The
Patapsco River is a
river in central
Maryland which flows into the
Chesapeake Bay. The river's tidal portion forms the harbor for the city of
Baltimore. With its South Branch, the Patapsco forms the northern border of
Howard County, Maryland. The name "Patapsco" is derived from the
Algonquian pota-psk-ut, which translates to "backwater" or "tide covered with froth."