| South River | |
|---|---|
| Location | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Maryland |
| Cities | Annapolis, South River, Riva, Edgewater, Mayo, Selby-on-the-Bay |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | |
| • location | Crownsville, Maryland |
| Source confluence | North River |
| Mouth | Chesapeake Bay |
• location | Thomas Point |
• elevation | 0 ft (0 m) |
| Basin features | |
| Tributaries | |
| • left | Broad Creek, Gingerville Creek, Church Creek, Crab Creek, Aberdeen Creek, Harness Creek, Duvall Creek |
| • right | Flat Creek, Beards Creek, Warehouse Creek, Almshouse Creek, Glebe Bay, Selby Bay |
The South River is a 10-mile-long (16 km)[1] tributary of the Chesapeake Bay in Anne Arundel County, Maryland in the United States. It lies south of the Severn River, east of the Patuxent River, and north of the West River and Rhode River, and drains to the Chesapeake Bay.
Total watershed area is 66 square miles (170 km2)(including water surface), 56 square miles (150 km2) (or 85%) of it land. From its headwaters in western Anne Arundel County in Crofton, the river enters the Chesapeake Bay south of the historic port city of Annapolis, hence the name South River. Its major non-tidal branches include the North River, which is the non-tidal portion of the South River, and Bacon Ridge Branch, which drains the area east of the North River. Their confluence is between Maryland Route 450 (Defense Highway) and US 50 (John Hanson Highway). Some of the creeks on its north shore drain highly developed portions of Annapolis, especially Church Creek, which drains much of the Parole and Annapolis Harbour shopping centers.
The navigable portion of the South River is crossed by two bridges, one carrying Maryland Route 2 (Solomons Island Road), known as the South River Bridge, and the other carrying Riva Road, known as the Riva Bridge. A bridge carrying US 50 crosses its upper tidal reaches.