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Patuxent River watershed
The Patuxent River near Bowie, Maryland.
The Patuxent River near Bowie, Maryland. Bowie (ˈbuːi is a city in Prince George's County Maryland, United States.
The Patuxent Wildlife Research Center.
The Patuxent Wildlife Research Center. The Patuxent Wildlife Research Center is a biological research center in Maryland.

The Patuxent River is a tributary of the Chesapeake Bay in the state of Maryland. A tributary is a Stream or River which flows into a mainstem (or parent river The Chesapeake Bay is the largest Estuary in the United States. There are three main river drainages for central Maryland: the Potomac River to the west passing through Washington D.C., the Patapsco River to the northeast passing through Baltimore, and the Patuxent River between the two. The Potomac River flows into the Chesapeake Bay, located along the mid- Atlantic coast of the United States. Washington DC ( formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, the District, or simply D The Patapsco is a River in central Maryland which flows into the Chesapeake Bay in Baltimore Maryland. The 957 square miles (2,479 km²) Patuxent watershed had a rapidly growing population of 590,769 in 2000. A drainage basin is an extent of Land where Water from Rain or Snow melt drains downhill into a body of water such as a River, It is the longest river to be located entirely within the state of Maryland.

Contents

Geography

The river source, 115 miles (185 km) from the Chesapeake, is in the hills of the Maryland Piedmont near the intersection of four counties - Howard, Frederick, Montgomery and Carroll, and only 0. Piedmont is a plateau region located in the eastern United States between the Atlantic Coastal Plain and the main Appalachian Mountains, stretching Howard County is a County located in the central part of the U Frederick County is located in the western part of the US state of Maryland, bordering the southern border of Pennsylvania and the northeastern border Montgomery County of the US state of Maryland is situated just north of Washington D Carroll County is a County located in the US state of Maryland. 6 mi (1. 0 km) from Parr's Spring, the source of the south fork of the Patapsco River. The Patapsco is a River in central Maryland which flows into the Chesapeake Bay in Baltimore Maryland. Flowing in a generally southeastward direction, the Patuxent crosses the urbanized corridor between Baltimore and Washington, D.C., and opens up into a navigable tidal estuary near the colonial seaport of Queen Anne in Prince George's County, Maryland, just southeast of Bowie, Maryland, finding the Chesapeake Bay 52 miles (84 km) later. Washington DC ( formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, the District, or simply D An estuary is a semi-enclosed Coastal body of Water with one or more Rivers or Streams flowing into it and with a free connection to the open Queen Anne in Prince George's County Maryland is a former seaport on the Patuxent River in Maryland Prince George's County is located in the US state of Maryland located immediately north east and south of Washington D Bowie (ˈbuːi is a city in Prince George's County Maryland, United States. The fifty-two mile-long tidal estuary is never wider than 2. An estuary is a semi-enclosed Coastal body of Water with one or more Rivers or Streams flowing into it and with a free connection to the open 3 miles (3. 7 km).

It marks the boundary between Montgomery, Prince George's, Charles and St. Mary's Counties on the west and Howard, Anne Arundel, and Calvert Counties on the east. Montgomery County of the US state of Maryland is situated just north of Washington D Prince George's County is located in the US state of Maryland located immediately north east and south of Washington D Charles County is a County in the south central portion of the U Saint Mary's County (often abbreviated as St Mary's County) is a County located in the U Howard County is a County located in the central part of the U Anne Arundel County (ˌænəˈrʌndəl with a stress on the run) is a County located in the U Calvert County is a County located in the US state of Maryland. The Chesapeake estuary's deepest point, 130 feet (40 m) below sea level, is in the lower Patuxent.

The Little Patuxent River, the Middle Patuxent River, and the Western Branch (in Prince Georges County) are the three largest tributaries. The Middle Patuxent flows into the Little Patuxent just upstream from the historic Savage Mill in Savage, Maryland. The Savage Mill is a historic cotton mill complex in Savage, Maryland, which has been turned into a complex of shops and restaurants Savage is a historic town located in Howard County, Maryland, about south of Baltimore and north of Washington D The Little Patuxent then joins the Patuxent just northeast of Bowie, Maryland. Bowie (ˈbuːi is a city in Prince George's County Maryland, United States. The Middle Patuxent flows through the middle of Howard County, while the Little Patuxent flows through northeast and southeast Howard County and western Anne Arundel County.

