Watts Branch (Anacostia River)

Watts Branch is a tributary stream of the Anacostia River in Prince George's County, Maryland and Washington, D.C. The headwaters of the stream originate in the Capitol Heights area of Prince George's County, and the branch flows roughly northwest for about convert|4|mi|km to the Anacostia, which drains to the Potomac River and the
Chesapeake Bay. The watershed area of Watts Branch is about convert|6000|acre|km2 in Prince George's County and convert|5500|acre|km2 in Washington. [District of Columbia. Department of Health. [http://www.epa.gov/reg3wapd/nps/pdf/watershed_plans/dc/watts.pdf "Watts Branch Watershed Implementation Plan."] January 2004.]

Watts Branch is in a highly urbanized area and its water quality has been rated as poor by government agencies. The stream has suffered from stormwater pollution, including trash dumped by residents and businesses and leaking sewer pipes. Much of the stream is in concrete channels or culverts. [U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Annapolis, MD. [http://www.fws.gov/chesapeakebay/Stream%20Reports/Watts%20Branch%20Assessment%20Report/Final.pdf "Watts Branch, Washington, D.C. Watershed and Stream Assessment."] 2002. Report No. CBFO-S02-03.] A variety of stream cleanup and restoration projects have been initiated by D.C. government, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and other federal agencies, in cooperation with community organizations such as the [http://www.anacostiaws.org Anacostia Watershed Society] and the Watts Branch Community Alliance. [District of Columbia. Department of the Environment. [http://ddoe.dc.gov/ddoe/cwp/view,a,11,q,495519,ddoeNav_GID,1458.asp "District Department of the Environment Receives $500,000 to Restore the Chesapeake Bay."] News Release. May 8, 2007.]

References

ee also

*Anacostia River
*Watts Branch (Potomac River)
*List of District of Columbia rivers
*List of Maryland rivers

External links

* [http://www.anacostiaws.org Anacostia Watershed Society]
* [http://www.anacostia.net Anacostia Watershed Network]
* [http://www.washingtonparks.net/wattsbrphotos.html Watts Branch Park Photo Gallery] Washington Parks & People - Community Park Partnership