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Housatonic River

Coordinates:41°10′09″N073°06′30″W/ 41.16917°N 73.10833°W/41.16917; -73.10833
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Housatonic River
The Housatonic River inCornwall
Housatonic River watershed
Location
CountryUnited States
StateConnecticut,Massachusetts
CountiesFairfield, CT,Litchfield, CT,New Haven, CT,Berkshire, MA
CityPittsfield, MA
Physical characteristics
SourceConfluence of West and East Branches Housatonic River
• locationPittsfield,Berkshire County,Massachusetts,United States
• coordinates42°26′01″N073°15′03″W/ 42.43361°N 73.25083°W/42.43361; -73.25083[1]
• elevation959 ft (292 m)
MouthLong Island Sound
• location
Stratford,Fairfield County,Connecticut,United States
• coordinates
41°10′09″N073°06′30″W/ 41.16917°N 73.10833°W/41.16917; -73.10833[1]
• elevation
0 ft (0 m)
Length149 mi (240 km)
Basin size1,948 sq mi (5,050 km2)
Discharge
• locationStratford/Milford,CT
• minimum54 cu ft/s (1.5 m3/s)
• maximum48,600 cu ft/s (1,380 m3/s)
Discharge
• locationGreat Barrington, MA
Basin features
Tributaries
• leftEast Branch Housatonic River,Konkapot River,Blackberry River,Shepaug River,Pomperaug River,Naugatuck River
• rightWest Branch Housatonic River,Williams River,Green River,Salmon Creek,[2]Ten Mile River,Candlewood Lake,[Note 1]Still River
TypeScenic, Recreational
DesignatedDecember 29, 2022[3]

TheHousatonic River(/ˌhuːsəˈtɒnɪk/HOOS-ə-TON-ik) is a river, approximately 149 miles (240 km) long,[4][5]in westernMassachusettsand westernConnecticutin the United States. It flows south to southeast, and drains about 1,950 square miles (5,100 km2) of southwesternConnecticutintoLong Island Sound.

History

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Indigenous history

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Indigenous people began using the river area for fishing and hunting at least 6,000 years ago. By 1600, the inhabitants were mostlyMohicansand may have numbered 30,000.[6]

The river's name is derived from theMohicanphrase"usi-a-di-en-uk",translated as "beyond the mountain place" or "river of the mountain place".[6][7]It is referred to in the deed by which a group of twelve colonists called "The Proprietors" captured the land now calledShermanandNew Fairfieldas "Ousetonack".[8]Samuel Orcutt,a 19th-century historian, explained the term's pronunciation as "more properly...Howsatunnuck" and also noted an early spelling in the form of "Oweantinock".[9]Prior to the 18th century, the river was alternatively known as the Pootatuck River. Accounts differ on the origin of this name, with some claiming that Pootatuck is an Algonquian term translating to "river of the falls"[7][10]while others relate the term was eponymous, reflecting the name of the tribe that had their principal village along the river in the area ofNewtown, Connecticut.[11]"Pootatuck River" eventually came to refer a lesser tributary in the Housatonic watershed which empties into the Housatonic River atSandy Hook, Connecticut.[12]

The river passes through land that was formerly occupied primarily by native people ofAlgonquianlineage, typically living in villages of two to three hundred families housed in hide wigwams.[10][13]These native inhabitants burned the forests along the Housatonic Valley in the autumn to keep the underbrush down, a practice which was customary throughout Connecticut prior to European settlement.[14]

Housatonic river by Shelton at sunset.

One notable native wasChief Squantzof theSchaghticoke tribe,who still hold a portion of the former reservation on the west side of the Housatonic River, in what is now called the town ofKent.[8]

English settlement of the northern Housatonic Valley began in 1725 inSheffield, Massachusetts.[6]By 1734, Mohicans established the Indian Town of Stockbridge, which grew over 15 years but then failed, with land pressures increasing.[6]

Industrialization

[edit]
Great Falls of the Housatonic Riverbelow the Falls Village dam

The river has been a source of power for paper, iron, textiles, and electricity industries.[6]AtGreat Barrington,a grist mill built by David Ingersoll in 1739 used the river for power.[6]The paper industry grew using the river's power from circa 1800.[6]

The river was dammed with the advent of industry. In 1900, there were 30 dams on the river in Pittsfield. Many have been removed, but many remain, such as the Woods Pond dam in Lenox, Columbia Mill dam in Lee, Willow Mill dam in South Lee, Glendale dam in Stockbridge, and Rising Pond dam inGreat Barrington, Massachusetts.[6]

Five dams impound the river in Connecticut to producehydroelectricity:theFalls Village,Bulls Bridge,Shepaug,Stevensonand Derby dams. The last three dams form a chain of lakes:Lake Lillinonah,Lake Zoarand Lake Housatonic, fromNew Milfordsouth toShelton.

