Occoquan River

Occoquan River Tributary to Potomac River
Occoquan River near Fountainhead Regional Park
Location of Occoquan River mouth Show map of Virginia Occoquan River (the United States) Show map of the United States
Location
Country	United States
State	Virginia
County	Fairfax Prince William
Town	Occoquan
Physical characteristics
Source	confluence of Broad Run and Cedar Run[2]
• location	Brentsville, Virginia
• coordinates	38°41′17″N 077°29′19″W / 38.68806°N 77.48861°W / 38.68806; -77.48861[1]
• elevation	149 ft (45 m)[1]
Mouth	Potomac River
• location	Belmont Bay, about 2 miles southeast of Woodbridge, Virginia[2]
• coordinates	38°39′15″N 077°13′34″W / 38.65417°N 77.22611°W / 38.65417; -77.22611[1]
• elevation	0 ft (0 m)[2]
Length	26.81 mi (43.15 km)[3]
Basin size	616.11 square miles (1,595.7 km2)[4]
Discharge
• location	Potomac River
• average	775.94 cu ft/s (21.972 m3/s) at mouth with Potomac River[4]
Basin features
Progression	northeast then southeast[3]
River system	Potomac River
Tributaries
• left	Broad Run, Piney Branch, Cabin Run, Bull Run, Wolf Run, Stillwell Run, Sandy Run, Elkhorn Run, Massey Creek
• right	Cedar Run, Purcell Branch, Champs Mill Branch, Crooked Creek, Airport Creek, Hooes Run
Waterbodies	Lake Jackson Occoquan Reservoir
Bridges	VA 234, VA 294, VA 663, VA 123, I-95, US 1

The Occoquan River is a tributary of the Potomac River in Northern Virginia, where it serves as part of the boundary between Fairfax and Prince William counties. The river is a scenic area, and several local high schools and colleges use the river for the sport of rowing.^[5]

The river is 24.7 miles (39.8 km) long,

Geographers, foremost

Between c. 1900 and 1976, the Occoquan was frequently called "Occoquan Creek," but a campaign to restore its status as a river was successfully conducted by Rosemary Selecman.[9]

The Occoquan has three dams along its length. The first is at the town of Occoquan, a reservoir belonging to the Fairfax County Water Authority, which serves as a source of drinking water for parts of Fairfax and Prince William counties. The Occoquan Reservoir stretches from Occoquan to Bull Run. Further upriver is Lake Jackson. The dam that creates Lake Jackson is at Virginia State Route 234, Dumfries Road, and is a former hydroelectric facility. Today the dam contains the lake, but has not produced electricity in several decades. There is a third dam up Broad Run from its confluence with Cedar Run; this dam forms Lake Manassas, which is the primary water supply for the city of Manassas.

Sandy Run Regional Park is at

The Occoquan River is bordered by three parks administered by the

• Upper Occoquan Sewage Authority
• List of rivers of Virginia

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Occoquan River.

• Friends of the Occoquan
• Occoquan River Maritime Association (ORMA)
• Occoquan Watershed Coalition
• Occoquan Watershed Monitoring Laboratory (OWML)
• Northern Virginia Regional Commission: Occoquan Basin Nonpoint Pollution Management Program
• The Potomac Appalachian Trail Club - Bull Run/Occoquan Trail
• A Blog about living and boating on the Occoquan River, includes a map of marinas