What is the largest river that flows into the Chesapeake Bay?
3 min read
Asked by: Mike Lipschultz
Five substantial rivers feed the western half of the Bay: the Patuxent, Potomac, Rappahannock, York, and James. The Potomac is the longest and has the largest watershed.
What is the largest river that flows through Chesapeake?
The three largest rivers in order of both discharge and watershed area are the Susquehanna River, the Potomac River, and the James River.
Largest rivers.
| River | Mean annual flow (m3 s−1) | Watershed drainage area (km2)[2] |
|---|---|---|
| Susquehanna | 1,145 | 70,189 |
| Potomac | 347 | 30,044 |
| James | 234 | 19,684 |
| Rappahannock | 49 | 4,144 |
What is the largest river in Virginia and largest tributary of the Chesapeake Bay?
The James River
The James River is Virginia’s largest river, flowing across the entire state. It begins in the mountains at the confluence of the Cowpasture and Jackson Rivers in Botetourt County and ends at the Chesapeake Bay in Hampton Roads. The James is Virginia’s largest tributary to the Chesapeake Bay.
What four major rivers flow into the Chesapeake Bay?
Get out your Atlas and Gazetteer, and find where those 4 rivers run into the Chesapeake Bay. Almost all the rain that falls onto Virginia north of Interstate 64 drains into the Chesapeake Bay via the James, York, Rappahannock, and Potomac rivers.
What are the rivers that flow into the Chesapeake Bay considered impaired?
The District’s water bodies – the Anacostia and Potomac Rivers and Rock Creek – are considered impaired because they do not meet the designated uses for being “fishable” and “swimmable.” Other waters in neighboring states, such as the Susquehanna River and James River, are similarly impaired.
How many rivers flow into the Chesapeake Bay?
More than 150 major rivers and streams flow into the Bay’s 64,299-square-mile (166,534 km2) drainage basin, which covers parts of six states (New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia) and all of Washington, D.C.
Which of these are included in the 5 largest rivers in the Chesapeake Bay watershed?
The Susquehanna, Potomac, Rappahannock, York and James rivers are the five largest rivers in the Chesapeake Bay watershed.
What is the largest watershed in America?
The Mississippi River watershed
The Mississippi River watershed is the biggest watershed in the United States, draining more than three million square kilometers (one million square miles) of land. The Mississippi River watershed stretches from the Appalachian Mountains in the east to the Rocky Mountains in the west.
Where does the Shenandoah River flow?
The Main Stem Shenandoah River is formed when the North Fork and South Fork converge at Front Royal, Virginia. The Shenandoah flows for 57 miles until it empties into the Potomac River at Harpers Ferry, West Virginia.
Why is it called James River?
The Jamestown colonists who arrived in 1607 named it “James” after King James I of England ( r. 1603–1625), as they constructed the first permanent English settlement in the Americas at Jamestown along the banks of the James River about 35 miles (56 km) upstream from the Chesapeake Bay.
Which way does the Potomac flow?
The two branches (95 mi [150 km] and 130 mi long, respectively) flow generally northeast and unite southeast of Cumberland, Md., to continue southeast through the District of Columbia into Chesapeake Bay. The river drains an area of approximately 14,500 sq mi (37,600 sq km).
Are there sharks in the Potomac River?
TRICK: Yes, their are sharks in the Potomac River! As their name suggests, bull sharks are big and quite aggressive. Just last year, a fisherman caught a 310-pound, 8.6 foot long bull in the river. Bull sharks are unique in that, though they live mostly in saltwater, they can tolerate freshwater.
What state owns the Potomac River?
Except for a small portion of its headwaters in West Virginia, the North Branch Potomac River is considered part of Maryland to the low-water mark on the opposite bank. The South Branch Potomac River lies completely within the state of West Virginia except for its headwaters, which lie in Virginia.