Covered wooden bridges

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The Housatonic River at theOld Covered Bridgein Sheffield. The formerThom Reed UFO Monument Parkis to the right of the bridge.

Three wooden covered bridges cross the Housatonic River. Two are in Connecticut: one known asBull's Bridge,which spans the river betweenGaylordsvilleandKent,and another atCornwall,known as theWest Cornwall Covered Bridge.Reinforced with present-day materials, both bridges carry normal vehicle traffic, albeit in only one direction at a time. The third bridge,Old Covered Bridgelocated inSheffield, Massachusetts,was destroyed by fire and rebuilt in 1998; it is now open only to foot traffic.[15]

Cultural references

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Lydia Sigourney's poemThe Housatonicis in her volume, Scenes in my Native Land, 1845, where it accompanied by descriptive text on the river and its neighbourhood.[16]

TheUnited States Navynamed a ship for the Housatonic River. TheUSSHousatonichas the distinction of being the first ship in history to be sunk by a submarine, the Confederate vesselCSSH.L. Hunley,in 1864.

Inspired by the river during his honeymoon, the American classical music composerCharles Iveswrote "The Housatonic at Stockbridge" as part of his compositionThree Places in New Englandduring the 1910s, drawing his text from a poem of the same name byRobert Underwood Johnson.The town ofStockbridgeis located in southwestern Massachusetts. The river enters Stockbridge on the east side of town before turning south toward Connecticut.

There was a 1962 Americannuclear weapon testof thesame name;several such tests used Native American words as codewords.

UFO sighting and monument

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In 1969, nine-year-old Thom Reed and his family claimed to see a bright light rise from the Housatonic River, then found themselves inside "what appeared to be an airplane hangar," where they saw creatures that "resembled large insects." Supporters of the family erected a memorial to the incident at theOld Covered BridgeinSheffield, Massachusetts,in 2015. The 5,000-pound memorial was removed by the town in 2019. The incident featured in a 2020 episode ofUnsolved MysteriesonNetflix.[17][18][19]

Ecology and wildlife

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Historically, the Housatonic River and itsNaugatuck Rivertributary hosted the southernmost spawning runs of theAtlantic salmon(Salmo salar).[20][21]The Salmon Creek tributary of the Housatonic River may have been named for thissalmonid,which can reach up to 30 pounds (14 kg).

Pollution

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PCBs

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Cleanup activity at one of the GE Pittsfield plant Superfund sites.

Fromcirca1932 until 1977, the river receivedPCBpollutiondischarges from theGeneral Electric (GE) plantatPittsfield, Massachusetts.The U.S.Environmental Protection Agency(EPA) designated the Pittsfield plant and several miles of the Housatonic as aSuperfundsite in 1997, and ordered GE to remediate the site. EPA and GE began a cleanup of the area in 1999.[22]Most of the PCBs used in the United States during this period were made byMonsanto.[23]Aroclor 1254 and Aroclor 1260, made by Monsanto, was a primary contaminant of the pollution in the Housatonic River.[24]Although the water quality has improved in recent decades, and some remediation has taken place,[25][26]the river continues to be contaminated by PCBs.[27]

Between 2005 and 2018 GE completed remediation and restoration of the 10 manufacturing plant areas within the city, and continues to conduct inspection, monitoring and maintenance activities.[28]Additional remediation is planned for the downstream polluted areas of the river. The highest concentrations of PCBs in the Housatonic River are found in Woods Pond inLenox, Massachusetts,just south of Pittsfield, where they have been measured up to 110 mg/kg in the sediment.[24]About 50% of all the PCBs currently in the river are estimated to be retained in the sediment behind Woods Pond dam. This is estimated to be about 11,000 pounds of PCBs.[24]Former filled oxbows are also polluted.[29]

Birds, such as ducks, and fish that live in and around the river contain significant levels of PCBs and can present health risks if consumed.[30][31][32][33]

"Rest of River" settlement agreement

Negotiations regarding how to clean up the contaminated areas south of Pittsfield had continued for many years since the initial Superfund site designations, involving GE, EPA, local governments, citizen groups and other stakeholders. In February 2020 EPA announced asettlement agreementinvolving GE, EPA and most of the concerned parties, to remove contaminated sediment from the river. Highly contaminated soil would be removed and shipped to federally approved facilities outside the state, while less-contaminated soil would be placed in a new specially designed landfill in Berkshire County.[34][35]

