Tributaries of the Mattaponi River: Virginia's Hidden Waterways

The Mattaponi River, a major tributary of the York River in eastern Virginia, is fed by a network of smaller streams and creeks. While not exhaustive, the following are significant named tributaries that contribute to its flow:

• East River
• Polecat Creek
• Mill Creek
• North River
• Little River
• Totuskey Creek
• Pamunkey River (Note: The Pamunkey is actually a *sister* river joining the Mattaponi to form the York River at West Point; it is not a tributary of the Mattaponi itself.)

The Mattaponi flows southeast from the Piedmont through the Coastal Plain, maintaining relatively pristine water quality and supporting important spawning runs for American shad and river herring. Its watershed remains largely forested and rural, a rarity in the mid-Atlantic.