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The Lower Potomac River Basin The Lower Potomac River, along with all tributary basins in the Chesapeake, contribute to and are impacted by nutrient pollution. |
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In the Lower Potomac River basin, land use is primarily forested land, with some agricultural and developed lands. Because forest lands deliver relatively small nutrients, the largest source of nutrients come from urban non-point sources, agriculture and point sources. In this basin, as in the rest of the state, forest and wetlands are a land use that releases few nutrients to rivers and the Bay. Other nutrient sources include air sources. Baywide, approximately 33% of nitrogen loads come from these atmospheric sources; however, that varies from basin to basin and is included in land based loads. Download the complete Basin Overview to learn more about the Lower Potomac River Basin. See the latest Lower Potomac River water quality data (charts for water temperature, salinity, water clarity and dissolved oxygen) at Ragged Point or at Indian Head, or see water quality for other Bay tributaries. For water quality status and long-term trends, see our status and trends maps. Also, please check out the Basin Summary for the Lower Potomac River Tributary Basin. |
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Nutrient pollution can be divided into two major categories – point sources (pollution that comes from a single, definable location, such as a wastewater treatment plant or industrial discharge) and nonpoint sources (pollution that cannot be attributed to a clearly identifiable, specific physical location, such as runoff from land and atmospheric deposition). Runoff from different land uses, point sources, and atmospheric deposition are the major sources of nutrients within the Bay watershed.