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33-663: The Patapsco Valley follows the Patapsco River , a major river flowing into the Chesapeake Bay . The valley is mostly wooded with various steep elevations as the valley travels north. The valley begins in Elkridge Landing and runs north through a number of mill town communities until the river splits into two segments. Liberty Dam and its reservoir, located on the North Branch, is a major component of

66-695: A watershed (including the water surface) of 950 square miles (2,460 km ). The removal of Bloede's Dam in September 2018, opened up 65 miles (105 km) of the Patapsco River watershed, which will potentially restore spawning runs of at least six species of native anadromous fish: alewife ( Alosa pseudoharengus ), blueback herring ( Alosa aestivalis ), American shad ( Alosa sapidissima ), hickory shad ( Alosa mediocris ), striped bass ( Morone saxatilis ), sea lamprey ( Petromyzon marinus ), as only one species, sea lamprey, were found using

99-504: A 1.75 acres (7,100 m ) pond in the 1950s, filled by seven spring heads that form the headwaters of the South Branch of the Patapsco River. Beginning in the 1770s, the Patapsco River became the center of Maryland industrialization. Milling and manufacturing operations abounded along the river throughout the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, generally powered by small dams. The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad 's original main line

132-537: A 1956 flood inflicted heavy damage at the Bartigis Brothers plant . In 1972, Ellicott City and the Old Main Line railroad sustained serious damage as a result of rainfall from the remnants of Hurricane Agnes . During the 2010s, Ellicott City was impacted by two significant flood events in 2016 and 2018 . These flood events were also due to significant rainfall, in which stormwater overflowed from

165-400: A gorge 100–200 feet (35–70 m) deep within the park, which features rocky cliffs and tributary waterfalls. The valley contains the communities of Catonsville , Ellicott City , Elkridge , Woodstock , Daniels , Hanover , and many others. The valley is drained by the Patapsco River and its tributaries. John Smith was the first European to explore the river noting it on his 1612 map as

198-703: A major hub for wildlife in Central Maryland. In fact, it is noted as habitat hub and corridor by the Howard County Green infrastructure network. Conservation efforts have been made to protect this status through preservation easements along the Patapsco Valley State Park interface. The headquarters of the Howard County Conservancy is located in the upper valley in the town of Woodstock. The valley

231-403: A nearly complete barrier to anadromous fish passage. Although a fish ladder was installed in 1992, it blocked five of six native fish species trying to run upstream to spawn. Efforts to remove Bloede's Dam began in the 1980s when nine drowning deaths occurred, and also to restore fish passage to a large portion of the Patapsco River watershed. Dam demolition began on September 12, 2018, opening

264-585: Is a 39-mile (63 km) river in central Maryland that flows into the Chesapeake Bay . The river's tidal portion forms the harbor for the city of Baltimore . With its South Branch, the Patapsco forms the northern border of Howard County, Maryland . The name "Patapsco" is derived from the Algonquian pota-psk-ut , which translates to "backwater" or "tide covered with froth". Captain John Smith

297-592: Is home to typical flora and fauna found in Central Maryland. Numerous sightings of the American black bear have been reported in the state park and surrounding area. In 2016, the Maryland Department of Natural Resources Police filmed a sighting in Catonsville, Maryland . Patapsco River The Patapsco River ( / p ə ˈ t æ p ˌ s k oʊ / pə- TAP -skoh ) mainstem

330-411: Is possible in areas of the Patapsco River, sometimes involving rope swings, inner tubing, and wading. The river also serves as a venue for rafting. The Patapsco is also great for fishing. The MD DNR stocks parts of Patapsco State Park in the early spring and offers some pretty decent trout fishing. The Northern Snakehead has also made the Patapsco their home. They can be found from historic Ellicott City to

363-530: Is subject to extensive stormwater runoff and other forms of water pollution . The Maryland Department of the Environment has identified the Lower North Branch as containing high levels of heavy metals ( chromium , arsenic , cadmium , copper , mercury , nickel , lead , selenium , and zinc ), as well as phosphorus , fecal coliform bacteria , and PCBs . The Piney Run Reservoir on

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396-547: The Baltimore city water system. Besides Baltimore, the river also flows past Ellicott City (the county seat of Howard County) and Elkridge . The South Branch of the river flows east from its source in Marriottsville, Maryland . Patapsco Valley State Park is adjacent to 32 miles (51 km) of the Patapsco and its branches, encompassing a total of 14,000 acres (5,700 ha) in five different areas. The river cuts

