Wicomico River (Maryland eastern shore)

The Wicomico River (Template:IPAc-en Template:Respell) is a Template:Convert<ref name=NHD>U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data. The National Map Template:Webarchive, accessed April 1, 2011</ref> tributary of the Chesapeake Bay on the eastern shore of Maryland. It drains an area of low marshlands and farming country in the middle Delmarva Peninsula.

It rises in northern Wicomico County, close to the Delaware state line, and flows generally southwest, through Salisbury, its head of navigation is Monie Bay on the eastern edge of the Chesapeake Bay between Mt. Vernon and Waterview approximately Template:Convert southwest of Salisbury. The lower Template:Convert of the river form a tidal estuary.

The gentle free-flowing river is a popular destination for recreational canoeing and kayaking, as well as recreational fishing and crabbing. The river has also become a hotspot for water sports such as wakeboarding and water skiing due to its consistently smooth surface. Barge traffic on the river has made Salisbury the primary shipping point for goods on the Delmarva Peninsula over the last several centuries. Two automobile cable ferries cross the river at Whitehaven and Upper Ferry.

A civic group, the Wicomico Creekwatchers, have been testing water quality at 22 different points along the river since 2002.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The City of Salisbury partners with Wicomico Creekwatchers, and provides funding.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Their 2016 report, released in April 2017, showed that the water quality decreased compared to 2015, with higher levels of phosphorus, nitrogen, and bacteria.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Etymology

The name Wicomico derives from the Nanticoke words {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}, meaning "a place where houses are built," referring to a Native American village on the banks. The river shares the same name with the Wicomico River (a tributary of the Potomac River) in south-central Maryland.

Tributaries

There are various tributaries and ponds which contribute to the Wicomico River.<ref>Wicomico Creekwatchers</ref>

• Beaverdam Creek
• Colbourne Mill Pond
• Johnson Pond
• Parker Pond
• Rockawalkin Creek
• Schumaker Pond
• Shiles Creek
• Tony Tank Pond
• Wicomico Creek

External links

• http://www.wicomicoriver.org - this website includes information on the natural and cultural history of the river, as well as recreational opportunities.
• https://www.salisbury.edu/wicomicocreekwatchers/ - this website includes water quality data (primarily nitrogen and phosphorus) going back to 2002.
• Template:Usurped

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