Nanticoke River | |
---|---|
Location | |
Country | United States |
States | Maryland Delaware |
Region | South Atlantic States |
Physical characteristics | |
Source | |
• location | Middleford, Delaware |
• coordinates | 38°52′55″N075°33′36″W / 38.88194°N 75.56000°W [1] |
• elevation | about 60 feet |
Mouth | Chesapeake Bay |
• location | Waterview, Maryland |
• coordinates | 38°14′00″N075°55′29″W / 38.23333°N 75.92472°W [1] |
• elevation | sea level (0 ft.) |
Length | about 63 miles [1] |
Basin features | |
Progression | Chesapeake Bay → Atlantic Ocean |
River system | Chesapeake Bay |
Tributaries | |
• left | Kent-Sussex Line Branch, Glade Branch, Gum Branch, Gravelly Branch, Hurley Drain, Deep Creek, Morgan Branch, Gum Branch, Broad Creek, Beaverdam Branch, Cod Creek, Plum Creek, Reconow Creek, Owens Creek, Grimes Creek, Barren Creek, Ingem Gut, Den Creek, Rewastico Creek, Quantico Creek, Wetipquin Creek, Dunn Creek, Windsor Creek |
• right | White Marsh Branch, Cart Branch, Polk Branch, Birdgeville Branch, Turkey Branch, Ake Ditch, Clear Brook, Chapel Branch, Turtle Branch, Wright Creek, Gales Creek, Dennis Creek, Mill Creek, Molly Horn Creek, Marshyhope Creek, Chicone Creek, Redfin Creek, Mill Creek, Peach Orchard Creek, Wapremander Creek, Jacks Creek, Langrells Creek, Cow Creek |
The Nanticoke River is a tributary of the Chesapeake Bay on the Delmarva Peninsula. It rises in southern Kent County, Delaware, flows through Sussex County, Delaware, and forms the boundary between Dorchester County, Maryland and Wicomico County, Maryland. The tidal river course proceeds southwest into the Tangier Sound, Chesapeake Bay. The river is 64.3 miles (103.5 km) long. [2] A 26-mile ecotourism water trail running along the River was set aside in July 2011 by Delaware state and federal officials, contiguous with a 37-mile water-trail extending through Maryland to the Chesapeake Bay. [3]
Some of the main tributaries that feed the Nanticoke on the west-side include: Cow Creek; Jack Creek; Wapremander Creek; Marshyhope Creek; and the east side: Gravelly Fork, Gum Branch, and Broad Creek. Notable towns and communities situated along the river include Nanticoke, Bivalve, Vienna, and Sharptown in Maryland; and further north the city of Seaford, Delaware.
According to a study paid for by the town of Vienna, the English explorer John Smith travelled up the Nanticoke River and mapped it, and visited with Native Americans in their settlement, now believed to be Vienna. [4]
The river was dredged in 1990 and 2013 [5] to facilitate shipping travel along the course. [6]
Bethel is a town in Sussex County, Delaware, United States. According to 2010 Census Bureau figures, the population of the town is 171. It is part of the Salisbury, Maryland-Delaware Metropolitan Statistical Area.
The Pocomoke River stretches approximately 66 miles (106 km) from southern Delaware through southeastern Maryland in the United States. At its mouth, the river is essentially an arm of Chesapeake Bay, whereas the upper river flows through a series of relatively inaccessible wetlands called the Great Cypress Swamp, largely populated by Loblolly Pine, Red Maple and Bald Cypress. The river is the easternmost river that flows into Chesapeake Bay. "Pocomoke", though traditionally interpreted as "dark water" by local residents, is now agreed by scholars of the Algonquian languages to be derived from the words for "broken ground."
The Wicomico River is a 24.4-mile-long (39.3 km) tributary of the Chesapeake Bay on the eastern shore of Maryland. It drains an area of low marshlands and farming country in the middle Delmarva Peninsula.
The Choptank River is a major tributary of the Chesapeake Bay and the largest river on the Delmarva Peninsula. Running for 71 miles (114 km), it rises in Kent County, Delaware, runs through Caroline County, Maryland, and forms much of the border between Talbot County, Maryland, on the north, and Caroline County and Dorchester County on the east and south. It is located north of the Nanticoke River, and its mouth is located south of Eastern Bay. Cambridge, the county seat of Dorchester County, and Denton, the county seat of Caroline County, are located on its south shore.
The Chester River is a major tributary of the Chesapeake Bay on the Delmarva Peninsula. It is about 43 miles (69 km) long, and its watershed encompasses 368 sq mi (950 km2), which includes 295 sq mi (760 km2) of land. Thus the total watershed area is 20% water. It forms the border between Kent County and Queen Anne's County, Maryland, with its headwaters extending into New Castle County and Kent County, Delaware. Chestertown, the seat of Maryland's Kent County, is located on its north shore. It is located south of the Sassafras River and north of Eastern Bay, and is connected with Eastern Bay through Kent Narrows.
Maryland Route 213 (MD 213) is a 68.25-mile (109.84 km) state highway located on the Eastern Shore of Maryland in the United States. The route runs from MD 662 in Wye Mills, Queen Anne's County, north to the Pennsylvania border in Cecil County, where the road continues into that state as Pennsylvania Route 841 (PA 841). The route, which is a two-lane undivided highway most of its length, passes through mainly rural areas as well as the towns of Centreville, Chestertown, Galena, Cecilton, Chesapeake City, and Elkton. MD 213 intersects many routes including U.S. Route 50 (US 50) near Wye Mills, US 301 near Centreville, and US 40 in Elkton. It crosses over the Chesapeake & Delaware Canal in Chesapeake City on the Chesapeake City Bridge. MD 213 is designated by the state as the Chesapeake Country Scenic Byway between the southern terminus and Chesapeake City with the portion north of MD 18 in Centreville a National Scenic Byway. In addition, the route is also considered part of the Atlantic to Appalachians Scenic Byway between Chesapeake City and MD 273 in Fair Hill.
