The Patuxent River one of the three main tributaries that drains into the Chesapeake Bay. The other two are the Potomac and Patapsco Rivers, which the Patuxent run in between. The Patuxent River is also the longest river (and watershed) that runs within the state.
The section of the Little Patuxent River where we collected our samples can be found where it crosses over Patuxent Road, just South of Piney Orchard in Odenton and East of the Patuxent Research Refuge. It is in a heavily vegetated area containing very little sunlight. There are a lot of trees and bushes. The bed of the stream was more silty and less rocky than Athletic stream. They are approximately the same width, but Little Patuxent may be a little deeper overall. 