Naugatuck River

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Naugatuck River,
Neggutuck, Great River, Nawcatuck
The river as seen from the Whitestone Cliffs Trail.

The river as seen from the Whitestone Cliffs Trail.

Data
Water code US :  209193
location Litchfield County , New Haven County , Connecticut (USA)
River system Housatonic River
Drain over Housatonic River  → Long Island Sound
muzzle at Derby in the Housatonic River coordinates: 41 ° 18 ′ 49 "  N , 73 ° 4 ′ 50"  W 41 ° 18 ′ 49 "  N , 73 ° 4 ′ 50"  W
Mouth height 0  m

Medium-sized cities Torrington , Litchfield , Harwinton , Thomaston , Watertown , Waterbury , Naugatuck , Beacon Falls , Seymour , Ansonia , Derby

The Naugatuck River is a 64.7 km (40.2 mi) long river in southwest Connecticut . Its catchment area includes parts of Litchfield County and New Haven County . It shapes the landscape of the Naugatuck River Valley and flows south to the Housatonic River , which it reaches at Derby . The Plume and Atwood Dam in Thomaston was built in 1960 in the aftermath of the 1955 floods . Its reservoir forms the final barrier for salmon and trout that come up from the Merr.

history

Various Algonkinsprachige Indian groups populated the Naugatuck River Valley , which occasionally to Wappingerstamm be counted. The name "Naugatuck" comes from the Algonqkin word for "lonely tree at the fishing spot". The valley was settled by English colonists in the 17th century . Due to the stony subsoil, which was unfavorable for agriculture, and the high potential for hydropower, the Naugatuck Valley became an industrial center in the 19th century. Mainly brass and copper were processed here.

course

The Naugatuck River arises from two source streams, which initially wind through forest and agricultural areas. In the urban area of Torrington they unite north of East Albert Street at a height of about 160 m above sea level . The eastern branch of the Naugatuck is 11.4 mi (18.3 km) long and has its source in Winchester as a tributary of Lake Winchester at an elevation of 380 m (1250 ft). The west branch, at 9.5 km (5.9 mi), arises from the confluence of Jakes Brook , Hart, and Hall Meadow Brooks to the west of Torrington, at an elevation of 240 m (800 ft).

From Torrington, the river has always been an important route for paths and roads. Development continued through the centuries to the development of Connecticut Route 8 . The river crosses a wooded, hilly area between Connecticut Route 118 and Thomaston . The highly industrialized cities of the Naugatuck River Valley have developed along the river banks. In between there are various forest areas such as the Naugatuck State Forest . At Derby it reaches the Housatonic River at a height of about 1 m above sea level.

Bridges:

Ecology and nature conservation

Originally, the Naugatuck River belonged as part of the catchment area of ​​the Housatonic River to the southernmost distribution area of ​​the Atlantic salmon ( Salmo salar ). Migrations of other fish species were previously observed by American shad ( Alosa sapidissima , Connecticut's state fish), alewife ( Alosa pseudoharengus ), and Blueback Herring ( Alosa aestivalis ). The construction of dams for hydropower plants and the introduction of cooling, rinsing and heating water in industry began around 1763 and continued throughout the 19th century. As a result, many species of fish were wiped out. Due to the development of the last decades, many dams were no longer needed and industrial plants were closed. The Anaconda Dam (Waterbury), Freight Street Dam (Waterbury), Union City Dam (Naugatuck) and the Platts Mill Dam (Naugatuck) were removed in 1999, the Kinneytown Dam equipped with a fish ladder and the Chase Brass Dam between Waterbury and Thomaston was opened in 2004 reduced. A fish bypass channel , the first of its kind in New England, now offers migratory fish the opportunity to bypass the Tingue Dam and opens up an additional 51 km of river for migratory movement. Today the Plume and Atwood dams in Thomaston are the final barriers for the returning fish.

The State of Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) deploys Atlantic salmon from the Connecticut River restoration effort every fall . DEEP also populates the river with the native brook trout ( Salvelinus fontinalis ), and the non-native trout ( Salmo trutta ) and rainbow trout ( Oncorhynchus mykiss ).

Recreational opportunities and sports

There are a variety of recreational opportunities along the river, including paddling, fishing, bird watching, and hiking. In addition, various organizations offer leisure activities. For anglers, salmon are used in the sections between Route 118 in Harwinton / Litchfield and Thomaston Dam , as well as from southern Naugatuck to Beacon Falls . The river is traded as a trophy trout stream .

Individual evidence

  1. ^ A b William Bright: Native American Placenames of the United States . University of Oklahoma Press, 2007, ISBN 978-0806135984 , p. 318, (Accessed November 2, 2014).
  2. ^ A b Hughes, Arthur and Morse S. Allen: Connecticut Place Names . The Connecticut Historical Society, Hartford, Connecticut 1976, p. 627.
  3. ↑ a b c U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data. The National Map , April 1, 2011
  4. ↑ a b c Fish and Habitat . Housatonic Valley Association. Archived from the original on November 3, 2014. Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved March 11, 2014. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.naugatuckriver.net
  5. ↑ Naugatuck Public Schools :: Welcome to Naugatuck Public Schools ( Memento of the original from July 19, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. . Naugy.net. Retrieved July 15, 2013 @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.naugy.net
  6. ^ West Branch Naugatuck River ( English ) In: Geographic Names Information System . United States Geological Survey .
  7. ↑ Lake Winchester ( English ) In: Geographic Names Information System . United States Geological Survey .
  8. ↑ Hart Brook ( English ) In: Geographic Names Information System . United States Geological Survey .
  9. ↑ C. Fay, M. Bartron, S. Craig, A. Hecht, J. Pruden, R. Saunders, T. Sheehan, and J. Trial: Status Review for Anadromous Atlantic Salmon (Salmo salar) in the United States. Report to the National Marine Fisheries Service and US Fish and Wildlife Service. (PDF; 2849 kB) July 2006, p. 294 , accessed on September 29, 2015 (English).
  10. ↑ Jean Falbo-Sosnovich: $ 6.3M fish bypass channel in Seymour opens, first of its kind in North East . In: New Haven Register , October 31, 2014. Retrieved November 2, 2014. 
  11. ↑ DEEP Begins Atlantic Salmon Stockings case . September 30, 2014. Retrieved February 11, 2014.
  12. ^ Naugatuckriver.net
  13. ↑ DEEP: DEP To Begin Fall Broodstock Atlantic Salmon Stocking . Ct.gov. Retrieved July 15, 2013
  14. ↑ Connecticut Angler's Guide: Inland and Marine Fishing . Retrieved November 2, 2014.

Web links