THE HYDROGRAPHY OF PRINCE 

 GEORGE'S COUNTY 



By 

 F. II. NEWELL 



IXTRODUCTORY. 



Prince George's County, sitiuited between two tidal rivers, Patnx- 

 ent on the east and Potomac on tlie west, is drained by small tribu- 

 taries of these two rivers. With the exception of the important 

 j)Ower development on Patuxent Puver at Laurel on the northeast 

 boundary of the county, there is no water power of any considerable 

 value in' the county, although several small powers on the tributaries 

 are used at grist mills. The tide in Patuxent Kiver, which has a 

 mean range of 1.5 feet at Xottingham in the southern part of the 

 county, flows to the ^'Fall-line" at Laurel. On Potomac River along 

 the west boundary of the county the mean range of tide is about 

 ;] feet. The soil is generally sandy. The surface is rolling and 

 hilly and is in farm lands wath snuill forest areas. There is no 

 irrigation. 



The Patuxext River Draixage Basix. 

 This river has its headwaters in Howard and Montgomery coun- 

 lies, and pursues a southeasterly and then a southerly course, form- 

 ing the boundary line between the counties of Howard, Anne Arundel 

 and Calvert on its left, and Montgomery, Prince George's, Charles 

 and St. ^^lary's on its right, and empties into Cliesapeake Bay IS 

 or 20 miles above the mouth of the Potomac. Its length, measured 

 on a straight line, is 80 miles and its drainage area is about i)(30 

 square miles. It is navigable 40 or 50 miles from its mouth and 

 crosses the "Fall-line" near Laurel. Its basin includes a hilly and 

 rolling country with no lakes, and soil of sand and clay with some 

 limestone in parts. The flow of the stream is very variable ; the bed 



