ORIGIN - Potomac River
Posted by: 
flyingmoose
N 39° 11.716 W 079° 29.270
17S E 630583 N 4339535
Situated near Blackwater Falls State Park, The begining of the North Branch Potomac River starts here, marked by the Fairfx Stone.
Waymark Code: WM38E6
Location: West Virginia, United States
Date Posted: 02/25/2008
Views: 59
The river forms part of the borders between Maryland and Washington, D.C. (the District of Columbia) on the left bank and West Virginia and Virginia on the river's right bank. The entire lower Potomac River is part of the State of Maryland, with the exception of a small tidal portion within the District of Columbia. Except for a small portion of its headwaters in West Virginia, the North Branch Potomac River is considered part of Maryland to the low water mark on the opposite bank. The South Branch Potomac River lies completely within the state of West Virginia except for its headwaters, which lie in Virginia.
The Potomac River runs 383 miles (616 km) from the Fairfax Stone in West Virginia to Point Lookout, Maryland and drains 14,679 square miles (38,018 km²). The average flow is 10,800 ft³/s (306 m³/s). The largest flow ever recorded on the Potomac at Washington, D.C. was in March 1936 when it reached 425,000 ft³/s (12,000 m³/s). The lowest flow ever recorded at the same location was 600 ft³/s (17 m³/s) in September 1966.
Once the Potomac drops from the Piedmont to the Coastal Plain, tides further influence the river as it passes through Washington, D.C. and beyond. Salinity in the Potomac River Estuary increases thereafter with distance downstream. The estuary also widens, reaching 11 statute miles (17 km) wide at its mouth, between Point Lookout, Maryland and Smith Point, Virginia before flowing into the Chesapeake Bay.
Relevant Web Site: [Web Link]
Parking Coordinates: Not listed
Trailhead Coordinates: Not listed
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