429-452: The Bloede's Dam fish ladder in 2012. One catadromous species would likely also benefit, the American eel ( Anguilla rostrata ), a fish species that lives in freshwater and migrates to the ocean to breed. The Bloede's Dam removal project was led by American Rivers and the Maryland Department of Natural Resources . Now that Bloede's Dam has been removed, removal of Daniels Dam upstream on

462-693: The Bolus River. The "Red river", was named after the clay color, and is considered the "old Bolus", as other branches were also labelled Bolus on maps. As the river was not navigable beyond Elkridge, it was not a major path of commerce with only one ship listed as serving the northern branch, and four others operating around the mouth in 1723. The Patapsco valley was used as the route of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad 's original main line west constructed from 1829 onwards, and this route remains, though much altered. Many old railroad bridges were constructed in

495-570: The Patapsco River forms Baltimore harbor, the site of the Battle of Baltimore during the War of 1812 . This is where Francis Scott Key , while aboard a British ship, wrote " The Star-Spangled Banner ," a poem later set to music as the national anthem of the United States. Today, a red, white, and blue buoy marks the spot where HMS  Tonnant was anchored. Patapsco Valley is considered to be

528-480: The Patapsco River, was struck by a container ship and partially collapsed into the river. The 19.4-mile-long (31.2 km) South Branch rises at Parr's Spring, where Howard County , Carroll , Frederick , and Montgomery counties meet. The latter begins at elevation 780 feet (240 m) on Parr's Ridge , just south of Interstate 70 and east of Ridge Road ( Highway 27 ), 2 miles (3 km) south of Mount Airy, Maryland . The South Branch Patapsco River traces

561-447: The Patapsco is a minor river flowing mostly through a narrow valley. Patapsco Valley State Park extends along 32 miles (51 km) of the Patapsco and its branches, encompassing 14,000 acres (5,700 ha) in five areas. The river cuts a gorge 100 to 200 feet (35–70 m) deep within the park, with rocky cliffs and tributary waterfalls. The last 10 miles (16 km), form a large tidal estuary inlet of Chesapeake Bay . Two lobes of

594-514: The South Branch of the Patapsco is polluted by excess levels of phosphorus and sediment. Environmental nonprofit organizations, such as The Friends of Patapsco Valley & Heritage Greenway, Inc. (PHG), lead clean-up efforts by the residents of surrounding communities. From 2006 to 2012, PHG volunteers participated in 183 stream clean-ups, removing 264 tons of trash from the streams of the Patapsco Valley watershed. Recreational swimming

627-619: The Tiber River and Hudson Branch tributaries of the Patapsco River. Due to much of Main Street being built on top of the natural course of the Tiber River, the stormwater was forced to exit via the Main Street channel into the Patapsco during both storms. Many in the community cite the high amount of impervious surface and overdevelopment throughout greater Ellicott City to be a contributing issue to these types of floods. The mouth of

660-490: The center is located at the historic 300-year-old, 232-acre (0.94 km ) Mt. Pleasant Farm , and also maintains an additional nature center at the nearby Belmont Manor . The center was founded in 1990 as a private land trust with the goal of protecting and preserving farmland and historic sites in Howard County . The conservancy currently also manages legal easements on an additional 1,600 acres of land. In 2014,

693-455: The conservancy started a second nature center at Belmont Manor. The Mt. Pleasant farm dates back to 1692 when Patuxent Ranger Thomas Browne II built a log house on a land grant "Ranters Ridge". Owners and descendants Ruth and Francis Brown died in 1990 and 1992 respectively requesting their estate be preserved and used for educational purposes. James Eacker, George Reynolds, Joyce Kelly and Senator James A. Clark, Jr. completed tasks to acquire

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726-499: The farm and have the state and county pay estate expenses. In 1997, the center hired its first full-time director. In 2005 the Gudelsky Environmental Education Center opened. In 2008, the center started an exhibit on solar energy , promoting it as a way of reducing energy costs. In 2010, the center obtained an owl as part of a program to teach children about environmental threats to

