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Total
Area: 9,932.8 acres
(15.52 Square miles)
Average Imperviousness: 20%
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Population:
34,700
Population Density: 2,236/mile2
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Forest
Cover (31%) Acres
Acres
Deciduous: 1,553.4
Coniferous: 187.0
Mixed: 897.1
Shrubland/Rangelands: 420.9
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Wetland
Cover (0.9%)
Acres
Deciduous Wooded: 45.6
Evergreen Wooded: 35.4
Emergent Herb-Sedge: 10.9
Mixed: 0.0
Open Water: 43.4
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The
confluence of Indian Creek with Paint Branch forms
the Northeast Branch of the Anacostia River; these two free-flowing
primary tributaries of the Northeast Branch join just south
of College Park, near Calvert Road. The Indian Creek subwatershed
is generally outlined by Van Dusen Road to the north, Edmonston
and Powder Mill roads to the east, and Old Gunpowder Road
and Baltimore Avenue to the west. The Indian Creek subwatershed
is located completely within Prince George's County.
Dominant
Land Uses: Dominant land uses in the Indian Creek subwatershed
include forest cover (31%), residential (26%), extractive
(sand and gravel mining, 12%), agricultural (11%), and industrial
(9%).
Physical
Characteristics: The Indian Creek subwatershed is 9,932.8
acres (15.5 mi2) in size and approximately 20% impervious.
Elevations range from 370 feet at the subwatershed divide
to 35 feet at the confluence with Paint Branch. Indian Creek,
which is contained wholly within the Coastal Plain physiographic
province, has an average mainstem gradient of 0.52%.
Biological
Characteristics: MDE has designated Indian Creek as Use
I waters. Both fish and macroinvertebrate populations in Indian
Creek have been found to be nonimpaired or slightly impaired
relative to reference conditions, ranking 90% and 67%, respectively
(Cummins et al., 1991). Coupled with aquatic habitat conditions
at the sampling location that are, at best, partially supporting,
the authors note the possibility of a nutrient enrichment
problem. This assertion is supported by water quality monitoring
which has detected consistently elevated levels of ortho-
phosphorus in Indian Creek (Herson-Jones et al., 1994).
Condition
Summary: The upper portion of the Indian Creek subwatershed,
located upstream of Virginia Manor-Ammendale Road, is dominated
by abandoned and active sand and gravel mining operations
and forest cover; much of the forest cover is classified as
shrub/scrub regenerating. Thirty-one percent of the total
subwatershed area is in forest cover, and 47% of the stream
miles retain an adequate forest buffer ( 300-foot total width;
see Section 2.1). The remainder of the subwatershed is largely
developed, featuring light industrial, residential, and commercial
land uses. In the lower portion of the subwatershed, long
reaches of the stream have been channelized, with poor parkland
buffering due to existing park management operations. Dominant
water quality problems include elevated levels of both ortho-phosphorus
(noted above as influencing biological conditions) and total
suspended solids. In addition to residential development,
possible nutrient sources include local nursery operations,
the Beltsville Industrial Park, a small portion of the Beltsville
Agricultural Research Center, and mining operations. Abandoned
and active mining operations are the most likely source of
elevated levels of TSS (Herson-Jones et al., 1994). These
TSS problems are likely aggravated by all-terrain vehicle
and motorcycle use in the upper portion of the subwatershed.
To
get involved in protecting your Anacostia subwatershed contact
Citizens
to Conserve and Restore Indian Creek.
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