Potomac River - Wikipedia

Potomac River - Wikipedia
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Coordinates
38°00′00″N
76°20′06″W
 / 
38°N 76.335°W
 /
38; -76.335
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
River in the Mid-Atlantic United States
Potomac River
Great Falls of the Potomac River
in June 2017
The Potomac River watershed covers the District of Columbia and parts of four states.
Native name
Patawomeck
Algonquian languages
Location
Country
United States
State
West Virginia
Maryland
Virginia
District of Columbia
Cities
Cumberland, MD
Harpers Ferry, WV
Washington, DC
Alexandria, VA
Physical characteristics
Source
North Branch
• location
Fairfax Stone
Preston County, West Virginia
• coordinates
39°11′43″N
79°29′28″W
 / 
39.19528°N 79.49111°W
 /
39.19528; -79.49111
• elevation
3,060 ft (930 m)
2nd source
South Branch
• location
Near
Monterey
Highland County, Virginia
• coordinates
38°25′30″N
79°36′27″W
 / 
38.425°N 79.6075°W
 /
38.425; -79.6075
Source confluence
• location
Green Spring, West Virginia
• coordinates
39°31′39″N
78°35′15″W
 / 
39.5275°N 78.5875°W
 /
39.5275; -78.5875
Mouth
Chesapeake Bay
• location
St. Mary's County, Maryland
Northumberland County, Virginia
, United States
• coordinates
38°00′00″N
76°20′06″W
 / 
38°N 76.335°W
 /
38; -76.335
• elevation
0 ft (0 m)
Length
405 mi (652 km)
Basin size
14,700 sq mi (38,000 km
Discharge
• location
Little Falls
, near Washington, D.C. (non-tidal; water years: 1931–2018)
• average
11,498 cu ft/s (325.6 m
/s) (1931–2018)
• minimum
4,017 cu ft/s (113.7 m
/s) (2002)
• maximum
484,000 cu ft/s (13,700 m
/s) (1936)
Discharge
• location
Point of Rocks, Maryland
• average
9,504 cu ft/s (269.1 m
/s)
Discharge
• location
Hancock, Maryland
• average
4,168 cu ft/s (118.0 m
/s)
Discharge
• location
Paw Paw, West Virginia
• average
3,376 cu ft/s (95.6 m
/s)
Basin features
Tributaries
• left
Conococheague Creek
Antietam Creek
Monocacy River
Rock Creek
Anacostia River
Wicomico River
• right
Cacapon River
Shenandoah River
Goose Creek
Occoquan River
Waterfalls
Great Falls
Little Falls
Note:
Since 1996, the Potomac has been the 'sister river' of the
Ara River
of
Tokyo, Japan
The
Potomac River
oʊ
) is in the
Mid-Atlantic region of the United States
and flows from the
Potomac Highlands
in
West Virginia
to
Chesapeake Bay
in
Maryland
. It is 405 miles (652 km) long,
with a
drainage area
of 14,700 square miles (38,000 km
),
and is the fourth-largest river along the
East Coast of the United States
. More than 6 million people live within its
watershed
The river forms part of the borders between Maryland and
Washington, D.C.
, on the left descending bank, and West Virginia and
Virginia
on the right descending bank. 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. All navigable parts of the river were designated as a
National Recreation Trail
in 2006,
and the
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
(NOAA) designated an 18-square-mile (47 km
) portion of the river in
Charles County
, Maryland, as the
Mallows Bay–Potomac River National Marine Sanctuary
in 2019.
The river has significant historical and political significance, as the nation's capital of Washington, D.C. is located on its banks, as is
Mount Vernon
, the home of
George Washington
. During the American Civil War, the river became the boundary between the
Union
and the
Confederacy
, and the Union's largest army, the
Army of the Potomac
, was named after the river.
Course
edit
In
Washington, D.C.
, the Potomac is crossed by the
Arlington Memorial Bridge
The Potomac River runs 405 mi (652 km) from
Fairfax Stone Historical Monument State Park
in West Virginia on the
Allegheny Plateau
to
Point Lookout
, Maryland, and drains 14,679 sq mi (38,020 km
). The length of the river from the junction of its North and South Branches to Point Lookout is 302 mi (486 km).
The river has two sources. The source of the North Branch is at the Fairfax Stone located at the junction of
Grant
Tucker
, and
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. As it flows from its
headwaters
down to the Chesapeake Bay, the Potomac traverses five geological provinces: the
Appalachian Plateau
, the
Ridge and Valley
, the
Blue Ridge
, the
Piedmont Plateau
, and the
Atlantic coastal plain
Once the Potomac drops from the
Piedmont
to the
Coastal Plain
at the
Atlantic Seaboard fall line
at
Little Falls
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 (17 km) wide at its mouth, between Point Lookout, Maryland, and
Smith Point
, Virginia, before flowing into the Chesapeake Bay.
Route map of the Potomac River
from the confluence of its North and South Branches
to the Chesapeake Bay
Legend
North Branch Potomac River
West Virginia
Maryland
South Branch Potomac River
Town Creek
Little Cacapon River
Fifteenmile Creek
Paw Paw Bridge
WV 9
MD 51
Sideling Hill Creek
Cacapon River
Sir Johns Run
Grasshopper Run
Hancock Bridge
US 522
Warm Spring Run
Tonoloway Creek
Sleepy Creek
Licking Creek
Cherry Run
Back Creek
Little Conococheague Creek
Conococheague Creek
Williamsport Pike Bridge
US 11
Maryland Veterans Memorial Bridge
I-81
Opequon Creek
Rumsey (Shepherdstown) Bridge
WV 480
MD 34
Rattlesnake Run
Packhorse Ford
Antietam Creek
″The Needles″ Rapids
Shenandoah River
Potomac Water Gap
between
Blue Ridge Mt
(VA/WV) and
Elk Ridge Mt
(MD)
Harpers Ferry
Whitewater Pool
White Horse Rapids
West Virginia
Virginia
Potomac Water Gap
between
Short Hill Mt
(VA) and
South Mt
(MD)
Sandy Hook Bridge
US 340
Israel Creek
Brunswick Bridge
SR 287
MD 17
Catoctin Creek
Little Catoctin Creek
Catoctin Creek
Potomac Water Gap
between
Furnace Mt
(VA) and
Pine Rock
(MD)
Point of Rocks Bridge
US 15
Heaters Island WMA
(MD)
White's Ford
Nolands Ferry
(historic)
Tuscarora Creek
Cheek's Ford
Monocacy River
Little Monocacy River
Mason Island WMA
(MD)
White's Ferry
SR 655
MD 107
Ball's Bluff
(VA) and
Harrison Island
(MD)
Broad Run
Edwards Ferry
(historic)
Goose Creek
Selden Island
(MD)
Broad Run