Following a public comment period, EPA issued a permit in December 2020 for the final cleanup phase. In 2021 two of the citizen groups that were parties to the settlement filed an appeal of the permit, criticizing the design of the planned landfill. In February 2022 the US Environmental Appeals Board (EAB) denied the permit appeal.[36]Following the EAB ruling, EPA has continued to design the new PCB disposal facility and has conducted public meetings in 2022.[37]Two citizen groups appealed the EAB decision to theFirst Circuit Court of Appeals,and in July 2023 the court rejected the plaintiffs' challenge.[38]

Mercury

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The Connecticut segment of the river is polluted withmercurylevels far beyond background levels, starting at the confluence with theStill River.The hat manufacturing industry ofDanbury, Connecticut,which operated from the 19th to the mid-20th century, was the source of most of this mercury pollution, frommercury nitrateused in the felting process. In the 21st century, the mercury remains in the river sediment and flows downstream, especially during storm events.[39][better source needed][40]High mercury levels are measured in the sediment at the outflow delta of the Housatonic River intoLong Island Sound.[41]

Watershed and course

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Boardwalk Marina in Stratford

The Housatonic Riverwatersheddrains 1,948 square miles (5,050 km2) in western Connecticut and Massachusetts and eastern New York.[4]The Housatonic rises from four sources in far westernMassachusettsin theBerkshire Mountainsnear the city ofPittsfield.It flows southward through western Massachusetts through the Berkshires and into westernConnecticut,and empties into theLong Island Soundbetween the cities ofStratfordandMilford,forming a border between Connecticut'sFairfield CountyandNew Haven County,respectively. It includes 83 towns.

For most of its extent the watershed is just to the west of the watershed of the lowerConnecticut River,and to the east of the Hudson River Basin.Near the coast, smaller watersheds border it: on the east theQuinnipiac RiverandWepawaug Riverwatersheds, and on the west theNorwalk River,Saugatuck River,andPequonnock Riverwatersheds.

The river's total fall is 1,430 feet (440 m) (959 feet (292 m) from the confluence of its east and west branches) to Long Island Sound. Its major tributaries in Massachusetts are (heading downstream) theWilliams River(inGreat Barrington),Green RiverandKonkapot River(inAshley Falls). Crossing south into Connecticut, the Housatonic's major tributaries are theBlackberry River(inCanaan),Salmon Creek(belowFalls Village),Ten Mile River(aboveGaylordsvillebut originating in New York),Still River(south ofNew Milford),Shepaug River(at theBridgewaterandSouthburyborder),Pomperaug River(atSouthbury), andNaugatuck River(inDerby). TheNaugatuck Riveris the Housatonic's largest tributary with a contributing watershed of 312 square miles (810 km2).[4]

Candlewood Lakeis apumped storage facilitywhich is replenished when water is pumped into it from the Housatonic during times of non-peak electrical consumption; the water is then allowed to flow back into the river during peak times to generate electricity.

Housatonic Valley region

[edit]
Housatonic River inKent, Connecticut

TheGreater Danburymetropolitan area inWestern Connecticutis also known as the Housatonic Valley Region.

TheUpper Housatonic Valley National Heritage Areais a designatedNational Heritage Areaconsisting of an 848-square-mile (2,200 km2) area in the watershed of the upper Housatonic River, extending fromKent, Connecticut,toLanesborough, Massachusetts,including eight towns in Connecticut and eighteen in Massachusetts.[42]

Recreation

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View of the "fly fishing and paddling" section of the river during a snowstorm. Surrounding forests are still wild and support animal life despite the threat of suburban encroachment.

The Housatonic River is a popular whitewater paddling destination beginning atFalls Village, Connecticut,and continuing toGaylordsville.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 inCanaan(Falls Village) and is most likely not able to be paddled. The most dangerous and difficult section that is navigable is by Bulls Bridge, with Class V whitewater.

There are several minor and major dams along the river that form lakes. Most notable are two lakes in Connecticut,Lake Zoar,which bordersMonroe,Newtown,Oxford,andSouthbury,andLake Lillinonah.Both lakes are major water-sport recreation outlets for the surrounding towns.

Two of the three lakes formed by the dams are used forrowingby clubs, schools, and to hostregattas.Lake Lillinonah is used by the GMS Rowing Center and is host to the GMS Regatta.[43]Lake Housatonic is used by theYale UniversityCrew Team at theGilder Boathouseand by theNew Haven Rowing Club.It is also host to the Derby Sweeps & Sculls and theHead of the Housatonic.

