Patapsco River
| Patapsco River (Potapskut) | |
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| Country | United States |
|---|---|
| State | Maryland |
| Tributaries | |
| - left | North Branch |
| - right | South Branch |
| Cities | Baltimore, Elkridge, Ellicott City |
| Source | |
| - location | Marriottsville |
| - elevation | 260 ft (79 m) |
| - coordinates | 39°20′59″N 76°52′56″W / 39.3498272°N 76.8821987°W |
| Mouth | Chesapeake Bay |
| - location | Baltimore |
| - elevation | 0 ft (0 m) |
| - coordinates | 39°10′25″N 76°26′36″W / 39.1737202°N 76.4432935°WCoordinates: 39°10′25″N 76°26′36″W / 39.1737202°N 76.4432935°W |
| Basin | 632 sq mi (1,637 km2) |
 Patapsco River Watershed
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The Patapsco River is a 39-mile-long (63 km)river in central Maryland which 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."
The Patapsco proper begins at the confluence of the North and South Branches, near Marriottsville, approximately 15 miles (24 km) west of downtown Baltimore. The 19.4-mile-long (31.2 km) South Branch rises further west at Parrs Spring, where Howard County, Carroll, Frederick, and Montgomery counties meet. The North Branch flows 20.9 miles (33.6 km) southward from its origins in Carroll County. Through most of its length, the Patapsco is a minor river, flowing for the most part through a narrow valley. The last 10 miles (16 km), however, form a large tidal estuary inlet of Chesapeake Bay. The inner part of this estuary provides the harbor of Baltimore, composed of the Northwest Harbor and the Middle Branch including Thoms Cove. (See Baltimore Inner Harbor.) The Patapsco estuary is south of the Back River and north of the Magothy River.
The Patapsco has a watershed area (including the water surface) of 680 square miles (1,760 km2), or 632 square miles (1,637 km2) of land. Thus, its total watershed area is 7% water.
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