Horsepen Creek
Horsepen Branch
McKee-Beshers Wildlife MGT Area
Sharpshin Island
(MD)
Sugarland Run
Old Sugarland Run
Rowsers Ford
Seneca Redstone Quarry
(historic)
Seneca Creek
Seneca Rapids
Blockhouse Point Promontory
Muddy Branch
Nichols Run
Watts Branch
Gladys Island (Potomac River)
(MD)
Cool Spring Branch
Conn's Ferry
(historic)
Conn Island (Potomac River)
(MD)
Limekiln Branch
Aqueduct Dam
(supplies water to the
Washington Aqueduct
[AQU]
Beginning of
Potomac Gorge
Great Falls
Carroll Branch
O-Deck Rapids
Olmsted Island
(formerly Great Falls Island) (MD)
Glade Hill
(boulders and sediment left by the ancestral Potomac River)
[GHL]
Mine Run Branch
Fishladder Rapids
Bear Island
and
Billy Goat Trail
, Section A (Maryland)
Sherwin Island (formerly Cupid's Bower Island)
(MD)
S-Turn Rapids
Rocky Island Rapids
Rocky Island(s) and Hidden Gorge
(MD)
Ruins of
Matildaville
Beginning of
Mather Gorge
Wet Bottom Rapids
Sandy Landing
(boat ramp; take-out only)
Difficult Run
Difficult Run Rapids
Cow Hoof Rock
and Black Pond (site of most recent paleo-falls >30 kya)
[BLK]
(VA)
Offutt Island
(MD)
Offutt Island Rapids
Bullneck Run
Rock Run
Turkey Island
(MD)
Calico Rapids-Yellow Rapids
Scott's Run
Scott's Run Nature Preserve
Stubblefield Rapids
and
Knickpoint
(paleo falls ~200 kya)
End of
Mather Gorge
American Legion/Cabin John Bridge
I-495
Capital Beltway
Plummers Island
(MD)
Plummers Island Thrust Fault (inactive)
[PIF]
Dead Run
Dead Run Rapids
Turkey Run (Potomac River)
Cabin John Creek
Minnehaha Branch
Sycamore Island
(MD)
Little Falls Dam
and
Dalecarlia Reservoir
High Island
Little Falls
Little Falls Branch
Maryland
District of Columbia
Western boundary of the
Atlantic Seaboard fall line
; Potomac Estuary begins
[PES]
Chain Bridge
SR 123
and
Canal Road
Clara Barton Pkwy
Pimmit Run
Gulf Branch
Donaldson Run
Windy Run
Spout Run
Maddox Branch
Three Sisters Island
Foundry Branch
Ruins of Aqueduct Bridge
Francis Scott Key Bridge
US 29
Rock Creek
End of
Potomac Gorge
Limit of navigation; Eastern boundary of the
Atlantic Seaboard fall line
Theodore Roosevelt Island
[TRI]
(DC)
Theodore Roosevelt Bridge
I-66
US 50
Rocky Run
(paved over)
Columbia Island
(DC)
Arlington Memorial Bridge
Tidal Basin
and
Washington Channel
George Mason Memorial Bridge
I-395
south /
US 1
south
Rochambeau Memorial Bridge
I-395
HOV
US 1
Arland D. Williams Jr. Memorial Bridge
I-395
north /
US 1
north
Roaches Run Waterfowl Sanctuary
Tiber Creek
(paved over)
Hains Point
Anacostia River
Four Mile Run
Oxon Creek
District of Columbia
Maryland
Woodrow Wilson Bridge
I-95
I-495
Capital Beltway
Jones Point Light
Hunting Creek
Dyke Marsh Wildlife Preserve
Broad Creek
Henson Creek
Swan Creek
Piscataway Creek
Little Hunting Creek
Mount Vernon Estate
Dogue Creek
Accotink Creek
Pohick Creek
Pomonkey Creek
Mason Neck Wildlife Refuge
Occoquan River
Featherstone National Wildlife Refuge
Neabsco Creek
Powells Creek
Mattawoman Creek
Chicamuxen Creek
Quantico Creek
Chopawamsic Island
(VA)
Chopawamsic Creek
Tank Creek
Aquia Creek
Crow's Nest Natural Area Preserve
Potomac Creek
Nanjemoy Creek
Chotank Creek
Port Tobacco River
Popes Creek
Gambo Creek
Clifton Creek
Governor Harry W. Nice Memorial Bridge
US 301
Piccowaxen Creek
Upper Machodoc Creek
Wicomico River
Cobb Island
(MD)
St. Clement's Island
(MD)
Monroe Creek
Mattox Creek
Popes Creek
St. Marys River
Yeocomico River
Coan River
Hull Creek
Point Lookout Light
Smith Point Light
Debouchment
of the Potomac Estuary
Chesapeake Bay
North Branch Potomac River
edit
Main article:
North Branch Potomac River
The North Branch between
Cumberland, Maryland
, and
Ridgeley, West Virginia
, in 2007
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. From the Fairfax Stone, the North Branch Potomac River flows 27 mi (43 km) to the man-made
Jennings Randolph Lake
, an
impoundment
designed for flood control and emergency water supply. Below the dam, the North Branch cuts a serpentine path through the eastern Allegheny Mountains. First, it flows northeast by the communities of
Bloomington
Luke
, and
Westernport
in Maryland and then on by
Keyser
, West Virginia to
Cumberland
, Maryland. At Cumberland, the river turns southeast. 103 miles (166 km) downstream from its source,
the North Branch is joined by the South Branch between
Green Spring
and South Branch Depot, West Virginia from whence it flows past
Hancock
, Maryland and turns southeast once more on its way toward
Washington, D.C.
, and the
Chesapeake Bay
South Branch Potomac River
edit
Main article:
South Branch Potomac River
The South Branch's source is northwest of Hightown along
U.S. Route 250
on the eastern side of Lantz Mountain (3,934 ft) in Highland County, Virginia. From Hightown, the South Branch is a small meandering
stream
that flows northeast along Blue Grass Valley Road through the communities of
New Hampden
and
Blue Grass
. 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 ft), followed by Sandy Ridge (2,297 ft) along
U.S. Route 220
. North of the confluence of the South Branch with Smith Creek, the river flows along Town Mountain (2,848 ft) 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 ft) and Cave Mountain (2,821 ft), the South Branch bends around the Eagle Rock (1,483 ft) outcrop and continues its flow northward into
Grant County
. Into Grant, the South Branch follows the western side of Cave Mountain through the 20-mile (32 km) long
Smoke Hole Canyon
, until its confluence with the
North Fork
at
Cabins
, where it flows east to
Petersburg
. At Petersburg, the
South Branch Valley Railroad
begins, which parallels the river 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 ft) and to its east by Sawmill Ridge (1,644 ft). This area is the habitat to
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 (923 m), the South Branch creates a series of bends and flows to the northeast by
Springfield
through Blue's Ford. After two additional horseshoe bends (meanders), 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.
