Northwest Branch
The Northwest Branch is one of two major free-flowing tributaries to the tidal Anacostia River. Its confluence with the Northeast Branch, north of the town of Bladensburg, forms the tidal river. The subwatershed boundaries of the Northwest Branch are generally outlined by Olney-Sandy Spring Road to the north, New Hampshire Avenue and Adelphi Road to the east, University Boulevard and Georgia Avenue to the west, and the southern edge of Hyattsville to the south. Seventy-four percent of the subwatershed is in Montgomery County, with 18% and 8% in Prince George's County and the District of Columbia respectively.
Land Uses:
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Residential |
52%
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Forest Cover
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22%
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Agricultural
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9%
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Parkland
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7%
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In the 1950's the Army Corps of Engineers built a floodplain and levee system along the Northeast and Northwest Branches in order to prevent the local communities from flooding during a 100 year storm event. The communities were protected but the river suffered the consequences, being straightened and tree buffers taken away from it. The Northeast and Northwest branches both suffer from the same problems, being very shallow from sediment coming down from the upper parts of the watershed, with no trees along its shores to give it shade and keep it cool, and also the lack of Riparian buffer needed to absorb runoff from the surrounding communities.
AWS has been partaking in a major reforestation effort for the past several years planting trees and creating a riparian buffer along the Northeast and Northwest Branches. Along with the help of thousands of community members and volunteers we have managed to plant and maintain over 1000 trees in the floodplain, providing habitat for local wildlife, shading the river, and creating a more natural riparian buffer.
Below are a few pictures of tree planting events that we have done. If you would like to find out more info on tree planting click here.