The Housatonic River is also a popularfly fishingdestination. Fly fishing on the Housatonic River has been compared with western rivers and is among the finest for trout in the eastern United States. The most popular area for fly fishing is inLitchfield County, Connecticut,between the dam atFalls VillageandCornwall Bridge.

TheAppalachian Trailfollows the river along this section from the Bulls Bridge covered wooden bridge near Kent to Falls Village.

Major crossings

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Main article:List of crossings of the Housatonic River

AsU.S. Route 7runs along the Housatonic River Valley between Pittsfield and New Milford, it crosses the Housatonic several times.

State County Carrying
MA Berkshire US 20inLee
I-90inLee
Route 102inLee
US 7inStockbridge
Route 183inHousatonic
US 7inGreat Barrington
US 7inAshley Falls
Route 7AinAshley Falls
CT Litchfield US 44inNorth Canaan
US 7inFalls Village
Route 128inWest Cornwall
(West Cornwall Covered Bridge)
US 7/Route 4inCornwall Bridge
Route 341inKent
Bulls Bridge Road inSouth Kent
(Bull's Bridge)
US 7inGaylordsville
US 202inNew Milford
Litchfield/
FairfieldLine 		Route 133inBrookfield
Fairfield/
New HavenLine 		I-84/US 6inSouthbury
Route 34inLake Zoar
(Lake Zoar Dam)
(Lake Housatonic Dam)
State Road 712 (Derby–Shelton Bridge)
Route 8inShelton/Derby(Commodore Isaac Hull Memorial Bridge)
Route 15/Merritt ParkwayinMilford
I-95CT TurnpikeinMilford/Stratford
US 1inMilford/Stratford