Upper Potomac River
edit
This stretch encompasses the section of the Potomac River from the
confluence
of its North and South Branches through
Opequon Creek
near
Shepherdstown, West Virginia
Along the way the following tributaries drain into the Potomac:
North Branch Potomac River
South Branch Potomac River
Town Creek
Little Cacapon River
Sideling Hill Creek
Cacapon River
Sir Johns Run
Warm Spring Run
Tonoloway Creek
Fifteenmile Creek
Sleepy Creek
Cherry Run
Back Creek
Conococheague Creek
, and
Opequon Creek
Lower Potomac River
edit
Confluence of the Potomac and Shenandoah at Harpers Ferry
This section covers the Potomac from just above Harpers Ferry in West Virginia down to Little Falls, Maryland on the border between Maryland and Washington, DC. Along the way the following tributaries drain into the Potomac:
Antietam Creek
Shenandoah River
Catoctin Creek (Virginia)
Catoctin Creek (Maryland)
Tuscarora Creek
Monocacy River
Little Monocacy River
Broad Run
Goose Creek
Broad Run
, Horsepen Branch,
Little Seneca Creek
Tenmile Creek
Great Seneca Creek
, Old Sugarland Run,
Muddy Branch
, Nichols Run,
Watts Branch
, Limekiln Branch, Carroll Branch, Pond Run, Clarks Branch, Mine Run Branch,
Difficult Run
, Bullneck Run,
Rock Run
, Scott Run, Dead Run, Turkey Run,
Cabin John Creek
, Minnehaha Branch, and
Little Falls Branch
Tidal Potomac River
edit
View southwest across the tidal Potomac River from the south end of
Cobb Island Road
on
Cobb Island
Charles County, Maryland
The Tidal Potomac River lies below the
Fall Line
. This 108-mile (174-km) stretch encompasses the Potomac from a short distance below the
Washington, DC
Montgomery County
line, just downstream of the
Little Falls of the Potomac River
, to the
Chesapeake Bay
10
Along the way the following tributaries drain into the Potomac:
Pimmit Run
Gulf Branch
Donaldson Run
Windy Run
Spout Run
Maddox Branch
Foundry Branch
Rock Creek
, Rocky Run,
Tiber Creek
, Roaches Run,
Washington Channel
Anacostia River
Four Mile Run
Oxon Creek
Hunting Creek
Broad Creek
, Henson Creek, Swan Creek,
Piscataway Creek
Little Hunting Creek
Dogue Creek
Accotink Creek
Pohick Creek
Pomonkey Creek
Occoquan River
Neabsco Creek
Powell's Creek
Mattawoman Creek
Chicamuxen Creek
Quantico Creek
Little Creek
Chopawamsic Creek
Tank Creek
Aquia Creek
Potomac Creek
Nanjemoy Creek
Chotank Creek
Port Tobacco River
Popes Creek
Gambo Creek
Clifton Creek
Piccowaxen Creek
Upper Machodoc Creek
Wicomico River
Cobb Island
Monroe Creek
Mattox Creek
Popes Creek
Breton Bay, Leonardtown
St. Marys River
Yeocomico River
Coan River
, and
Hull Creek
History
edit
Natural history
edit
The river itself is at least 3.5 million years old,
11
likely extending back ten to twenty million years before the present when the Atlantic Ocean lowered and exposed coastal sediments along the fall line. This included the area at Great Falls, which eroded into its present form during recent glaciation periods.
12
The
stream gradient
of the entire river is 0.14%, a drop of 930 m over 652 km.
Human history
edit
Captain John Smith's 1608 map
The Potomac River has long been inhabited by Native Americans, including being the periphery of the Delaware
Adena culture
13
Precontact, the region was governed by the
Algonquian
Piscataway confederacy
and their
allies
as warfare in the region increased. This led to the formation of a more complex political system led by the Tayac with countless
Werowances
governing local affairs. Their confederacy fractured precontact into smaller werowancies and alliances as power shifted south to the
Powhatan confederacy
14
"Potomac" is a European spelling of
Patawomeck
, the
Algonquian
name of a Native American village on its southern bank.
15
Native Americans had different names for different parts of the river, calling the river above
Great Falls
Cohongarooton
, meaning "honking geese"
16
17
and "Patawomke" below the Falls, meaning "river of swans".
18
In 1608, Captain John Smith explored the river now known as the Potomac and made drawings of his observations which were later compiled into a map and published in London in 1612. This detail from that map shows his rendition of the river that the local tribes had told him was called the "Patawomeck". The spelling of the name has taken many forms over the years from "
Patawomeck
" (as on
Captain John Smith
's map) to "Patomake", "Patowmack", and numerous other variations in the 18th century and now "Potomac".
17
The river's name was officially decided upon as "Potomac" by the
Board on Geographic Names
in 1931.
19
The similarity of the name to the Ancient Greek word for river,
potamos
, has been noted for more than two centuries but it appears to be
due to chance
20
21
22
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.
Civil War Era
Confederate troops crossing the fords of the Potomac in early September 1862 for the invasion of Maryland, which would culminate in the
Battle of Antietam
(print of a wood carving based on a drawing by
Thomas Nast
; first published in the September 27, 1862, edition of
Harper's Weekly
Union soldiers manning the Lower Battery at the north end of Chain Bridge in 1862
Union soldiers on the Potomac River across from
Georgetown University
in 1861
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. There is an apocryphal legend that Washington threw a silver dollar all the way across the river as a youth (even though the first silver dollar wasn't minted until five years before Washington's death).
23
All of Washington, D.C., the nation's
capital city
, also lies within the watershed. The First United States Congress by act of July 16, 1790 stated that the nation's capital was to be located on the river.
24
The 1859 siege of
Harper's Ferry
at the river's
confluence
with the
Shenandoah
was a precursor to numerous epic battles of the
American Civil War
in and around the Potomac and its tributaries, such as the 1861
Battle of Ball's Bluff
and the 1862
Battle of Shepherdstown
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
(September 17, 1862) and
Gettysburg
(July 1–3, 1863). Confederate General
Jubal Early
crossed the river in July 1864 on his attempted raid on the nation's capital. The river not only divided the Union from the Confederacy, but also gave name to the Union's largest army, the
Army of the Potomac
25
The
Patowmack Canal
was intended by George Washington to connect the
Tidewater region
near
Georgetown
with
Cumberland
, Maryland. Started in 1785 on the Virginia side of the river, it was not completed until 1802. Financial troubles led to the closure of the
canal
in 1830. The
Chesapeake and Ohio Canal
operated along the banks of the Potomac in Maryland from 1831 to 1924 and also connected Cumberland to Washington, D.C.
26
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.
See also:
Attempts to make the Potomac River navigable
Washington, D.C. began using the Potomac as its principal source of
drinking water
with the opening of the
Washington Aqueduct
in 1864, using a
water intake
constructed at Great Falls.
27
28
Hydrology
edit
Water supply and water quality
edit
An average of approximately 486 million US gallons (1,840,000 m
) of water is
withdrawn daily from the Potomac in the Washington area
for
water supply
, providing about 78 percent of the region's total water usage, this amount includes approximately 80 percent of the drinking water consumed by the region's estimated 6.1 million residents.
29
The Potomac River surges over the deck of
Chain Bridge
during the
historic 1936 flood
. The bridge was so severely damaged by the raging water, and the debris it carried, that its superstructure had to be re-built; the new bridge was opened to traffic in 1939. (This photograph was taken from a vantage point on
Glebe Road
in Arlington County, Virginia. The houses on the bluffs in the background are located on the
Potomac Palisades
of Washington, DC.)
As a result of damaging floods in 1936 and 1937,
30
the
Army Corps of Engineers
proposed the
Potomac River basin reservoir projects
, a series of dams that were intended to regulate the river and to provide a more reliable water supply. One dam was to be built at Little Falls, just north of Washington, backing its pool up to Great Falls. Just above Great Falls, the much larger
Seneca Dam
was proposed whose reservoir would extend to Harpers Ferry.
31
Several other dams were proposed for the Potomac and its tributaries.
Dams on the Potomac River
Operational
Little Falls Dam (Potomac River)
aka Brookmont Dam (at C&O Canal milepost 5.6, upstream of Chain Bridge)
Potomac Aqueduct Dam
(at C&O Canal milepost 17.5, upstream of Great Falls)
C&O Feeder Dam No. 4
(at C&O Canal milepost 84, downstream of Williamsport, MD)
Honeywood Dam
aka C&O Feeder Dam No. 5 (at C&O Canal milepost 106, upstream of Williamsport, MD)
Cumberland Dam
aka Feeder Dam No. 8 (on North Branch of Potomac River, 40 miles downstream of Fairfax Stone)
Jennings Randolph Dam
(on North Branch of the Potomac River, 27 miles downstream of Fairfax Stone)
Non-Operational
C&O Feeder Dam No. 1
(C&O Canal milepost 5.6, upstream of Chain Bridge near Lock 6; associated with
Little Falls Skirting Canal
[1]
Seneca Dam
aka C&O Feeder Dam No. 2 (at C&O Canal milepost 22, near Violette's Lock)
Armory Dam
aka C&O Feeder Dam No. 3 (at C&O Canal milepost 62, upstream of Harpers Ferry, WV)
32
C&O Feeder Dam No. 6
Archived
August 31, 2020, at the
Wayback Machine
(at C&O Canal milepost 134, west of Hancock, MD)
33
Planned, but never built
C&O Feeder Dam No. 7 and Guard Lock No. 7 were proposed to be located near milepost 164, close to the mouth of the South Branch of the Potomac, but were never built due to financial considerations.
