| Housatonic River | |
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 Looking south down the Housatonic River towards the I-95 bridge in Milford, CT. Milford is a city in New Haven County, Connecticut, United States.
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| Country | USA |
| States | Connecticut, Massachusetts |
| Counties | Fairfield, CT, Litchfield, CT, Berkshire, MA |
| Major city | Pittsfield, MA |
| Length | 149 mi (240 km) |
| Watershed | 1,948 sq mi (5,045 km²) |
| Discharge at | Stratford/Milford, CT |
| - average | 4,700 cu ft/s (133 m³/s) |
| - maximum | 48,600 cu ft/s (1,376 m³/s) |
| - minimum | 54 cu ft/s (2 m³/s) |
| Discharge elsewhere | |
| - Great Barrington, MA | 767 cu ft/s (22 m³/s) |
| Source | Muddy Pond |
| - location | Washington, Berkshire County, Massachusetts, USA |
| - coordinates | |
| - elevation | 1,440 ft (439 m) |
| Mouth | Long Island Sound |
| - location | Milford, New Haven County, Connecticut, USA |
| - coordinates | |
| - elevation | 0 ft (0 m) |
 Housatonic River watershed
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The Housatonic River is a river, approximately 149 mi (240 km) long, in western Massachusetts and western Connecticut in the United States. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Connecticut ( is a state located in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The Commonwealth of Massachusetts ( is a state located in the New England region of the northeastern United States. A county is a Land area of Regional Government within a larger State. Named after the extremely large area of salt-marshes and swamps both on the coast and inland Fairfield County is located in the southwestern corner of the U Litchfield County is located in the northwestern corner of the U For the Royal County of Berkshire UK see Berkshire Berkshire County is a non-governmental County located on the western A mile is a unit of Length, usually used to measure Distance, in a number of different systems including Imperial units United States The kilometre ( American spelling: kilometer) symbol km is a unit of Length in the Metric system, equal to one thousand The square mile is an imperial and US unit of Area equal the area of a square of one statute mile. Square Kilometre ( US spelling square kilometer) symbol km2, is a decimal multiple of the SI unit of Stratford is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States, located on Long Island Sound at the mouth of the Housatonic Milford is a city in New Haven County, Connecticut, United States. Connecticut ( is a state located in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The cubic foot is an imperial and US customary (non- metric) unit of Volume, used in the United States Canada and the United Kingdom The second ( SI symbol s) sometimes abbreviated sec, is the name of a unit of Time, and is the International System of Units CM3 redirects here If you were looking for the 3rd game in the Cooking Mama series abbreviated as CM3 see here. The second ( SI symbol s) sometimes abbreviated sec, is the name of a unit of Time, and is the International System of Units The cubic foot is an imperial and US customary (non- metric) unit of Volume, used in the United States Canada and the United Kingdom The second ( SI symbol s) sometimes abbreviated sec, is the name of a unit of Time, and is the International System of Units CM3 redirects here If you were looking for the 3rd game in the Cooking Mama series abbreviated as CM3 see here. The second ( SI symbol s) sometimes abbreviated sec, is the name of a unit of Time, and is the International System of Units The cubic foot is an imperial and US customary (non- metric) unit of Volume, used in the United States Canada and the United Kingdom The second ( SI symbol s) sometimes abbreviated sec, is the name of a unit of Time, and is the International System of Units CM3 redirects here If you were looking for the 3rd game in the Cooking Mama series abbreviated as CM3 see here. The second ( SI symbol s) sometimes abbreviated sec, is the name of a unit of Time, and is the International System of Units Great Barrington is a town in Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States. The cubic foot is an imperial and US customary (non- metric) unit of Volume, used in the United States Canada and the United Kingdom The second ( SI symbol s) sometimes abbreviated sec, is the name of a unit of Time, and is the International System of Units CM3 redirects here If you were looking for the 3rd game in the Cooking Mama series abbreviated as CM3 see here. The second ( SI symbol s) sometimes abbreviated sec, is the name of a unit of Time, and is the International System of Units Washington is a town in Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States. For the Royal County of Berkshire UK see Berkshire Berkshire County is a non-governmental County located on the western The Commonwealth of Massachusetts ( is a state located in the New England region of the northeastern United States. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the A foot (plural feet or foot; symbol or abbreviation ft or sometimes &prime – the prime symbol) is a non-SI unit The metre or meter is a unit of Length. It is the basic unit of Length in the Metric system and in the International Long Island Sound is an Estuary of the Atlantic Ocean and various Rivers in the United States that lies between the coast of Connecticut Milford is a city in New Haven County, Connecticut, United States. New Haven County is located in the south central part of the U Connecticut ( is a state located in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the A foot (plural feet or foot; symbol or abbreviation ft or sometimes &prime – the prime symbol) is a non-SI unit The metre or meter is a unit of Length. It is the basic unit of Length in the Metric system and in the International The Commonwealth of Massachusetts ( is a state located in the New England region of the northeastern United States. Connecticut ( is a state located in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the It flows south to southeast, and drains about 1,950 square miles (5,100 km²) of southwestern New England into Long Island Sound. History See also History of New England New England's earliest inhabitants were Algonquian -speaking Native Americans including the Long Island Sound is an Estuary of the Atlantic Ocean and various Rivers in the United States that lies between the coast of Connecticut Its watershed is just to the west of the watershed of the lower Connecticut River. A drainage basin is an extent of Land where Water from Rain or Snow melt drains downhill into a body of water such as a River, The Connecticut River is the largest River in New England, flowing south from the Connecticut Lakes in northern New Hampshire, along the border
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Geography
The Housatonic rises from four sources in far western Massachusetts in the Berkshire Mountains near the city of Pittsfield. The Commonwealth of Massachusetts ( is a state located in the New England region of the northeastern United States. Please note that this article on the Berkshires is about a geologic and cultural region in the United States for other uses see Berkshire (disambiguation It flows southward through western Massachusetts through the Berkshires and into western Connecticut, and empties into Long Island Sound between the towns of Stratford and Milford. Connecticut ( is a state located in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. Long Island Sound is an Estuary of the Atlantic Ocean and various Rivers in the United States that lies between the coast of Connecticut Stratford is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States, located on Long Island Sound at the mouth of the Housatonic Milford is a city in New Haven County, Connecticut, United States.
