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The Watts Branch Watershed 

The Watts Branch watershed is located in the Potomac River basin drainage of Montgomery County and consists primarily of residential land uses. Like many middle Potomac tributaries, this watershed is influenced by historic development patterns that saw the evolution of major cross-roads at high points in the landscape. The City of Rockville occupies the headwaters of Watts Branch, and over time, the I-270 corridor has grown and traverses the upper section of the watershed to connect major County population centers. Pockets of high density commercial and research and development centers, important components of the County's overall economy, are now located in the headwaters of many of the Watts Branch tributaries. Land uses gradually transition to lower densities and predominately residential uses in the downstream reaches of Watts Branch.

Resource conditions are good in the upper and western tributaries of Piney Branch and the Lower Sandy Branch. Conditions are fair throughout the rest of Watts Branch. This fair condition reflects the observed flow problems stemming from uncontrolled runoff in much of the watershed. Although rated as fair, Lower Watts Branch supports a fish community of approximately 25 species. Many of the more tolerant species are well represented, although some sensitive fish species are found in fewer numbers. Smallmouth bass are found in many of the pools in Watts Branch and colorful greenside darters can be observed in the rocky bottom runs.

The Piney Branch tributary was designated a Special Protection Area in 1995 in recognition of the high quality stream condition in this tributary and the need for special protection measures to protect this resource as its upper reaches developed. The high water quality and cool steady baseflow found in this tributary are important to maintaining conditions downstream in the mainstem. This fragile tributary has a relatively small channel and is particularly sensitive to flow conditions, with very little assimilative capacity to deal with impacts. It is currently undergoing a great deal of stress resulting from drought conditions (1995) and high flows (1996) as well as a sediment discharge problem associated with a malfunctioning sediment control structure which has since been corrected. These stresses to the system have resulted in only fair stream conditions in the mainstem. Careful management and implementation of special protection area requirements should enable this stream to recover from what should be temporary impacts to regain the high quality conditions that led to SPA designation.

Efforts underway and planned by both the City of Rockville and the County are addressing problems in the Watts Branch watershed, primarily in upstream areas where previous development occurred without adequate stormwater management. Detailed analysis of the 1996 monitoring data will provide the basis for establishing measurable goals for restoring stream conditions and will ultimately lead to development of an action plan to address watershed restoration needs. This plan will include the study and implementation of projects to add runoff controls where feasible, restore impaired stream habitat, and reduce further degradation to the extent possible. A Watershed Restoration Action Plan for Watts Branch will be developed with a watershed advisory group made up of local watershed residents and businesses. Work to begin development of the action plan is currently scheduled to begin in 1999 and to be completed in the Spring of 2001. This will be complemented by the efforts underway by the City of Rockville to develop a plan to address conditions in the headwater areas within their jurisdiction.

Watts Branch Stream Condition, Habitat Conditions and Management Category Designation

Stream Condition
Habitat Condition
Primary Factors Affecting Stream Condition
Unique Characteristics and Management Category

(outside City of Rockville)

Watershed Restoration Area

Existing Regulatory Special Protection Area

Although water quality was high, a Use I classification was retained due to inadequate stream flow to support natural trout propagation.

Existing Regulatory Special Protection Area

Lower Main

FAIR
GOOD

Existing Regulatory Special Protection Area

Watershed Protection Area - regular

Watts Branch Management Categories

The Potomac Subregion Master Plan Study is currently underway which will include an examination of land use and stream condition relationships. Watershed management approaches will be updated in the CSPS as necessary to respond to land use recommendations.

Watershed Protection Areas

This management category includes the western subwatersheds of Watts Branch. Three different protection levels are currently designated, in order to respond to different levels of stream protection needs.

Special level of protection - Existing Regulatory Special Protection Area

The Piney Branch tributary to Watts Branch was designated a Special Protection Area in 1995. SPA designation provides a higher level of protection to help mitigate impacts of planned development. Piney Branch contains much of the highest quality habitat and biological community remaining in the watershed. The current problems being seen in Piney Branch stem from prior agricultural uses, current development projects which were approved prior to the establishment of the Piney Branch Special Protection Area, and unusual flow conditions. To the extent that these impacts are temporary, future conditions in the watershed should return to the high quality conditions which led to the SPA designation. The existence of pockets of stable high quality resource, as in the upper reaches and West Piney Branch tributary, will facilitate the recovery of areas which have seen recent impacts.

• Continued implementation of the special protection area regulations.

Remedial level of protection

Within the context of Watershed Protection Areas, remedial efforts to address special problem areas that are influencing overall watershed conditions are needed to improve conditions from FAIR to GOOD in Upper Sandy Branch and Greenbriar Branch. In these areas, in-stream impoundments and impacts to the riparian buffer may be contributing to impairment. Targeting areas in need of remedial improvements can potentially halt the degradation which is occurring and forestall the need for more costly efforts in the future.

• Targeted Public Education and Outreach, and cooperative efforts with private landowners to improve riparian areas.

• Further evaluate relationships between land use and stream conditions through the Potomac Subregion Master Plan Study

Regular level of protection

This management category is designated for Lower Sandy Branch, where existing stream conditions are good and current environmental guidelines and regulations should continue to protect these areas, based on current land use.

• Continued application of current environmental guidelines and regulations and other regular protection tools.

Watershed Restoration Areas

The Lower Watts Branch, and the mainstem and all tributaries above the confluence with Piney Branch are designated Watershed Restoration Areas. Some impervious areas within the high density commercial and R&D areas have stormwater controls. In the areas with no controls, or where the methods that were used have become outdated and more effective designs are possible, retrofits to improve performance of older structures as well as to provide new controls may be feasible to improve conditions and provide opportunities for downstream habitat improvement and stream restoration efforts. Residential areas of the watershed are also designated Watershed Restoration Areas, out of the need to address the effects of uncontrolled runoff from residential areas that developed without stormwater controls. The City of Rockville is currently undertaking watershed restoration efforts within its jurisdiction, and the County has scheduled watershed restoration planning efforts for Watts Branch to commence in 1999. An inventory of stream conditions has been conducted in preparation for restoration planning efforts.

• Pursue comprehensive approach to watershed restoration through development of a watershed restoration action plan, to include study and implementation of potential stormwater retrofit projects, stream habitat improvements, and public education and volunteer projects.

Maps

Land Cover
Impervious Area
Stream Condition
Management Categories

Land Cover Graph

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