Housatonic River

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Housatonic River
Housatonic River near Kent, CT

Housatonic River near Kent, CT

Data
Water code US :  212670
location Massachusetts , Connecticut (USA)
River system Housatonic River
origin Muddy Pond near Washington, MA
42 ° 23 ′ 12 "  N , 73 ° 6 ′ 45"  W
Source height 439  m
muzzle at Milford Point in the Long Island Sound Coordinates: 41 ° 10 ′ 8 ″  N , 73 ° 6 ′ 31 ″  W 41 ° 10 ′ 8 ″  N , 73 ° 6 ′ 31 ″  W
Mouth height 0  m
Height difference 439 m
Bottom slope 1.8 ‰
length 240 km
Catchment area 5045 km²
Drain MQ
 133 m³ / s
Left tributaries Konkaput River , Shepaug River , Pomperaug River , Naugatuck River
Right tributaries Green River , Tenmile River , Still River
Reservoirs flowed through Lake Lillinonah , Lake Zoar
Medium-sized cities Pittsfield , New Milford , Shelton , Stratford
Small towns Stockbridge , Brookfield , Derby
Housatonic River catchment area

Housatonic River catchment area

Boat mooring on Lake Housatonic in Indian Well State Park , near Shelton

The Housatonic River [ ˌhuːsəˈtɒnɪk ] is a 240 km long river in the northeastern United States .

It rises in western Massachusetts , flows southeast through Connecticut and flows into Long Island Sound at Milford Point .

geography

The Housatonic River has five sources in the Berkshire Mountains near the town of Pittsfield in western Massachusetts. It flows mostly in a southerly direction, first through the Berkshire Mountains, then into western Connecticut and flows into Long Island Sound at Milford Point. In the lower reaches the river gains width, which in places reaches more than 1 km. The main tributaries of the Housatonic River are the Williams River , Green River, and Konkaput River in Massachusetts, and the Tenmile River , Shepaug River , Pomperaug River , Naugatug River, and Still River in Connecticut.

Dams

A total of five dams dam the river in Connecticut and are used to generate electricity: The dams at Falls Village, Bulls Bridge, Sherpaug, Stevenson and Derby. The reservoirs of Lake Lillinonah and Lake Zoar were created after the construction of the two dams Sherpaug Dam and Stevenson Dam.

Hydropower plants

There are several hydropower plants on the Housatonic River.

The Rocky River pumped storage power plant is located near Milford Haven and pumps water from the Housatonic River into Candlewood Lake or drains it back into it.

Below Lake Lillinonah is the Shepaug hydropower station, and below Lake Zoar is the Stevenson hydropower station.

The hydropower plants in the downstream direction:

Surname Power
in MW		 Number of
turbines		 location operator
Falls Village 9 3 ( ⊙ ) First Light Hydro
Bulls Bridge 7.2 6th ( ⊙ ) First Light Hydro
Rocky River 24 3 ( ⊙ ) First Light Hydro
Shepaug 37.2 1 ( ⊙ ) First Light Hydro
Stevenson 30.5 4th ( ⊙ ) First Light Hydro
Derby 8th 4th ( ⊙ ) McCallum

Covered bridges

There are three wooden covered bridges on the Housatonic River :

history

Before the arrival of the Europeans, the Housatonic River valley was home to the Housatonic , a Mahican tribe . These are not to be confused with the Mohegan , whose residential area was 150 km further east. The Indians called the river "Usi-a-di-enuk", which translates as "below the mountains". On Adriaen Block's voyage along Long Island Sound in 1614, he went up the Housatonic River. He called it the River of Red Hills . Until the 18th century, the river was called "Potatuck" or "Great River" by the whites. During the colonial period, the settlers used the valley and the adjacent areas for agriculture. In the 19th century, hydropower played an important role and remains of dams, mill wheels and smelting furnaces for iron ore bear witness to this. Today, five dams damm the river in the lower reaches for electricity generation, while agriculture is predominant in the upper reaches in Massachusetts.

From 1932 to 1977 there were significant problems with industrial effluents, most notably from PCB discharged into the river by General Electric at Pittsfield. Although water quality has improved over the past few decades, concentrations of PCBs are still detected in river water between Pittsfield and Stevenson Dam in Connecticut.

Tobacco is grown on the lower reaches of the river near New Milford and Brookfield, further south there are steelworks and heavy industry plants. This section of the river is subject to the tides and forms the habitat, albeit endangered, for rare animals and plants. The most productive oyster farms in the American Northeast are located in the mouth of the Housatonic River .

Flora and fauna

The 5045 km² catchment area of the Housatonic River has a rich flora and fauna. The different landscape forms, the geology and the climate create ideal conditions for the habitat of certain plants and animals. The course of the river can be divided into five vegetation sections:

  1. Northern hardwoods are found on the upper reaches of the river in Massachusetts. Sugar maples , birches , yellow birches , white pines and hemlocks grow in this region . In the valley of Schenob Brook in Sheffield, vegetation thrives that is more likely to be found further south in the Atlantic coastal plain in North Carolina .
  2. Transitional hardwoods are predominant in southern Massachusetts, such as red oak , linden , white ash, and black birch . Less common in this region marsh rosemary , swamp willow-herb , Canada violets and hard club moss .
  3. Central hardwoods characterize the area in northern Connecticut from Cornwall Bridge to New Milford. Red, white and black oaks , hickories and chestnuts thrive here . There are also New England grapes , hairy wood mint and Wiegand's wild rye .
  4. The Appalachian oak is found from New Milford to Derby, there are also red, white and black oak, yellow poplar , black birch, white ash and hemlock. Green violet, Virginia snake root (Eupatorium rugosum), green milkweed (Asclepias) and Vaseys pondweed (Potamogeton) are among the typical plants of this region.
  5. Coastal hardwood grows in the tidal section of the river, including alders , willows , reeds , bushes, wild vines, and plants also found in southeastern Piedmont and the coastal plains. Rare species such as Eaton's bream (Isoetales) and mudweed grow at the mouth .

The open area is a habitat for pheasants , rabbits , red foxes and marmots , while deer , gray foxes , gray squirrels , hares , porcupines , grouse and woodcock can be found in the forests . Mostly fur-bearing mammals live on the river banks, such as beavers , muskrats , raccoons , otters and minks . The area is rich in water birds, including Canada geese , black, forest, Krick- and goldeneye , as well as birds of prey such as peregrine falcons , bald eagles and osprey .

Web links

Commons : Housatonic River  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Geology at hvatoday.org
  2. ↑ energyjustice.net
  3. ↑ Human History at hvatoday.org
  4. ↑ Wildlife at hvatoday.org