34
When detailed studies were issued by the Corps in the 1950s, they met sustained opposition, led by
U.S. Supreme Court
Justice
William O. Douglas
, resulting in the plans' abandonment.
35
The only dam project that did get built was
Jennings Randolph Lake
on the North Branch.
36
The Corps built a supplementary water intake for the Washington Aqueduct at Little Falls in 1959.
37
In 1940
Congress
passed a law authorizing the creation of an
interstate compact
to coordinate water quality management among states in the Potomac basin. Maryland, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and the District of Columbia agreed to establish the
Interstate Commission on the Potomac River Basin
. The compact was amended in 1970 to include coordination of water supply issues and land use issues related to water quality.
38
Eutrophication
in the Potomac River is evident from this bright green water in Washington, D.C., caused by a dense bloom of
cyanobacteria
, April 2012.
Beginning in the 19th century, 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
pollution
from
sewage
and restore the beauty and ecology of this historic river. One of the significant pollution control projects at the time was the expansion of the
Blue Plains Advanced Wastewater Treatment Plant
, which serves Washington and several surrounding communities.
39
Enactment of the 1972
Clean Water Act
led to construction or expansion of additional
sewage treatment
plants in the Potomac watershed. Controls on
phosphorus
, one of the principal contributors to eutrophication, were implemented in the 1980s, through sewage plant upgrades and restrictions on phosphorus in detergents.
38
By the end of the 20th century, notable success had been achieved, 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. In 2005 two federal agencies, the
US Geological Survey
and the
Fish and Wildlife Service
, began to identify fish in the Potomac and tributaries that exhibited "intersex" characteristics, as a result of
endocrine disruption
caused by some form of pollution.
40
On November 13, 2007, the Potomac Conservancy, an environmental group, issued the river a grade of "D-plus", citing high levels of pollution and the reports of "
intersex
" fish.
41
Since then, the river has improved with a reduction in nutrient runoff, return of fish populations, and land protection along the river. As a result, the group has issued a grade of "B" since 2018.
42
43
In March 2019, the
Potomac Riverkeeper Network
launched a laboratory boat dubbed the "Sea Dog", which will be monitoring water quality in the Potomac and providing reports to the public on a weekly basis;
44
in that same month, the catching near
Fletcher's Boat House
of a
Striped Bass
estimated to weigh 35 lb (16 kg) was seen as a further indicator of the continuing improvement in the health of the river.
45
On January 19, 2026, a large sewage pipe, the
Potomac Interceptor
, ruptured near Lock 10 of the C&O Canal and the
Clara Barton Parkway
, causing a
spill of 300 million gallons
into the river. (The interceptor sewer originates in the Virginia and Maryland suburbs. One section of the system runs in a reinforced concrete pipe next to the canal, and transports wastewater to the
Blue Plains Advanced Wastewater Treatment Plant
in Washington.
46
47
) The contamination from the spill is thousands of times higher than what is considered safe for human use. Work has been done to redirect the sewage into a contained part of the canal.
48
49
Top Ten Historic Crests of the Potomac River, 1877–2017
Kitzmiller
Hancock
Williamsport
Shepherdstown
Harpers Ferry
Point of Rocks
Little Falls
Georgetown
Source:
National Weather Service
Discharge
edit
This chart displays the Annual Mean Discharge of the Potomac River measured at Little Falls, Maryland for Water Years 1931–2017 (in cubic feet per second). Source of data: USGS.
The average daily flow during the
water years
1931–2018 was 11,498 cubic feet (325.6 m
) /s.
The highest average daily flow ever recorded on the Potomac at
Little Falls, Maryland
(near Washington, D.C.), was in March 1936 when it reached 426,000 cubic feet (12,100 m
) /s.
The lowest average daily flow ever recorded at the same location was 601.0 cubic feet (17.02 m
) /s in September 1966
The highest crest of the Potomac ever registered at Little Falls was 28.10 ft, on March 19, 1936;
50
30
however, the most damaging flood to affect Washington, DC and its metropolitan area was that of October 1942.
51
Legal issues
edit
Boundary between Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia at Harpers Ferry
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 1785
Mount Vernon Compact
and the 1877 Black-Jenkins Award which granted 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 the use of the Potomac. However, in 1996 the MDE denied a permit submitted by the
Fairfax County Water Authority
to build a water intake 725 feet (221 m) 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.
52
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.
53
54
Fauna
edit
Fish
edit
After an absence lasting many decades, the American Shad has recently returned to the Potomac.
A variety of fish inhabit the Potomac, including
bass
muskellunge
pike
walleye
. The
northern snakehead
, an invasive species resembling the native
bowfin
lamprey
, and
American eel
, was first seen in 2004.
55
56
Many species of
sunfish
are also present in the Potomac and its headwaters.
57
Although rare,
bull sharks
can be found.
58
After having been depressed for many decades, the river's population of
American shad
is currently re-bounding as a result of the
ICPRB
's successful "American Shad Restoration Project" that was begun in 1995. In addition to stocking the river with more than 22 million shad fry, the Project supervised the construction of a fishway that was built to facilitate the passage of adults around the Little Falls Dam on the way to their traditional spawning grounds upstream.
