Powells Creek (Potomac River tributary)

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This article is about the creek in Prince William County, Virginia. For the creek in Prince George County, Virginia, see Powell's Creek (James River tributary).
Powells Creek
Powells Creek.jpg
Powells Creek in a forest near Eagles Pointe in Woodbridge
Location
CountryUnited States
StateVirginia
CountyPrince William County
Physical characteristics
Mouth 
 • location
Potomac River
 • coordinates
38°35′02″N 77°15′52″W / 38.5840°N 77.2644°W / 38.5840; -77.2644Coordinates: 38°35′02″N 77°15′52″W / 38.5840°N 77.2644°W / 38.5840; -77.2644
 • elevation
0 feet (0 m)

Powells Creek (also sometimes spelt Powell's Creek) is a tributary of the lower tidal segment of the Potomac River in eastern Prince William County, Virginia, United States.[1]

Course[]

Northeast Regional crossing Powells Creek Bridge

Powells Creek starts northeast of the in Independent Hill. The creek flows southeast from there and crosses Minnieville Road and Spriggs Road before being interrupted in Montclair at Lake Montclair. Powells Creek continues flow southeast crossing Waterway Drive and Northgate Drive then under Interstate 95 into the Eagles Pointe community where it passes through a tunnel under Kramer Estate Drive. The creek then passes under U.S. Route 1 and into the swamplands near the mouth in Leesylvania State Park. The mouth is finally crossed by Powells Creek Bridge and flows into the Potomac River at the Maryland border.[2]

Powells Creek at Leesylvania State Park

History[]

Powells Creek was originally referred to by the Doeg people as Yosococomico, who inhabited the region from the 1600s to the 1700s.

On 3 December 2004, an accident occurred on the U.S. Route 1 bridge over Powells Creek where a truck hauling 27 tons of lime lost its trailer over the side of the bridge and into Powells Creek, spilling the material into the creek and killing fish.[3][4]

In 2020, a boardwalk over Powells Creek connecting the Potomac Shores development and Leesylvania States Park similar to the Neabsco Creek Boardwalk was considered by David Brickley, proposer of the Neabsco Creek Boardwalk, and supported by Woodbridge District Supervisor Margaret Franklin.[5]

In April 2021, the Prince William County Department of Public Works began work on its largest project, a nearly 1-mile restoration project along Powells Creek in Montclair, replacing sediment on the banks of the creek with wetlands to prevent flooding and damage to a sanitary sewer main transmission line and to restore the creek to its original state before development in the area.[6]

References[]

  1. ^ "Powells Creek". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey. Retrieved 9 March 2021.
  2. ^ "Powell's Creek Watershed". Prince William Conservation Alliance. Retrieved 7 February 2021.
  3. ^ Weiss, Eric (4 December 2004). "Lime Dumped Into Va. Creek Kills Fish". The Washington Post. Retrieved 7 February 2021.
  4. ^ "Powell's Creek Lime Spill; December 3, 2004". Prince William Conservation Alliance. Retrieved 7 February 2021.
  5. ^ "A Walk on the Wild(life) Side". Prince William Living. 1 April 2020. Retrieved 12 March 2021.
  6. ^ "Powells Creek restoration project underway". Potomac Local. 27 April 2021. Retrieved 16 July 2021.
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