History

The Patuxent River was first named ("Pawtuxunt") on the detailed map resulting from the 1608 voyage upriver by Jamestown, Virginia settler John Smith. Jamestown, located on Jamestown Island in the Virginia Colony, was founded on May 14 1607 Captain Sir John Smith (c January 1580– June 21 1631) Admiral of New England was an English Soldier, Sailor [1] Captain Smith got as far as the rough vicinity of the present-day Merkle Wildlife Sanctuary (Lyons Creek) area, 40 miles (60 km) from the Chesapeake on what is now the Anne Arundel - Calvert - Prince George's County tripoint. [2][3][4] This was most likely the second visit by Europeans to the Patuxent, as in June 1588 a small Spanish expedition under Vicente Gonzalez is believed to have anchored for the night in the Patuxent mouth by Kent Mountford. [5][6][7] By the mid and late 1600s respectively, colonists spread upriver to Mt. Calvert and Billingsley Point, two colonial mansions 44 miles (71 km) upriver from the Chesapeake that are today part of Patuxent River Park. By the early 1700s, the Snowden iron ore furnace (also known as Patuxent Furnace) just southeast of Laurel, Maryland,[8][9] was shipping "pig iron" downriver from the current vicinity of the 1783 Montpelier Mansion, also part of Patuxent River Park. Laurel is a Maryland, US Located south of Laurel in Prince George's County, Maryland, Montpelier Mansion is a five-part Georgian style home most likely

In August 1814, Commodore Joshua Barney and his Chesapeake Bay Flotilla were trapped in the Patuxent by the British fleet under Admiral Sir George Cockburn. Joshua Barney ( 6 July 1759 - 1 December 1818) was a commodore in the United States Navy, born in Baltimore Maryland For two years the United States had been fighting with Great Britain during War of 1812. To keep them from British hands, Barney's men ignited the magazines of his ships in the four mile (6 km) stretch above Pig Point (44 miles upriver from the Chesapeake and named after Snowden's "pig iron") when the British approached. [10] The British then launched their attack on Washington, D.C., from their warships in the Patuxent at Benedict. Washington DC ( formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, the District, or simply D Benedict Maryland is a small unincorporated town in Charles County Maryland, located on the Patuxent River in Southern Maryland, USA 22 miles (35 km) From there, the troops marched through, Nottingham, Upper Marlboro, Bladensburg and on to Washington. Upper Marlboro is a town in and the county seat of Prince George's County Maryland, United States. Bladensburg is a town in Prince George's County Maryland, United States. [11]

Economy and commerce

Tobacco farming dominated the Patuxent's economy for the two centuries following settlement, with about sixty per cent of Maryland's tobacco coming from the Patuxent valley by the late 1700s.

Destruction of the plantations by the British and of the soil by centuries of tobacco farming brought the mid and lower Patuxent valley into a period of decline that would last until the 1930s, when there were fewer residents in the Patuxent's Calvert County than there were in the 1840s, and only a few hundreds more than in the first Calvert County census in 1790.

The Patuxent was plied by regular steamship service, mostly from the Weems Line, from the 1820s to the 1920s, replacing the schooners and sailing packets that had for the previous centuries served the river's many landings and docks along the 53-mile (85 km) navigable reach.

The Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission constructed two dams on the main branch in the mid 20th century. Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission (WSSC provides safe Drinking water and wastewater treatment for Montgomery and Prince George's Counties Brighton Dam was constructed 96 miles (154 km) from the Chesapeake in 1943, impounding the waters of Triadelphia Reservoir; in 1952 the T. Triadelphia Reservoir, sometimes called Tridelphia Reservoir or Tridelphia Lake is located on the Patuxent River, in Howard County and Montgomery County Howard Duckett Dam was constructed 14 miles (23 km) further downstream, near Laurel, thus creating Rocky Gorge Reservoir. Rocky Gorge Reservoir is located on the Patuxent River in Howard County, Montgomery County and Prince George’s County, Maryland [12] The land surrounding the two reservoirs is administered by the WSSC, creating a reserve of 4,400 acres (18 km²) forested accessible to the public for horseback riding, hunting, fishing, and picnicking in limited areas. The state of Maryland classifies the T. Howard Duckett Dam as "high hazard" because large releases of water flood areas of North Laurel. [13]

Including boating on the main river and the reservoirs, the impact that recreation in natural settings now has on the river's economy is obvious. The Patuxent Naval Air Station at the mouth of the river has continued to grow over past decades, providing along with tourism the main economic engine of the lower river valley which includes the popular boating center of Solomons, Maryland. "Pax River" redirects here For the river see Patuxent River. Solomons is a community and Census-designated place (CDP in Calvert County, Maryland, United States.