59
Freshwater fish of the Potomac River
Bowfin (
Amiidae
edit
Bowfin
Amia calva
Catfishes (
Ictaluridae
edit
White bullhead catfish
Ameiurus catus
Yellow bullhead catfish
Ameiurus natalis
Brown bullhead catfish
Ameiurus nebulosus
Channel catfish
Ictalurus punctatus
Tadpole madtom
Noturus gyrinus
Margined madtom
Noturus insignis
Blue catfish
Ictalurus furcatus
Flathead catfish
Pylodictis olivaris
Eels (
Anguillidae
edit
American eel
Anguilla rostrata
Gars (
Lepisosteidae
edit
Longnose gar
Lepisosteus osseus
Herrings (
Clupeidae
edit
Blueback herring
Alosa aestivalis
Hickory shad
Alosa mediocris
Alewife
Alosa pseudoharengus
American shad
Alosa sapidissima
Gizzard shad
Dorosoma cepedianum
Threadfin shad
Dorosoma petenense
Killifishes (
Fundulidae
edit
Banded killifish
Fundulus diaphanus
Mummichog killifish
Fundulus heteroclitus
Spotfin killifish
Fundulus luciae
Striped killifish
Fundulus majalis
Rainwater killifish
Lucania parva
Pupfish (
Cyprinodontidae
edit
Sheepshead minnow
Cyprinodon variegatus
Lampreys (
Petromyzontidae
edit
Least brook lamprey
Lampetra aepyptera
American brook lamprey
Lampetra appendix
Sea lamprey
Petromyzon marinus
Minnows (
Cyprinidae
edit
Central stoneroller
Campostoma anomalum
Goldfish
Carassius auratus
Redside dace
Clinostomus elongatus
Rosyside dace
Clinostomus funduloides
Grass carp
Ctenopharyngodon idella
Satinfin shiner
Cyprinella analostana
Spotfin shiner
Cyprinella spiloptera
Common carp
Cyprinus carpio
Cutlips minnow
Exoglossum maxillingua
Eastern silvery minnow
Hybognathus regius
Striped shiner
Luxilus chrysocephalus
Common shiner
Luxilus cornutus
Allegheny pearl dace
Margariscus margarita
River chub
Nocomis micropogon
Golden shiner
Notemigonus crysoleucas
Comely shiner
Notropis amoenus
Emerald shiner
Notropis atherinoides
Bridle shiner
Notropis bifrenatus
Silverjaw minnow
Notropis buccatus
Ironcolor shiner
Notropis chalybaeus
Spottail shiner
Notropis hudsonius
Swallowtail shiner
Notropis procne
Rosyface shiner
Notropis rubellus
Bluntnose minnow
Pimephales notatus
Fathead minnow
Pimephales promelas
Eastern blacknose dace
Rhinichthys atratulus
Longnose dace
Rhinichthys cataractae
Creek chub
Semotilus atromaculatus
Fallfish
Semotilus corporalis
Bluehead chub
Nocomis leptocephalus
Mimic shiner
Notropis volucellus
Mudminnows (
Umbridae
edit
Eastern mudminnow
Umbra pygmaea
Perches (
Percidae
edit
Greenside darter
Etheostoma blennioides
Rainbow darter
Etheostoma caeruleum
Fantail darter
Etheostoma flabellare
Swamp darter
Etheostoma fusiforme
Johnny darter
Etheostoma nigrum
Tessellated darter
Etheostoma olmstedi
Glassy darter
Etheostoma vitreum
Banded darter
Etheostoma zonale
Yellow perch
Perca flavescens
Common logperch
Percina caprodes
Stripeback darter
Percina notogramma
Shield darter
Percina peltata
Walleye
Sander vitreum
Percopsids (
Percopsidae
edit
Trout-perch
Percopsis omiscomaycus
Pikes (
Esocidae
edit
Redfin pickerel
Esox americanus
Northern pike
Esox lucius
Muskellunge
Esox masquinongy
Chain pickerel
Esox niger
Pirate perch (
Aphredoderidae
edit
Pirate perch
Aphredoderus sayanus
Poeciliids (
Poeciliidae
edit
Eastern mosquitofish
Gambusia holbrooki
Guppy
Poecilia reticulata
Pupfish (
Cyprinodontidae
edit
Sheepshead minnow
Cyprinodon variegatus
Sculpins (
Cottidae
edit
Mottled sculpin
Cottus bairdii
Blue Ridge sculpin
Cottus caeruleomentum
Potomac sculpin
Cottus girardi
Silversides (
Atherinopsidae
edit
Inland silverside
Menidia beryllina
Smelts (
Osmeridae
edit
Rainbow smelt
Osmerus mordax
Snakeheads (
Channidae
edit
Northern snakehead
Channa argus
Sturgeons (
Acipenseridae
edit
Shortnose sturgeon
Acipenser brevirostrum
Atlantic sturgeon
Acipenser oxyrhinchus
Suckers (
Catostomidae
edit
Quillback
Carpiodes cyprinus
White sucker
Catostomus commersoni
Creek chubsucker
Erimyzon oblongus
Northern hogsucker
Hypentelium nigricans
Golden redhorse
Moxostoma erythrurum
Shorthead redhorse
Moxostoma macrolepidotum
Torrent sucker
Thoburnia rhothoeca
Sunfishes (
Centrarchidae
edit
Mud sunfish
Acantharcus pomotis
Rock bass
Amblopites rupestris
Flier sunfish
Centrarchus macropterus
Blackbanded sunfish
Enneacanthus chaetodon
Bluespotted sunfish
Enneacanthus gloriosus
Banded sunfish
Enneacanthus obesus
Redbreast sunfish
Lepomis auritus
Green sunfish
Lepomis cyanellus
Pumpkinseed sunfish
Lepomis gibbosus
Warmouth sunfish
Lepomis gulosus
Bluegill sunfish
Lepomis macrochirus
Longear sunfish
Lepomis megalotis
Redear sunfish
Lepomis microlophus
Smallmouth bass
Micropterus dolomieu
Largemouth bass
Micropterus salmoides
White crappie
Pomoxis annularis
Black crappie
Pomoxis nigromaculatus
Temperate basses (
Moronidae
edit
White perch
Morone americana
Striped bass
Morone saxatilis
Trout and whitefish (
Salmonidae
edit
Rainbow trout
Oncorhynchus mykiss
Brown trout
Salmo trutta
*denotes naturalized species;
Sources:
Dnr.state.md: Fish key of native species
Tidal freshwater fish of the Potomac River
Mullets (
Mugilidae
edit
Striped mullet
Mugil cephalus
Drums (
Sciaenidae
edit
Spot
Leiostomus xanthurus
Spotted seatrout
Cynoscion nebulosus
Atlantic Croaker
Micropogonias undulatus
Red drum
Sciaenops ocellata
Soles (
Soleidae
edit
Hogchoker
Trinectes maculatus
Sharks (
Carcharhinidae
edit
Bull shark
Carcharhinus leucas
Sources:
Dnr.state.md: Fish key of native species
Mammals
edit
Several hundred bottle-nosed dolphins live six months of the year (from mid-April through mid-October) in the Potomac. Depicted here, a mother with her young.
Mammals of the Potomac River Basin
Bats
Little brown bat
Myotis lucifugus
Indiana bat
Myotis sodalis
Eastern small-footed bat
Myotis leibii
Northern long-eared bat
Myotis septentrionalis
Silver-haired bat
Lasionycteris noctivagans
Tricolored bat
Perimyotis subflavus
Big brown bat
Eptesicus fuscus
Red bat
Lasiurus borealis
Hoary bat
Lasiurus cinereus
Evening bat
Nycticeius humeralis
Bears
American black bear
Ursus americanus
Beavers
American beaver
Castor canadensis
Cats
Bobcat
Lynx rufus
Cougar
Puma concolor
extirpated
Eastern cougar
P. c. couguar
extinct
Canids
Red fox
Vulpes vulpes
Gray fox
Urocyon cinereoargenteus
Coyote
Canis latrans
Gray wolf
Canis lupus
extirpated
Red wolf
Canis rufus
extirpated
Ungulates
Sika deer
Cervus nippon
Elk
Cervus canadensis
reintroduced
Eastern elk
C. c. canadensis
extinct
Rocky Mountain elk
C. c. canadensis
introduced
White-tailed deer
Odocoileus virginianus
American bison
Bison bison
extirpated
Jumping mice
Meadow jumping mouse
Zapus hudsonius
Woodland jumping mouse
Napaeozapus insignis
Lemmings
Southern bog lemming
Synaptomys cooperi
Marine Mammals
Bottlenose dolphin
Tursiops truncatus
Moles
Hairy-tailed mole
Parascalops breweri
Eastern mole
Scalopus aquaticus
Southeastern star-nosed mole
Condylura cristata parva
Muskrats
Muskrat
Ondatra zibethicus
New World Mice and Rats
Marsh rice rat
Oryzomys palustris
Deer mouse
Peromyscus maniculatus
White-footed deer mouse
Peromyscus leucopus
Allegheny woodrat
Neotoma magister
Nutria
Nutria
Myocastor coypus
Old World mice and rats
Black rat
Rattus rattus
Norway rat
Rattus norvegicus
House mouse
Mus musculus
Opossums
Virginia opossum
Didelphis virginiana
Porcupines
Porcupine
Erethizon dorsatum
Rabbits and Hares
Eastern cottontail
Sylvilagus floridanus
Appalachian cottontail
Sylvilagus obscurus
Raccoons
Raccoon
Procyon lotor
Shrews
Masked shrew
Sorex cinereus
Southeastern shrew
Sorex longirostris
Southern water shrew
Sorex palustris punctulatus
Smoky shrew
Sorex fumeus
Long-tailed shrew
Sorex dispar
Southern pygmy shrew
Sorex hoyi winnemana
Northern short-tailed shrew
Blarina brevicauda
Least shrew
Cryptotis parva
Skunks
Eastern spotted skunk
Spilogale putorius
Striped skunk
Mephitis mephitis
Squirrels and chipmunks
Eastern chipmunk
Tamias striatus
Groundhog
(aka Woodchuck)
Marmota monax
Eastern gray squirrel
Sciurus carolinensis
Eastern fox squirrel
Sciurus niger
Delmarva fox squirrel
S. n. cinereus
Red squirrel
Tamiasciurus hudsonicus
Southern flying squirrel
Glaucomys volans
Voles
Southern red-backed vole
Clethrionomys gapperi
Meadow vole
Microtus pennsylvanicus
Southern rock vole
Microtus chrotorrhinus carolinensis
Woodland vole
Microtus pinetorum
Mustelids
Fisher
Pekania pennanti
Least weasel
Mustela nivalis
American ermine
Mustela richardsonii
Long-tailed weasel
Neogale frenata
American mink
Neogale vison
Northern river otter
Lontra canadensis
*denotes introduced species
Sources:
Mammals of Maryland
Maryland Department of Natural Resources
. Retrieved February 8, 2018.]
