virginia)
- Rock Creek (DC/Maryland)
- Tiber Creek (DC) (paved over)
- Rocky Run (Virginia) (paved over)
- Washington Channel (DC)
- Anacostia River (DC/Maryland)
- Northwest Branch Anacostia River
(Maryland)
- Northeast Branch Anacostia River
(Maryland)
- Four Mile Run (Virginia)
- Piscataway Creek (Maryland)
- Occoquan River (Virginia)
- Bull Run (Virginia)
- Broad Run (Virginia)
- Cedar Run (Virginia)
- Neabsco Creek (Virginia)
- Mattawoman Creek (Maryland)
- Quantico Creek (Virginia)
- Chopawamsic Creek (Virginia)
- Aquia Creek (Virginia)
- Potomac Creek (Virginia)
- Nanjemoy Creek (Maryland)
- Port Tobacco River (Maryland)
- Wicomico River (Maryland)
- Popes Creek (Virginia)
- St. Clements Bay (Maryland)
- Breton Bay (Maryland)
- St. Marys River (Maryland)
- Yeocomico River (Virginia)
- Hull Creek (Virginia)
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potomac_River
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