Environmental concerns

The Middle and Little Patuxent watersheds include nearly all of Columbia, Maryland, including its downtown urban Lake Kittamaqundi and Wilde Lake. Columbia is a Census-designated place and planned community in Howard County, Maryland, United States. Columbia is a large planned community in Howard County that opened in 1967. Columbia's major downtown roadway is called Little Patuxent Parkway, and Maryland Route 175 in East Columbia was known as the Patuxent Parkway until May 2006, when it was renamed for Columbia's founder, the late James Rouse, and his wife, Patty. Maryland Route 175 is a 17-mile-long north-south road in central Maryland. James Wilson Rouse ( April 26, 1914 - April 9, 1996) founder of The Rouse Company, was a pioneering American Real It was the largely unchecked erosion from this late 1960s and 1970s building spree that contributed the bulk of the Patuxent River's highest and most damaging sediment, siltation, and pollution levels to date downstream. This in turn led to a nearly complete destruction of a once thriving seafood industry along the brackish portion of the river.

“The Patuxent River has known no greater friend, advocate and defender than Bernie Fowler,”[14] Fowler, as an early-1970s Calvert County Commissioner, led the way in a lawsuit filed by downriver Charles, Calvert and St. Bernie Fowler, (born Clyde Bernard Fowler in Baltimore MD March 30 1924 is a former Maryland State Senator(1983-94 and County Commissioner(1970-82 from Calvert County Mary's counties against upriver counties. The lawsuit forced the state, the upriver counties, and the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency to enact pollution control measures. Between 1985 and 2005, the Patuxent saw a 26% decrease in nitrogen, a 46% decrease in phosphorus, and a 35% reduction in sediment, despite urban areas increasing to 31% of the watershed by 2002. Of the Chesapeake's major tributaries, the Patuxent is the only one having most of its harmful phosphorus and nitrogen nutrient overloads coming from urban runoff. The river's other two largest contributors, point sources (industrial, sewage, etc. ) and the declining (24%) agricultural areas, contribute less of the nutrient load. Forested areas account for 43% of the watershed. [15][16]

In 2004 Fred Tutman became the first Riverkeeper for the Patuxent. Riverkeeper is an environmental non-profit dedicated to the protection of the Hudson River and its tributaries as well as the watersheds that provide New York City with its [17] His role has been to protect and improve the quality of the river's water and watershed. [18]

Over the past 50 years, nationally-recognized land preservation efforts in this part of Maryland have saved tens of thousands of acres from the Baltimore-Washington bedroom community sprawl. The southern half of the U. S. Army's Fort Meade was added to the Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, which, at 12,300 acres (50 km²), is the second largest contiguous public park-refuge within 30 miles (50 km) of either Washington or Baltimore. Fort George G Meade, located adjacent to Odenton, Maryland, in Anne Arundel County, is an active U The Patuxent Wildlife Research Center is a biological research center in Maryland. The largest contiguous public parks-preserves within of either Baltimore Md It is located midway between these two cities. The contiguous public area of 8,575 acres (35 km²) centered on Jug Bay, 42 miles (68 km) upriver from the Chesapeake, form the fifth largest such Baltimore-DC preserve and largest tidewater one and consist of the Jug Bay Wetlands Sanctuary, the Merkle Wildlife Sanctuary, and the Jug Bay component of the Patuxent River Park. The Jug Bay Wetlands Sanctuary is located along the tidal Patuxent River in southern Maryland. The 6,600-acre (27 km²) Patuxent River State Park in the uppermost part of the basin is the seventh largest.

Bridges

The present-day bridges over the Patuxent River connecting Prince George's County and Anne Arundel County are, from north to south:

