Main Features and History

Ferry Point Yacht Basin, a public marina with a boat ramp, is at the mouth of Mill Creek. It is reached from Mago Vista Road; near the end of that road, turn left on River Road and look for the marina entrance. Their address and phone are 700 Mill Creek Rd, Arnold, 410-544-6368; call first to make sure their ramp is available and check their hours and fees. In the ADC map book see Map 15, grid G6.

Moving from Mill Creek downriver towards Forked Creek, you go around South Ferry Point, which has some interesting SAV beds (see Living resources below). Next you pass Spriggs Pond (ADC map 15, grid J7), which has a narrow dredged opening, and go around Wilson’s Wharf to Forked Creek.

Water Quality

MRA sampled a station outside the mouth of this creek and Dividing Creek from 1992 to 1996, called MR5. Water quality was generally good.

Living Resources

SAV: The main species in Mill Creek is horned pondweed; in some springs it has almost filled the creek form shore to shore, except for the channel. A few scattered shoots of Eurasian watermilfoil were also found in 1997 near the upper limit of navigation.

Moving downriver from the creek, South Ferry Point has beds of wild celery, redhead grass, and widgeongrass. This is the farthest upriver that wild celery has been found, and the farthest upriver record for widgeongrass on the south shore. The beds are mostly upriver of the pier with the huge boat house, and some are quite close to the bulkhead. WARNING: there are numerous stone groins sticking out from the bulkheads, so watch out for these if you approach the shore looking for SAV beds.

Moving farther downriver, Sprigg’s Pond has not had any SAV mapped by the aerial survey. In late June, 1996, ground surveys showed horned pondweed growing in this pond. Sprigg’s Pond seems to be a favorite turtle habitat, probably snapping turtles. A resident of 50 years ago caught huge terrapins here and sold them to Baltimore restaurants.

Non-Tidal

The non-tidal portion of Mill Creek is quite long, extending almost to Arnold Road at Ritchie Highway, which is the southern watershed boundary between the Magothy and Severn Rivers. It drains the eastern edge of the Anne Arundel Community College campus; the rest of the campus is drained by Dividing Creek