Northwest Branch Anacostia River is a 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 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 , 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 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 . 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
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