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Watts Branch
Tributary
Watts Branch rises in the City of Rockville, Md., and flows southwest for 11.2 miles to the Potomac near Swains Lock. The watershed is approximately 22 square miles. Parts of the Watts Branch watershed have been designated a stream valley park to preserve a riparian buffer. Watts Branch is a small but historically significant tributary of the Potomac River, flowing roughly from the neighborhoods of Rockville and North Potomac toward its confluence near Pennyfield Lock on the C&O Canal. Its headwaters rise in a heavily suburbanized landscape, yet the stream quickly gathers pockets of green as it passes through Watts Branch Stream Valley Park, where forested buffers, wetlands, and restored floodplain areas help moderate runoff and support wildlife. For much of the 20th century the creek was stressed by rapid development, prompting ongoing restoration efforts aimed at stabilizing banks, improving water quality, and reconnecting the stream to its natural floodplain. Today, despite its urban origins, Watts Branch offers a surprisingly scenic corridor of trails and quiet wooded stretches, illustrating how a suburban watershed can still retain--and recover--its ecological character.
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Contact Information
Maryland Department of Natural Resources
580 Taylor Ave.
Annapolis MD 21401
877-620-8DNR
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