Wildlife Information
Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources
. Retrieved July 4, 2020.
Mammals of West Virginia: A Field Checklist
(2001);
West Virginia Division of Natural Resources
, Wildlife Resources Section. Retrieved February 8, 2018.]
Early European colonists who settled along the Potomac found a diversity of large and small mammals living in the dense forests nearby.
Bison
elk
, wolves (both
gray
and
red
) and
cougars
were still present at that time, but had been hunted to extirpation by the middle of the 19th century. Among the denizens of the Potomac's banks, beavers and otters met a similar fate, while small populations of American mink and American martens survived into the 20th century in some secluded areas.
There is no record of early settlers having observed marine mammals in the Potomac, but several sightings of
Atlantic bottle-nosed dolphins
Tursiops truncatus
) were reported during the 19th century. In July 1844, a pod of 14 adults and young was followed up the river by men in boats as high as the
Aqueduct Bridge
(approximately the same location occupied by
Key Bridge
today).
60
Since 2015, perhaps as a result of warmer temperatures, rising water levels in the Chesapeake Bay and improving water quality in the Potomac, unprecedented numbers of Atlantic bottle-nosed dolphins have been observed in the river. According to Dr. Janet Mann of Georgetown University's
Potomac-Chesapeake Dolphin Project
, more than 500 individual members of the species have been identified in the Potomac during this period.
61
Birds
edit
Birds of the Potomac River Basin
Reptiles
edit
Eastern box turtles
are frequently spotted along the towpath of the C&O Canal.
Turtles of the Potomac River Basin
Bog (=Muhlenberg) turtle
Glyptemys (=Clemmys) muhlenbergii
Chinese softshell turtle
Pelodiscus sinensis
Coastal plain cooter
Pseudemys concinna floridana
Cumberland slider
Trachemys scripta troostii
Eastern box turtle
Terrapene carolina carolina
Eastern chicken turtle
Deirochelys reticularia reticularia
Eastern mud turtle
Kinosternon subrubrum subrubrum
Eastern musk turtle
Sternotherus odoratus
Eastern painted turtle
Chrysemys picta picta
Eastern river cooter
Pseudemys concinna concinna
Eastern spiny softshell turtle
Apalone spinifera spinifera
Green sea turtle
Chelonia mydas
Gulf Coast spiny softshell turtle
Apalone spinifera aspera
Hawksbill sea turtle
Eretmochelys imbricata
Kemp's ridley sea turtle
Lepidochelys kempii
Leatherback sea turtle
Dermochelys coriacea
Loggerhead sea turtle
Caretta caretta
Mississippi map turtle
Graptemys pseudogeographica kohnii
Northern map turtle
Graptemys geographica
Northern diamond-backed terrapin
Malaclemys terrapin terrapin
Northern red-bellied cooter
Pseudemys rubriventris
Red-eared slider
Trachemys scripta elegans
Snapping turtle
Chelydra serpentina
Spotted turtle
Clemmys guttata
Striped mud turtle
Kinosternon baurii
Stripe-necked musk turtle
Sternotherus minor peltifer
Wood turtle
Glyptemys insculpta
Yellow-bellied slider
Trachemys scripta scripta
*denotes naturalized species
Sources:
Snakes of the Potomac River basin
Northern copperhead
Agkistrodon contortrix mokasen
Timber rattlesnake
Crotalus horridus
Northern watersnake
Nerodia sipedon sipedon
Red-bellied watersnake
Nerodia erythrogaster erythrogaster
Queen snake
Regina septemvittata
Eastern smooth earthsnake
Virginia valeriae valeriae
Mountain earthsnake
Virginia valeriae pulchra
Northern brown snake
Storeria dekayi dekayi
Northern Red-bellied Snake
Storeria occipitomaculata occipitomaculata
Eastern garter snake
Thamnophis sirtalis sirtalis
Common ribbonsnake
Thamnophis sauritus sauritus
Southern ring-necked snake
Diadophis punctatus punctatus
Northern ring-necked snake
Diadophis punctatus edwardsi
Eastern worm snake
Carphophis amoenus amoenus
Smooth green snake
Opheodrys vernalis
Northern rough greensnake
Opheodrys aestivus aestivus
Eastern hog-nosed snake
Heterodon platirhinos
Rainbow snake
Farancia erytrogramma erytrogramma
Northern Black Racer
Coluber constrictor constrictor
Red cornsnake
Pantherophis guttatus
Eastern ratsnake
Pantherophis alleghaniensis
Mole kingsnake
Lampropeltis calligaster rhombomaculata
Eastern kingsnake
Lampropeltis getula getula
Eastern kilksnake
Lampropeltis triangulum triangulum
Coastal Plain Milksnake
Lampropeltis triangulum elapsoides
Northern scarletsnake
Cemophora coccinea copei
Sources:
A Guide to the Snakes of Virginia (Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries, Wildlife Diversity Division, Special Publication No. 2.1) 2002; by Michael J Pinder (Author)
Five-lined skink, juvenile
Lizards of the Potomac River Basin
Eastern Fence Lizard
Sceloporus undulatus
Eastern Six-lined Racerunner
Aspidoscelis sexlineata sexlineata
Little Brown Skink
Scincella lateralis
Northern Coal Skink
Plestiodon anthracinus anthracinus
Common Five-lined Skink
Plestiodon fasciatus
Broad-headed Skink
Plestiodon laticeps
Sources:
Amphibians
edit
Salamanders of the Potomac River Basin
Common Mudpuppy
Necturus maculosus maculosus
Eastern Hellbender
Cryptobranchus alleganiensis alleganiensis
Marbled Salamander
Ambystoma opacum
Jefferson Salamander
Ambystoma jeffersonianum
Spotted Salamander
Ambystoma maculatum
Eastern Tiger Salamander
Ambystoma tigrinum tigrinum
Red-spotted Newt
Notophthalmus viridescens viridescens
Eastern Red-backed Salamander
Plethodon cinereus
Wehrle's Salamander
Plethodon wehrlei
Northern slimy salamander
Plethodon glutinosus
Valley and ridge salamander
Plethodon hoffmani
Seal Salamander
Desmognathus monticola monticola
Northern Dusky Salamander
Desmognathus fuscus
Allegheny Mountain Dusky Salamander
Desmognathus ochrophaeus
Northern Red Salamander
Pseudotriton ruber ruber
Eastern Mud Salamander
Pseudotriton montanus montanus
Northern Spring Salamander
Gyrinophilus porphyriticus porphyriticus
Northern Two-lined Salamander
Eurycea bislineata
Southern Two-lined Salamander
Eurycea cirrigera
Long-tailed salamander
Eurycea longicauda longicauda
Four-toed Salamander
Hemidactylium scutatum
Green Salamander
Aneides aeneus
Sources:
Frogs and toads of the Potomac River Basin
Upland Chorus Frog
Pseudacris feriarum
New Jersey Chorus Frog
Pseudacris kalmi
Northern Spring Peeper
Pseudacris crucifer
Mountain Chorus Frog
Pseudacris brachyphona
Eastern Cricket Frog
Acris crepitans crepitans
Green Treefrog
Hyla cinerea
Gray Treefrog
Hyla versicolor
Cope's Gray Treefrog
Hyla chrysoscelis
Barking Treefrog
Hyla gratiosa
Carpenter Frog
Lithobates virgatipes
Wood Frog
Lithobates sylvaticus
Northern Leopard Frog
Lithobates pipiens
