Houston Branch Watershed
Watershed Description
Houston Branch downstream of Handy Road in Sussex County, Delaware
Houston Branch is a small tributaryof Marshyhope Creek. It is ditched for most of its length in Delaware and has a thin wooded buffer.
Watershed Area: 5,348 acres (2,164 hectares)
Location: Northwestern Sussex County in western Delaware between Marshyhope Creek on the north and Nanticoke River on the south.
Flow Direction: West towards Marshyhope Creek in Maryland and then to the Nanticoke River and on to the Chesapeake Bay.
Characteristics: Agricultural and rural watershed with a flat terrain that gently slopes west.
Major Vegetation Communities/Land Covers
Houston Branch is a small watershed that slightly more than half agricultural field. Forests, Mid-Atlantic Mesic Mixed Hardwood Forest, Northeastern Coastal Plain Mixed Oak/Heath Forest, and Red Maple-Gum Successional Swamp Forest take the #2 to #4 ranks. Northeastern Old Field covers a small amount but makes the #5 rank.
| Houston Branch Watershed Vegetation Communities/Land Cover (Top 5 for 2007) | ||
| Vegetation Community/Land Cover | Acres | Hectares |
| Agricultural Field | 2,793.00 | 1,130.00 |
| Mid-Atlantic Mesic Mixed Hardwood Forest | 725.00 | 294.00 |
| Northeastern Coastal Plain Mixed Oak/Heath Forest | 384.00 | 155.00 |
| Red Maple-Gum Successional Swamp Forest | 362.00 | 146.00 |
| Northeastern Old Field | 361.00 | 146.00 |
*The table above is subject to change with more watershed mapping.
Managed Lands
Links of Interest
Vegetation Community/Land Cover Maps Available
One vegetation community/land cover map based on 2007 aerial imagery is available in .pdf format. The map is in the process of completion and is provided “as is” for informational purposes. Email robcoxe@baccharisconsulting.com for shapefile requests.