Quincy Run is one of the 8 Tidal Tributaries of the Anacostia River. It flows through the northeastern reach of a greenway which forms a riparian buffer for this fragile, but remarkable river. The riparian area along Quincy Run extends this greenway, however fragmented, through historic Bladensburg, to the Baltimore Washington Parway -itself a unique and extensive greenway.
Quincy Run's greenway terminates in a preserved nature Park in Cheverly. Neighbors living in the headwaters report visits by some of the large waterbirds which navigate along the greenway to back yard fishpond for a snack. The greenway is also used by osprey which nest in Cheverly's watertower about 1 mile east of the confluence.
Quincy Run Watershed
From its headwaters in the Cheverly Nature Park, Quincy Run flows westward 1.3 miles through residential neighborhoods, the Bladensburg Neighborhood Park, Kenilworth North Industrial Area, and on to its confluence with the Anacostia River at the Bladensburg Waterfront Park. The watershed includes 488 acres of residential, commercial, industrial, and institutional property, as well as natural areas. This includes such important sites as Bladensburg Elementary School, the Port Towns Community Boathouse, and the historic Bostwick House.
Everyone in Maryland lives with 15 minutes of a river or stream. Don't see flowing water near your home? Many urban streams flow in underground pipes. For almost one third of its total length, Quincy Run is confined in pipes.
Near its confluence with the Anacostia at the Bladensburg Waterfront Park, Quincy Run is crossed by the Anacostia Riverwalk Trail, opened in October of 2016. At high tide, paddling is possible for a distance of about 500 feet up Quincy Run. There passage is blocked to watercraft by a grill where the stream flows below the CSX Railroad. Despite this barrier and the concrete channel which carries the stream through the WSSC Service Yard, Quincy Run is home to beaver, fish, frogs, salamanders and many other species. Terrestrial animals, including fox, deer, and racoons, live in the larger natural areas of the watershed. The "navigable" section of the stream is sheltered and provides glimpses of the remnant ecosystems that Friends of Quincy Run work to restore.
Adam Ortiz, Director of the Prince George's County Department of the Environment finds a yellow snake in Bladensburg Neighborhood Park
volunteer finds a salamander at a planting event
Adam Ortiz, Director of the Prince George's County Department of the Environment finds a yellow snake in Bladensburg Neighborhood Park
The Anacostia Watershed is comprized of 176 square miles - 112,640 acres - including parts of the District of Columbia, Prince George's and Montgomery Counties. Largest of the 8 major watersheds in Prince George's County, the Anacostia is part of the Potomac River Basin - an important tributary of the Chesapeake Bay.