Southern Leopard Frog
Lithobates sphenocephalus utricularius
Pickerel Frog
Lithobates palustris
Northern Green Frog
Lithobates clamitans melanota
American Bullfrog
Lithobates catesbeiana
Eastern spadefoot toad
Scaphiopus holbrookii
Eastern American Toad
Anaxyrus americanus americanus
Fowler's Toad
Anaxyrus fowleri
Eastern Narrow-mouthed Toad
Gastrophryne carolinensis
*denotes naturalized species
Sources:
See also
edit
List of cities and towns along the Potomac River
List of crossings of the Potomac River
List of islands on the Potomac River
List of rivers of Maryland
List of rivers of Virginia
List of rivers of West Virginia
List of tributaries of the Potomac River
Potomac Heritage Trail
Air Florida Flight 90
, a flight crashed into Potomac River just after takeoff from
Washington National Airport
2025 Potomac River mid-air collision
, an American Eagle Bombardier CRJ701ER collided with a Sikorsky VH-60M Black Hawk, both crashed into Potomac River on January 29, 2025.
Notes
edit
AQU:
The diversion dam at Great Falls, often called the
"Aqueduct Dam"
, was built in the 1850s by the US Army Corps of Engineers as part of the project assigned to them by Congress to supply clean water from above Great Falls to Washington, DC. Water diverted by the dam flows 12 miles through a 9-foot diameter pipeline to Dalecarlia Reservoir on the outskirts of the city where it is first allowed to settle and then filtered and purified before being distributed to consumers. Since 1927, potable water from Dalecarlia has also been provided to Arlington County and some other sections of nearby northern Virginia through three 20-inch diameter pipelines that cross the Potomac under the deck of Chain Bridge. In addition, there is nearby a 4-foot diameter conduit constructed in 1967 that traverses the Potomac beneath the riverbed which is used primarily for backup purposes.
62
63
GHL:
"Evidence of the ancient Potomac River bed can be seen in well-rounded boulders, smoothed surfaces and grooves, and beautifully formed potholes. Look for sandstone boulders along the trail, which were deposited by massive floods. The sandy soils along the river trail, with shells mixed in, are a result of sediment deposits from floods. Some of the oldest sediment deposits in the area can be found on
Glade Hill
, between the Matildaville and Carriage Road trails.
Glade Hill
was once an island in the Potomac River, and the deposits found there were left before Mather Gorge formed."
64
PIF:
"In the Late Pennsylvanian, the rocks of the Stubblefield Falls domain of the Mather Gorge Formation moved up relative to the Sykesville Formation on the steep, west-dipping Plummers Island fault and mylonite zones (Schoenborn, 2001) within an existing Plummers Island shear zone (figs. 5, 6). Shearing formed S2 cleavage with below-closure muscovite growth and more pervasive S2 cleavage in the Sykesville Formation. By the earliest Permian, all of the rocks in the Potomac terrane had cooled through 235°C (figs. 3, 5). Apatite fission-track data indicate cooling through ≈90°C to 100°C in Early Jurassic to Early Cretaceous time, with increasing ages to the east, suggesting kilometer-scale rotation of the Potomac terrane in the Cretaceous and (or) Tertiary, with the west side up."
65
BLK:
"Two samples collected from the terrace dissected by Great Falls indicate that the Falls were established in their current location by 30 ky. A series of 6 samples taken from a vertical transect just below the falls, indicates that vertical incision continued a rate of 0.5 m/ky between 27 and 12 ky, increasing to nearly 1.0 m/ky during the Holocene. These data suggest that the drop over Great Falls is growing with time. A dramatic increase in outcrop weathering and soil depth 3.5 km downstream of the Falls, suggests that prior to establishment of the Great Falls knickzone, a similar feature was likely present near Black Pond. 10-Be data are not yet available for this paleo knick zone; however, a 10-Be model age >200 ky from the top of Plummers island 5 km down stream of Black Pond suggests a much older period of retreat led to the formation of the Black Pond paleo knick zone."
66
PES:
"The Potomac Estuary: From the Chain Bridge in Washington, DC, to Point Lookout at the confluence with the Chesapeake Bay, the Potomac Estuary is a long and narrow estuary—approximately 189 km. With its many tributaries and bays, however, the Potomac Estuary has a shoreline of 1,800 km. The Estuary meanders in a south, southeasterly direction, except for a sharp bend about halfway downriver. The Estuary has three well-defined and distinct zones. The upper zone, from Chain Bridge to Indian Head, is the tidal freshwater reach, with salinities of less than 0.5 parts per thousand (ppt). The middle reach, between Indian Head and the Route 301 Bridge at Morgantown, is the transition zone. The salinity of this zone varies from 0.5 to 7.0 ppt and is often referred to as the zone of maximum turbidity. The lower zone, from the 301 Bridge to Point Lookout, has salinities ranging from 7 to 16 ppt."
67
TRI:
The rocky western (upriver) and central portions of the island are part of the Piedmont Plateau, while the southeastern part is within the Atlantic Coastal Plain. At one point opposite Georgetown, the Atlantic Seaboard fall line between the Piedmont and the Coastal Plain can be seen as a natural phenomenon. The island has about 2.5-mile (4.0 km) of shoreline, and the highest area of the island (where the Mason mansion stood) is about 44 feet (13 m) above sea level.
References
edit
Citations
edit
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2019
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March 26,
2019
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2009
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(PDF)
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March 16,
2019
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March 16,
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on September 16, 2002.
"Jennings Randolph Lake, MD & WV"
(PDF)
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Archived
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. Retrieved
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Archived
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Wayback Machine
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ICPRB.
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Archived
January 5, 2011, at the
Wayback Machine
Updated 2008-04-15.
District of Columbia Water and Sewer Authority. Washington, DC.
