The Potomac River in Washington, D.C., with Arlington Memorial Bridge in the foreground and Rosslyn, Arlington, Virginia in the background. The Potomac River runs 405 mi (652 km) from Fairfax Stone Historical Monument State Park in West Virginia on the Allegheny Plateau to Point Lookout, Maryland, and drains 14,679 sq mi (38,020 km 2). The ...

1 day ago · What to know about the Washington, D.C., plane crash. Search efforts continue in the Potomac River after an American Airlines plane with 60 passengers and four crew on board collided in midair ...

1 day ago · A helicopter assists with search and rescue operations over the Potomac River near Ronald Reagan Washington Airport on Wednesday in Arlington, Virginia. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images ‘Complex ...

The river is navigable to Washington, D.C., above which it descends from the Piedmont in a series of rapids and falls, including Great Falls, a cataract about 35 feet (11 metres) high. The Potomac, noted for its beauty, is also rich in historical significance.

Dec 7, 2022 · The Potomac River is 652 km (405 miles) in length and has a drainage basin of 38,000 km 2 (14,700 square miles), which makes it the fourth largest river on the United States’ Atlantic Coast. It runs from Fairfax Stone, West Virginia to Chesapeak Bay.

Sep 2, 2020 · But you look at the Potomac, and it has just two major dams, way up in the West Virginia highlands, and one levee, at Georgetown Harbour. This is a wild river right at our doorstep, which is incredible.” The Potomac starts as a trickle in West Virginia’s Fairfax Stone Historical Monument State Park, more than 3,000 feet above sea level.

After decades of decline, the Potomac River is on its way to recovery. The Potomac Conservancy has given the river increasingly higher marks since 2011, saying it’s the only major Chesapeake Bay tributary to achieve short- and long-term nutrient reductions in its headwaters.

May 16, 2024 · It highlights the river's significance for regional development, and also its rich vegetation and diverse wildlife found along the riverbanks demonstrate the Potomac's essential role in preserving regional ecosystems.

Physical/ Habitat Description - The warmwater nontidal Potomac River, commonly referred to as the “Upper Potomac”, stretches from Cumberland to Washington D.C., forming Maryland’s southern boundary for over 200 miles. The watershed drains roughly 11,200 square miles encompassing Pennsylvania, Maryland, West Virginia, and Virginia.

A Deep Dive into Potomac River History. An exploration of the people, organizations, and events that make the Potomac River what it is today and what it will become.