The river's total fall is 1430 feet (959 feet from the confluence of its east and west branches). Its major tributaries are the Williams, Green and Konkapot Rivers in Massachusetts, the Tenmile River in New York, and the Shepaug, Pomperaug, Naugatuck, and Still Rivers in Connecticut. The Konkapot River is a river in southwestern Massachusetts and northern Connecticut. The Naugatuck River is a 65- Mile (105- km) long River in the US state of Connecticut. Still River may refer to the following In Canada Still River Ontario In the United States Still River (Housatonic River It receives the Naugatuck River at Derby, Connecticut, and the Still River south of New Milford, Connecticut. The Naugatuck River is a 65- Mile (105- km) long River in the US state of Connecticut. Derby is a city in New Haven County, Connecticut, United States. The Still River is a tributary to the Housatonic River. Its headwaters eminate from Farrington's pond on the NY-CT border in Danbury, CT New Milford (incorporated 1712 is a town in Litchfield County, Connecticut, United States north of Danbury, on the Housatonic
Five dams impounded the river in Connecticut to produce hydroelectricity, the Falls Village, Bulls Bridge, Shepaug, Stevenson and Derby dams. Hydroelectricity is electricity generated by Hydropower, ie the production of power through use of the gravitational force of falling water The last three dams form a chain of lakes, Candlewood Lake, Lake Lillinonah, Lake Zoar and Lake Housatonic, from New Milford south to Shelton. Candlewood Lake, 84 sq mi (218 km² is located in Western Connecticut. New Milford (incorporated 1712 is a town in Litchfield County, Connecticut, United States north of Danbury, on the Housatonic Shelton is a city in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States.
History
The river's name comes from the Mohican phrase "usi-a-di-en-uk", translated as "beyond the mountain place". [1]
Inspired by the river during his honeymoon, the American classical music composer Charles Ives wrote The Housatonic at Stockbridge as part of his composition Three Places in New England during the 1910s. Charles Edward Ives (October 20 1874 – May 19 1954 was an American Composer of modernist Classical music. The town of Stockbridge is located in southwestern Massachusetts. Stockbridge is a town in Berkshire County in Western Massachusetts. The river enters Stockbridge on the east side of town then turns south towards Connecticut.
From about 1932 until 1977 the river received PCB pollution from the General Electric plant at Pittsfield, Massachusetts. Polychlorinated biphenyls ( PCB s are a class of Organic compounds with 1 to 10 Chlorine atoms attached to Biphenyl which is a molecule composed Pollution is the introduction of contaminants into an environment that causes instability disorder harm or discomfort to the physical systems or living organisms they are in [1] Although the water quality has improved in recent decades, the river continues to be contaminated by PCBs. [2]
There is an American Nuclear Test of the same name, although it is not known if the name came from the river or some other source. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Nuclear weapons tests are experiments carried out to determine the effectiveness yield and explosive capability of Nuclear weapons Throughout the twentieth century most nations
The United State Navy named a ship for the Housatonic river. The USS Housatonic has the distinction of being the first ship in history to be sunk by a submarine, the confederate vessel CSS H.L. Hunley. Three ships of the United States Navy have been named Housatonic after the Housatonic River. History Hunley and two earlier submarines were privately developed and paid for by Horace Lawson Hunley, James McClintock, and Baxter Watson
Recreation
The Housatonic River is a popular whitewater paddling destination beginning at Weatogue, CT and continuing to Gaylordsville, CT. Most of the river is quickwater and Class I whitewater with long sections of Class II-III whitewater. A deadly and extreme Class VI resides at Great Falls and is most likely not able to be paddled. The most dangerous and difficult section that is navigatable is by Bulls Bridge, CT with Class V whitewater.
The Housatonic River is also a popular fly fishing destination. Fly fishing on the Housatonic River has been compared with many western rivers and boasts some of the finest trophy trout fishing in the eastern United States. The most popular area for fly fishing is between the Falls Village Dam and the town of Cornwall Bridge in Litchfield County.
See also
References
External links
- Housatonic Valley Association
- Housatonic River Initiativer-Riverkeeper
- Housatonic River Restoration
- Charles Ives' Three Places in New England
- Watershed map
- Connecticut Explorer's Guide Online paddling map of the Housatonic River
- Housatonic River Fishing and River Reports
- Mouth or other endpoint (Long Island Sound) is at coordinates
- Source (Muddy Pond) is at coordinates
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