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Archived
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Archived
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Archived
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. Retrieved
November 13,
2007
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Archived
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. Retrieved
March 26,
2019
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WTOP News
. Retrieved
November 19,
2025
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. Archived from
the original
on September 8, 2020
. Retrieved
March 30,
2019
"Need a bigger boat: 35-pound bass caught on the Potomac River"
Archived
April 3, 2019, at the
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. 2019-04-03. Accessed: 2019-04-03.
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. Washington, D.C.: DC Water
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(Report). Washington, D.C.: U.S. National Park Service. July 2002.
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February 16,
2026
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Archived
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March 23,
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Little, Becky (September 14, 2018).
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HISTORY
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Virginia v. Maryland
540
U.S.
56
(2003)
Maryland v. West Virginia
217
U.S.
(1910)
Maryland v. West Virginia
217
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577
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February 27,
2018
Babcock, Jason.
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{{
cite web
}}
: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (
link
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(PDF)
www.potomacriver.org
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. March 2014.
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. Retrieved
February 26,
2018
"The Mysterious Dolphins of the Potomac"
. 2017
. Retrieved
February 26,
2018
{{
cite web
}}
: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (
link
"Potomac-Chesapeake Dolphin Project"
. 2018.
Archived
from the original on April 6, 2017
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February 26,
2018
"Water, Water ... "
by Larry Van Dyne,
Washingtonian Magazine
(March 2007)
"Sources of Northern Virginia Drinking Water"
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Great Falls Geology
Archived
January 4, 2018, at the
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Archived
December 31, 2017, at the
Wayback Machine
, U.S. Geological Survey, 23 November 2016
Paul Bierman, et al.,
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Archived
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, Vol. 36, No. 2, p. 94
"Chapter One: Introduction"
(PDF)
Archived
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from the original on December 7, 2020
. Retrieved
December 30,
2017
Works cited
edit
Rice, James D.,
Nature and History in the Potomac Country: From Hunter-Gatherers to the Age of Jefferson.
(2009), Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press;
ISBN
0-8018-9032-2
ISBN
978-0-8018-9032-1
Smith, J. Lawrence,
The Potomac Naturalist: The Natural History of the Headwaters of the Historic Potomac
(1968), Parsons, WV: McClain Printing Co.;
ISBN
0-87012-023-9
ISBN
978-0-87012-023-7
External links
edit
Potomac River
at Wikipedia's
sister projects
Definitions
from Wiktionary
Media
from Commons
News
from Wikinews
Quotations
from Wikiquote
Texts
from Wikisource
Textbooks
from Wikibooks
Resources
from Wikiversity
Advanced Hydrologic Prediction Service
Baltimore/Washington (Sterling, VA)
- including Potomac River levels
Potomac River level at
Williamsport
Potomac River level at
Harpers Ferry
Potomac River
system
Cities and towns
Bridges
Islands
Tributaries
District of Columbia
Maryland
Pennsylvania
Virginia
West Virginia
Streams shown as: Major tributaries
subtributaries
(subsubtributaries)
subsubsubtributaries
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)
Lower Potomac River
Antietam Creek
Shenandoah River
Little Catoctin Creek
Catoctin Creek (Virginia)
Catoctin Creek (Maryland)
Tuscarora Creek (Maryland)
Monocacy River
Rock Creek
Marsh Creek
Alloway Creek
Piney Creek
Toms Creek
Middle Creek
Double Pipe Creek
Big Pipe Creek
Little Pipe Creek
Owens Creek
Big Hunting Creek
Tuscarora Creek
Carroll Creek
Linganore Creek
Israel 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
Tenmile Creek
Great Seneca Creek
Muddy Branch
Watts Branch
Difficult Run
Rock Run
Dead Run
Cabin John Creek
Little Falls Branch
Tidal Potomac River
Pimmit Run
Gulf Branch
Donaldson Run
Maddox Branch
Windy Run
Spout Run
Foundry Branch
Rock Creek
Piney Branch
Pinehurst Branch
Coquelin Run
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
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
Laurel Fork
Mill Creek
Seneca Creek
South Fork South Branch Potomac River
Kettle Creek
Lunice Creek
Mill Run
Mill Creek
Big Run
Buffalo Creek
Shenandoah River
North Fork Shenandoah River
Cedar Creek
Smith Creek
South Fork Shenandoah River
North River
Middle River
South River
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
Waters of Maryland
Bays/estuaries
Assawoman
Chesapeake
Chincoteague
Curtis Bay
Eastern
Fishing
Herring
Isle of Wight
Mallows
Newport
Pocomoke
Sinepuxent
Tangier
Rivers
Anacostia
Annemessex (Big)
Annemessex (Little)
Back
Bird
Blackwater
Blackwater (Little)
Bohemia
Bush
Casselman
Chester
Chicamacomico
Choptank
Choptank (Little)
Christina
Corsica
Elk
Front
Gunpowder
Hawlings
Jones Falls
Magothy
Magothy (Little)
Manokin
Middle
Miles
Monocacy
Monocacy (Little)
Nanticoke
North
North East
Patapsco
Patuxent
Pocomoke
Port Tobacco
Potomac
Rhode
St. Martin
St. Marys
Sassafras
Savage
Severn
South
Susquehanna
Transquaking
Tred Avon
Warwick
West
Wicomico (Potomac)
Wicomico
Wye
Wye East
Youghiogheny
Creeks,
runs,
streams
Antietam
Alloway
Arundel Cove
Ballenger
Bear (Patapsco)
Bear (Sideling Hill)
Bear (Youghiogheny)
Beaverdam
Bennett
Big Hunting
Big Pipe
Bodkin
Bonnie Branch
Bread and Cheese
Broad (Choptank)
Broad (Potomac)
Broad (Susquehanna)
Broad Run
Budds
Bush
Cabin John
Carroll
Catoctin
Catoctin (Little)
Chicamuxen
Collington Branch
Conococheague
Conococheague (Little)
Conowingo
Cuckold
Curtis
Deep Run
Deer
Dividing
Dorsey Run
Double Pipe
Dry Seneca
Dueling
Dundee
Edge Creek
Evitts
Fifteenmile
Fishing
Flintstone
Frog Mortar
Furnace
Georges
Great Seneca
Green Branch
Greys
Gwynns Falls
Harris
Henson
Herbert Run
Herring Run
Honga
Hunting (Little)
Indian (Anacostia)
Indian (Patuxent)
Israel
Laurel Run
Licking
Linganore
Little Falls Branch
Little Gunpowder Falls
Little Pipe
Little Seneca
Lyons
Main
Marley
Marsh
Marshyhope
Mattawoman
Meekins
Middle
Mill Branch
Minnehaha Branch
Moores Run
Muddy Branch
Nanjemoy
Nassawango
Northeast Branch Anacostia River
Northwest Branch Anacostia River
Octoraro
Owens
Otter Point
Oxon
Paint Branch
Parsons
Piney
Piscataway
Plumtree Branch
Pomonkey
Principio
Rock (Potomac)
Rock Run
Rockburn Branch
Roland Run
Romney
St. Leonard
Saltpeter
Sams
Sellman
Seneca (Middle)
Seneca (Potomac)
Sideling Hill
Slaughter
Sligo
Soapstone Branch
Stony
Stony Run
Swanson
Tenmile Creek
Thoms Cove
Toms
Tonoloway
Town (Patuxent)
Town (Potomac)
Town (Tred Avon)
Towson Run
Trappe
Tuckahoe
Turville
Tuscarora (Monocacy)
Tuscarora (Potomac)
Tuscarora (Little)
Watts Branch
Western Run
Wills
Winters Run
Lakes
Allen Pond
Artemesia
Buckel's Bog
Centennial
Deep Creek
Elkhorn
Bernard Frank
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Potomac River
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