The only bridge connecting Calvert County and Charles County is the

The only bridge connecting Calvert County and St. Mary's County is the

References

  1. ^ Smith, John (2006), [http://docsouth.unc.edu/southlit/smith/smith.html The Generall Historie of Virginia, New-England, and the Summer Isles: With the Names of the Adventurers, Planters, and Governours from Their First Beginning, Ano: 1584. To This Present 1624. With the Procedings of Those Severall Colonies and the Accidents That Befell Them in All Their Journyes and Discoveries. Also the Maps and Descriptions of All Those Countryes, Their Commodities, People, Government, Customes, and Religion Yet Knowne. Divided into Sixe Bookes. By Captaine Iohn Smith, Sometymes Governour in Those Countryes & Admirall of New England: Electronic Edition. ], University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, <http://docsouth.unc.edu/southlit/smith/smith.html>. Retrieved on 29 October 2007 
  2. ^ John S. Salmon (2006-05-09). Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 1457 BC - Battle of Megiddo (15th century BC between Thutmose III and a large Canaanite coalition under the King of Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Water Trail - Statement of National Significance page 136. Chesapeake Bay Gateways Network. Retrieved on 2007-12-04. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. "December 4th" redirects here For the song by Jay-Z, see December 4th (song.
  3. ^ Wayne E. Clark (2005). Indians in Maryland, An Overview. Maryland Online Encyclopedia. Retrieved on 2007-12-04. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. "December 4th" redirects here For the song by Jay-Z, see December 4th (song.
  4. ^ John Smith's Second Chesapeake Voyage. Chesapeake Bay Gateways Network (2006). Retrieved on 2007-12-04. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. "December 4th" redirects here For the song by Jay-Z, see December 4th (song.
  5. ^ Author Biography for Closed Sea by Kent Mountford (2005).
  6. ^ John S. Salmon (2006-05-09). Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 1457 BC - Battle of Megiddo (15th century BC between Thutmose III and a large Canaanite coalition under the King of Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Water Trail - Statement of National Significance. Chesapeake Bay Gateways Network. Retrieved on 2007-12-03. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 1800 - War of the Second Coalition: Battle of Hohenlinden, French
  7. ^ U. S. Army Engineer Water Resources Support Center (January 1983). History of the Waterways of the Atlantic Coast of the United States (NWS 83-10) - Chronology. U. S. Army Corp of Engineers. Retrieved on 2007-12-03. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 1800 - War of the Second Coalition: Battle of Hohenlinden, French
  8. ^ Robert C. Chidester. A Historic Context for the Archaeology of Industrial Labor in the State of Maryland. The Center for Heritage Resource Studies, University of Maryland. Retrieved on 2007-10-01. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 331 BC - Alexander the Great defeats Darius III of Persia in the Battle of Gaugamela.
  9. ^ Peter M. Kranz. Notes on the Sedimentary Iron Ores of Maryland and their Dinosaurian Fauna. Appendix B: University of Maryland. Retrieved on 2007-10-01. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 331 BC - Alexander the Great defeats Darius III of Persia in the Battle of Gaugamela.  
  10. ^ Shomette, Donald (1982). Shipwrecks on the Chesapeake. Centreville, Maryland: Tidewater Publishers, 87-93. ISBN 0-87-033-283-X.  
  11. ^ Ross, Gen. (Oct 1814). "Dispatch from Gen. Ross". The Gentleman's Magazine, London Gazette Extraordinary v. 84 pt. 2: 372.  
  12. ^ The WSSC-- A Thumbnail History from the WSSC website
  13. ^ Maryland Dams Endure Dramatic Rainfall press release from Maryland Department of the Environment
  14. ^ Bernie Fowler Wade-in Draws Attention to Patuxent Water Quality. Chesapeake Bay Program (2007-06-14). Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 1276 - While taking exile in Fuzhou in southern China, away from the advancing Mongol invaders, the remnants of the Retrieved on 2007-12-04. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. "December 4th" redirects here For the song by Jay-Z, see December 4th (song.
    Quote attributed to Steny Hoyer. Steny Hamilton Hoyer (born June 14, 1939) is a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives, representing Maryland's
  15. ^ Tidewater Ecosystem Assessment Office (2007-08-01). Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 30 BC - Octavian (later known as Augustus enters Alexandria, Egypt, bringing it under the control of the Roman Maryland Tributary Strategy: Patuxent River Basin Summary Report for 1985-2005 Data pages 3 and 6. Maryland Department of Natural Resources. Retrieved on 2007-12-06. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 1060 - Béla I of Hungary is crowned king of Hungary 1240 - Mongol invasion of Rus: Kiev
  16. ^ Karl Blankenship (2007-01). Bay Journal: Chesapeake Cleanup Update - River Basin Overviews(Patuxent). Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay. Retrieved on 2007-12-06. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 1060 - Béla I of Hungary is crowned king of Hungary 1240 - Mongol invasion of Rus: Kiev
  17. ^ Patuxent River Commission (2004). Summary of June 2004 Meeting Minutes. Retrieved on 2007-12-05. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 63 BC - Cicero reads the last of his Catiline Orations.
  18. ^ Patuxent Riverkeeper

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