Sligo Creek
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Sligo Creek is a free-flowing tributary of the Northwest Branch of the Anacostia River. (The Anacostia, in turn, feeds into the Potomac River and eventually empties into the Atlantic Ocean via Chesapeake Bay.) The creek is approximately 8.3 statute miles (13.4 km) long, with a drainage area of about 11.6 mi² (38 km²).
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[edit] Geography
The creek rises in the Kemp Mill section of Silver Spring in Montgomery County, Maryland, and joins with Northwest Branch near the City of Hyattsville in Prince George's County. The lower portion of the creek has been channelized. Elevations in the subwatershed range from 450 feet (137 meters) above sea level to 35 feet (10.6 metres) at the confluence with Northwest Branch; the average gradient for the course of the creek is 0.72%.
Contributing streams that flow into the creek include: Wheaton Branch, Comstock Branch, Takoma Park Branch, and Long Branch.
Sligo Creek is one of the most heavily urbanized subwatersheds in the Anacostia watershed, with a population density of 7,081 people per square mile. 75% of the watershed is in Montgomery County, 20% is in Prince George's County, and 5% is in the District of Columbia. Less than 15% of the subwatershed is undeveloped and only 10% is forested. Less than 0.01% is wetlands.
From its source to the confluence with the Northwest Branch, the creek crosses through the communities of Silver Spring, Wheaton, Takoma Park, Carole Highlands, Chillum and Hyattsville.
A hiker-biker trail runs along the creek from Wheaton to the confluence, where it connects with the Anacostia trail system. An automobile parkway runs along many parts of the creek in Montgomery County.
[edit] History
Over the years, Sligo Creek has served many purposes for area residents, including powering grist mills and as a water source. In the Takoma Park section of the creek (near Columbia Union College), the remains of a dam and associated building foundations for the Sligo Creek Waterworks can still be seen. From 1900 to 1930, the waterworks served the city of Takoma Park, as well as (after its sale in 1919 to the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission) Silver Spring, Kensington, and Bethesda.
[edit] External links
- Friends of Sligo Creek
- Montgomery County Department of Environmental Protection
- Anacostia Watershed Society Network
- Sligo Creek Trail map; covers only Carole Highlands to WRRP (Montgomery County)
- Trail map; covers the Prince George's County portion of Sligo Creek Trail plus other connecting trails in the Anacostia system
