Mattawoman Creek 3.47

Mattawoman Creek is a 30.0mi coastal-plain tributary to the tidal Potomac River with a mouth at Indian Head, Maryland, downstream of Washington, D.C. It comprises a 23mi river flowing through Prince George's and Charles counties and a 7mi tidal-freshwater estuary in Charles County. About three-fourths of its 94sqmi watershed lies in Charles County, with the remainder in Prince George's County immediately to the north.Mattawoman appears on Capt. John Smith's circa-1608 map as Mataughquamend, an Algonquian compound translated as “where one goes pleasantly.” Today, Mattawoman Creek is listed by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as impaired under Section 303(d) of the Clean Water Act for excess nutrients, sediment, and loss of living resources. At the same time, because it is the southernmost Potomac River freshwater estuary in Maryland, Mattawoman has escaped much of the degradation associated with urbanization spreading from Washington, D.C. It retains noteworthy biodiversity.