South Branch Potomac River

South Branch Potomac River
Tributary to Potomac River
The South Branch near South Branch Depot, West Virginia
South Branch Potomac River mouth
South Branch Potomac River mouth
Location of mouth of South Branch Potomac River
Location
CountryUnited States
StateWest Virginia, Maryland, Virginia
Physical characteristics
SourceBurners Run divide
 • locationabout 2 miles east of Hightown, Virginia
 • coordinates38°25′30.43″N 079°36′30.13″W / 38.4251194°N 79.6083694°W / 38.4251194; -79.6083694[1]
 • elevation3,520 ft (1,070 m)[1]
MouthPotomac River
 • location
about 1 mile east of Green Spring, West Virginia
 • coordinates
39°31′42.33″N 078°35′15.05″W / 39.5284250°N 78.5875139°W / 39.5284250; -78.5875139[1]
 • elevation
525 ft (160 m)[1]
Length113.51 mi (182.68 km)[2]
Basin size1,438.61 square miles (3,726.0 km2)[3]
Discharge 
 • locationPotomac River
 • average1,535.65 cu ft/s (43.485 m3/s) at mouth with Potomac River[3]
Basin features
ProgressionPotomac RiverChesapeake BayAtlantic Ocean
River systemPotomac River
Tributaries 
 • leftFrank Run, Key Run, Elk Run, East Dry Run, Hammer Run, Moyer Run, Smith Creek, Peters Run, Buffalo Run, Kentuck Run, Reeds Creek, Briggs Run, Dry Hollow, Redman Run, North Fork South Branch Potomac River, Hoglan Run, Lunice Creek, Hutton Run, Anderson Run
 • rightWest Strait Creek, Big Run, Liberty Run, Thorn Creek, Propst Run, Conrad Gap Run, Hayes Gap Run, Deer Run, Mill Run, Landes Hollow, Mill Creek, Durgon Creek, South Fork South Branch Potomac River, Fort Run, Stony Run, Sawmill Run, Buffalo Run
BridgesVA 640 (x2), Lonesome Trail, VA 25, Dickerson Mountain Road, Gambill Road, US 33, Hammer Homestead Drive, Potomac River Lane, Squire Lane, Schmucker Road, US 220, South Branch Trail, US 220 (x2), Fisher Road, US 48, US 220, US 50, WV 28, Springfield Pike
Oblique air photo of the confluence of the North and South Branches near Green Spring, West Virginia. Facing southwest. River Mountain is on the right, and Town Hill is on the left.

The South Branch Potomac River has its headwaters in northwestern Highland County, Virginia, near Hightown along the eastern edge of the Allegheny Front. After a river distance of 139 miles (224 km),[4] the mouth lies east of Green Spring, Hampshire County, West Virginia, where it meets the North Branch Potomac River to form the Potomac.[5]

  1. ^ a b c d "Geographic Names Information System". edits.nationalmap.gov. US Geological Survey. Retrieved 7 November 2022.
  2. ^ "ArcGIS Web Application". epa.maps.arcgis.com. US EPA. Retrieved November 5, 2022.
  3. ^ a b "South Branch Potomac River Watershed Report". watersgeo.epa.gov. US EPA. Retrieved 7 November 2022.
  4. ^ U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data. The National Map Archived March 29, 2012, at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved August 15, 2011
  5. ^ Topographic map of the confluence of the North and South branches of the Potomac River Archived March 12, 2007, at the Wayback Machine