Sligo Creek

Sligo Creek is a free-flowing tributary of the Northwest Branch of the Anacostia River, which feeds into the Potomac River and eventually emptys into the Atlantic Ocean via Chesapeake Bay. The creek is approximately 8.3 statute miles (13.4 km) long, with a drainage area of about 11.6 mi² (38 km²).

Geography

The creek rises in the Kemp Mill section of Silver Spring in Montgomery County, Maryland, and joins with Northwest Branch near the City of Hyattsville in Prince George's County. The lower portion of the creek has been channelized. Elevations in the subwatershed range from 450 feet (137 meters) above sea level to 35 feet (10.6 metres) at the confluence with Northwest Branch; the average gradient for the course of the creek is 0.72%.

Contributing streams that flow into the creek include: Wheaton Branch, Comstock Branch, Takoma Park Branch, and Long Branch.

Sligo Creek is one of the most heavily urbanized subwatersheds in the Anacostia watershed, with a population density of 7,081 people per square mile. 75% of the watershed is in Montgomery County, 20% is in Prince George's County, and 5% is in the District of Columbia. Less than 15% of the subwatershed is undeveloped and only 10% is forested. Less than 0.01% is wetlands.

A hiker-biker trail and an automobile parkway run along much of the Montgomery County length of the creek. The creek crosses through the communities of Silver Spring, Wheaton, Takoma Park, Chillum and Hyattsville.

History

Over the years, Sligo Creek has served many purposes for area residents, including powering grist mills and as a water source. In the Takoma Park section of the creek (near Columbia Union College), the remains of a dam and associated building foundations for the Sligo Creek Waterworks can still be seen. From 1900 to 1930, the waterworks served the city of Takoma Park, as well as (after its sale in 1919 to the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission) Silver Spring, Kensington, and Bethesda.