Mattawoman Creek is a 30.0-mile-long (48.3 km) coastal-plain tributary to the tidal Potomac River with a mouth at Indian Head, Maryland, 20 miles (32 km) downstream of Washington, D.C. It comprises a 23-mile (37 km) river flowing through Prince George's and Charles counties and a 7-mile (11 km) tidal-freshwater estuary in Charles County. About three-fourths of its 94-square-mile (240 km2) watershed lies in Charles County, with the remainder in Prince George's County immediately to the north.
The Sassafras River is a tributary of the Chesapeake Bay on the Delmarva Peninsula in the United States. It is approximately 22 miles (35 km) long and starts in western New Castle County, Delaware, and along the boundary between Cecil County, Maryland on the north and Kent County, Maryland on the south. It rises southwest of Middletown, Delaware and ends at the Chesapeake Bay in a wide mouth between Howell Point near Betterton, Maryland and Grove Point on Grove Neck.
The Elk River is a tidal tributary of the Chesapeake Bay on the Eastern Shore of Maryland and on the northern edge of the Delmarva Peninsula. It is about 15 miles (24 km) long. As the most northeastern extension of the Chesapeake Bay estuary, it has served as one entrance to the Chesapeake & Delaware Canal since the 19th century. The canal and river now serve as one boundary of the Elk Neck Peninsula. The river flows through Cecil County, Maryland, with its watershed extending into New Castle County, Delaware and Chester County, Pennsylvania. Elkton, the county seat of Cecil County, is located at its head. Its total watershed area is 143 square miles (370 km2), with 21 square miles (54 km2) of open water, so its watershed is 15% open water. It is south and east of the North East River, and north of the Sassafras River.
Marshyhope Creek is a 37.0-mile-long (59.5 km) tributary of the Nanticoke River on the Delmarva Peninsula. It rises in Kent County, Delaware, and runs through Caroline County, Maryland, and Dorchester County, Maryland.
The North East River is a tributary of the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland. Entirely tidal, it extends for about 5.0 miles (8.0 km) from the town of North East southwest past Charlestown to the main body of Chesapeake Bay between Carpenter's Point and Red Point. The river is fed by North East Creek and its tributaries, which reach as far north as just east of Nottingham, Pennsylvania. The Northeast River is entirely within Cecil County, Maryland, though its watershed extends into Chester County, Pennsylvania. Its watershed area in MD is 63 square miles (160 km2), with 6% impervious surface in 1994. On the 1612 John Smith map, it was referred to as Gunter's Harbour.
Paint Branch is a 17.0-mile-long (27.4 km) tributary stream of the Anacostia River that flows Southeastwards through Montgomery County and Prince George's County, Maryland. Specifically, its primary tributary is of the Northeast Branch, which flows to the Anacostia River, Potomac River and the Chesapeake Bay. The beginning elevation of the stream is 480 feet above sea level and it subsequently drops to 30 feet when its flows meet the Indian Creek in College Park, Maryland.
Tuckahoe Creek is a 21.5-mile-long (34.6 km) tributary of the Choptank River on Maryland's Eastern Shore. It is sometimes (erroneously) referred to as the Tuckahoe River. Upstream of Hillsboro, it forms the boundary between Caroline County and Queen Anne's County, passing through Tuckahoe State Park and dividing the small towns of Queen Anne and Hillsboro. Downstream of Hillsboro, it forms the boundary between Caroline County and Talbot County, before flowing into the Choptank.
The West River is a 6-mile-long (9.7 km) tidal tributary of Chesapeake Bay in southern Anne Arundel County, Maryland. It is south of the Rhode River, which is one of its tributaries, and north of Herring Bay.
Northwest Branch Anacostia River is a 21.5-mile-long (34.6 km) free-flowing stream in Montgomery County and Prince George's County, Maryland. It is a tributary of the Anacostia River, which flows to the Potomac River and the Chesapeake Bay.
Northeast Branch Anacostia River is a 3.2-mile-long (5.1 km) free-flowing stream in Prince George's County, Maryland. It is a tributary of the Anacostia River, which flows to the Potomac River and the Chesapeake Bay.
Manokin River is a river in Somerset County, Maryland, that flows into Tangier Sound, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. The Manokin rises east of Princess Anne, Maryland, flows through the town, then widens into a tidal estuary. Tributaries along the river's 17-mile (27 km) length are Kings Creek, Back Creek, St. Peters Creek, Broad Creek, and Fishing Creek. During the colonial period, the Manokin was navigable as far as Princess Anne.
Nanticoke Wildlife Area is a state wildlife area located in Sussex County, Delaware, along the Nanticoke River and Broad Creek, near to Seaford, Delaware, and Bethel, Delaware. There is a monument commemorating Captain John Smith's journey into the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries at Phillips Landing along Broad Creek, a tributary of the Nanticoke River in Delaware. It is made up of three large land tracts totaling 4,510 acres (1,825 ha), it is managed by Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC), Division of Fish and Wildlife. The area also holds one of the few Delmarva fox squirrel populations within Delaware, along with controlled populations in Prime Hook Wildlife Refuge and Assawoman Wildlife Area.
Plum Creek is a 5.56 mi (8.95 km) long 2nd tributary to the Nanticoke River in Wicomico County, Maryland.
Cod Creek is a 5.51 mi (8.87 km) long 2nd tributary to the Nanticoke River in Sussex County, Delaware.
38°14′0″N75°55′29″W / 38.23333°N 75.92472°W