759-408: The fishery and creating a rocky rapid for kayaking. Two dams upstream of Bloede's Dam, Simkins and Union, were removed in 2010. The removal of Bloede's Dam leaves Daniels Dam, 9 miles (14 km) upstream, as the last remaining dam along the mainstem Patapsco River. In the early hours of March 26, 2024, the 1.6-mile-long (2.6 km) Francis Scott Key Bridge , which carried Interstate 695 over

792-692: The harbor deviate from the "mainstem" harbor: the Middle Branch Patapsco River, into which Gwynns Falls ; and the Northwest Branch Patapsco River, into which Jones Falls flows. The inner part of this estuary provides the harbor of Baltimore . Thoms Cove is further down the main harbor. The Patapsco estuary is south of the Back River and north of the Magothy River . The Patapsco has

825-568: The harbor. This is a list of all crossings of the main stem of the Patapsco River, as well as its two downstream short branches, the Middle Branch and Northwest Branch. Listings start downstream and continue upstream to the sources of the rivers. [REDACTED] I-395 Howard County Conservancy The Howard County Conservancy is a non-profit land trust that operates a nature center in Woodstock, Maryland . Founded in 1990,

858-631: The mainstem Patapsco River would open to anadromous fishes the remaining 6.5 miles (10.5 km) of Patapsco River mainstem, the entire 19.4 miles (31.2 km) length of the South Branch Patapsco River, 3.5 miles (5.6 km) of the North Branch Patapsco River up to the Liberty Dam , and many of these rivers' tributaries. The eastern portion of the Patapsco River is in a highly urbanized area and

891-564: The mouth. The first land record regarding Parr's Springs, the source of the South Branch, dates from 1744, when John Parr laid out a 200 acres (81 ha) tract he called Parr's Range. During the Civil War, Parr's Spring was a stop for the Army of the Potomac 's Brig. Gen. David M. Gregg 's cavalry, on June 29, 1863, while en route to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania . Parr's Spring was dug to form

924-455: The shops of Ellicott City. A 1956 flood severely damaged the Bartigis Brothers plant . In 1972, rainfall from the remnants of Hurricane Agnes damaged Ellicott City and the Old Main Line. Two died in the July 2016 Maryland flood ravaged Main Street, followed two years later by a May 2018 Maryland flood that took the life of a rescuer. The mouth of the Patapsco River forms Baltimore Harbor,

957-578: The site of the Battle of Baltimore during the War of 1812 . This is where Francis Scott Key , aboard the British HMS ; Tonnant , wrote " The Star-Spangled Banner ", a poem later set to music as the national anthem of the United States. Today, a red, white, and blue buoy marks where the ship was anchored. Bloede's Dam , a hydroelectric dam built in 1906, was on the Patapsco River within Patapsco Valley State Park ,

990-672: The southern boundary of Carroll County and the northern boundary of Howard County . The North Branch flows 20.9 miles (33.6 km) southward from its origins in Carroll County. Liberty Dam and its reservoir on the North Branch are major components of the Baltimore City water system. The Patapsco River mainstem begins at the confluence of the North and South Branches, near Marriottsville , about 15 miles (24 km) west of downtown Baltimore. Through most of its length,

1023-556: The valley, most notably the Thomas Viaduct and the Patterson Viaduct , of which ruins remain. Flour mills and a hydropower dam were formerly powered by the river. The valley is prone to flooding, though at long intervals. Modern floods include one in 1868 that washed away 14 houses killing 39 around Ellicott City. A 1923 flood topped bridges. In 1952 an eight-foot wall of water swept the shops of Ellicott City and

Patapsco Valley - Misplaced Pages Continue

1056-493: Was constructed in 1829 west along the Patapsco Valley; the nation's first railroad, the route remains, though much altered. Many railroad bridges were built in the valley, including the Thomas Viaduct , which is still in use, and the Patterson Viaduct , now in ruins. The 1907 hydropower Bloede's Dam powered flour mills. An 1868 flood washed away 14 houses and killed 39 people around Ellicott City . A 1923 flood topped bridges. In 1952, an 8 ft (2.4 m) wall of water swept

1089-408: Was the first European to explore the river, noting it on his 1612 map as the Bolus River. The "Red river", named after the clay color, is considered the "old Bolus", as other branches were also labeled Bolus on maps. As the river was not navigable beyond Elkridge, it was not a significant path of commerce; in 1723, only one ship was listed as serving the northern branch, and four others operating around

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