See also

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References

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Citations

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  1. ^ab"Housatonic River".Geographic Names Information System.United States Geological Survey,United States Department of the Interior.
  2. ^"Feature Detail Report for: Salmon Creek".USGS Geographic Names Information System.USGS.Archivedfrom the original on 28 October 2021.Retrieved27 June2016.
  3. ^"National Wild and Scenic Rivers System".rivers.gov.National Wild and Scenic Rivers System.Retrieved2023-08-10.
  4. ^abcHousatonic River Basin Final Natural Resources Restoration Plan, Environmental Assessment, and Environmental Impact Evaluation for Connecticut(PDF)(Report). State of Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection, USFWS, NOAA. July 2009.Archived(PDF)from the original on 2014-04-12.Retrieved2014-11-09.
  5. ^U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data.The National MapArchived2012-03-29 at theWayback Machine,accessed April 1, 2011
  6. ^abcdefgh"A Paddling Guide to the Housatonic River in Berkshire County"(PDF).HVA Today.Housatonic Valley Association.Archived(PDF)from the original on 1 August 2014.Retrieved1 October2015.
  7. ^abHousatonic Valley Association. Cornwall Bridge, CT."History of the Housatonic Valley."Archived2015-10-02 at theWayback MachineAccessed 2015-10-1.
  8. ^abSimon, Irving B. (1975).Our Town: The History of New Fairfield.New Fairfield, Connecticut: New Fairfield Bicentennial Commission. p. 5.
  9. ^Orcutt, Samuel (1882).The Indians of the Housatonic and Naugatuck Valleys.Hartford: Case, Lockwood & Brainard. p.108.Retrieved10 November2015.
  10. ^abRaacke, Peg (April 28, 1977). "Town History: Housatonic Valley Indians". Citizen News (New Fairfield).
  11. ^Cothren, William (1854).History of Ancient Woodbury, Connecticut, from the first Indian deed in 1659... including the present towns of Washington, Southbury, Bethlehem, Roxbury, and a part of Oxford and Middlebury.Waterbury, Conn.: Bronson Brothers. p. 11.Retrieved13 October2017.
  12. ^"Pootatuck River & Deep Brook - Nutmeg Trout Unlimited".Nutmeg Trout Unlimited.Trout Unlimited: Nutmeg Chapter.Archivedfrom the original on 30 September 2017.Retrieved13 October2017.
  13. ^Silverberg, J. (June 1979).The History of Squantz Pond State Park, New Fairfield, CT.New Fairfield, Connecticut: manuscript from New Fairfield Free Public Library.
  14. ^Tomaino, Peter (1985).Chronology: Under Candlewoods, Roots at Squantz Pond.West Cornwall, CT: EARTH ONE.
  15. ^Massachusetts Covered Bridges - Upper Sheffield BridgeArchived2012-10-28 at theWayback Machine.Coveredbridgesite. Retrieved on 2013-07-15.
  16. ^Sigourney, Lydia (1845)."Scenes in My Native Land".Thurston, Torry & Co.
  17. ^"Site of the First 'Historically True' UFO Encounter in the U.S."Atlas Obscura.Archivedfrom the original on 2021-03-04.Retrieved2021-03-03.
  18. ^"Sheffield town crew hauls away UFO monument; 'off-world' witness vows to 'file charges'".The Berkshire Edge.2019-06-06.Archivedfrom the original on 2020-11-11.Retrieved2021-03-03.
  19. ^Clarke, Marcus A. (2020-07-01),Berkshires UFO(Documentary, Crime, Mystery), Jane Green, Tom Warner, Thom Reed, Nancy Reed,archivedfrom the original on 2021-05-26,retrieved2021-03-03
  20. ^Fay, C.; M. Bartron; S. Craig; A. Hecht; J. Pruden; R. Saunders; T. Sheehan; J. Trial (2006).Status Review for Anadromous Atlantic Salmon (Salmo salar) in the United States. Report to the National Marine Fisheries Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service(Report). p. 294.Archivedfrom the original on 2014-12-17.Retrieved2014-11-08.
  21. ^Kendall, W. C. (1935).The fishes of New England: the salmon family. Part 2 - the salmons.Boston, Massachusetts: Memoirs of the Boston Society of Natural History: monographs on the natural history of New England. pp.90.Retrieved2014-10-08.
  22. ^U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Boston, MA.GE/Housatonic River Site in New England: Site History and Description. "Archived2011-05-19 at theWayback Machine2009-11-12.
  23. ^"Understanding PCB Risks at the GE-Pittsfield/Housatonic River Site".EPA. 27 May 2015.Archivedfrom the original on 26 September 2015.Retrieved25 September2015.
  24. ^abcGay, Frederick."Distribution of Polychlorinated Biphenyls in the Housatonic River and Adjacent Aquifer, Massachusetts"(PDF).USGS.Archived(PDF)from the original on 26 September 2015.Retrieved25 September2015.
  25. ^"Housatonic River PCB Soils and Sediment Remediation".Archived fromthe originalon September 24, 2015.
  26. ^EPA.Housatonic River 1½ Mile - OverviewArchived2012-11-29 at theWayback Machine
  27. ^deFur, Peter L. (2004)."Housatonic River Ecological Risk Assessment."Archived2008-03-09 at theWayback MachineEnvironmental Stewardship Concepts, Richmond, VA. Presentation at EPA Public Peer Review Meeting, 2004-01-13
  28. ^"GE Plant Area of the GE-Pittsfield/Housatonic River Site".EPA. 2021-07-12.
  29. ^"Former Filled Oxbows of the GE-Pittsfield/Housatonic River Site".EPA. 25 June 2015.Archivedfrom the original on 2 October 2015.Retrieved1 October2015.
  30. ^"Rest of River of the GE-Pittsfield/Housatonic River Site".25 June 2015.Archivedfrom the original on 26 September 2015.Retrieved25 September2015.
  31. ^"Understanding PCB Risks at the GE-Pittsfield/Housatonic River Site".EPA. 27 May 2015.Archivedfrom the original on 26 September 2015.Retrieved27 October2015.
  32. ^"General State-wide Advice for Eating Recreationally Caught Fish and Waterfowl In Massachusetts"(PDF).mass.gov.MDPH.Archived(PDF)from the original on 16 September 2015.Retrieved28 October2015.
  33. ^"If I Catch It, Can I Eat It? A Guide to Eating Fish Safely - 2015 Connecticut Fish Consumption Advisory Site"(PDF).Connecticut Department of Public Health. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 7 September 2015.Retrieved28 October2015.
  34. ^Parnass, Larry (2020-02-10)."PCB cleanup plan reached for rest of Housatonic River".The Berkshire Eagle.Pittsfield, MA.Archivedfrom the original on 2020-03-18.Retrieved2020-04-03.
  35. ^EPA, Stakeholders Reach Landmark Settlement Agreement to Enhance and Accelerate Cleanup of the Housatonic River; Fact Sheet(Report). EPA. February 2020. SEMS Doc ID 643539.Archived(PDF)from the original on 2021-10-28.Retrieved2020-04-03.
  36. ^Parnass, Larry (2022-02-08)."U.S. environmental court backs PCB cleanup plan for the Housatonic River, rejecting claim of EPA error and allowing Lee landfill".The Berkshire Eagle.
  37. ^Cohen, Nancy Eve (2022-12-15)."Citizens concerned about public health, environmental risks at proposed PCB dump in Lee".New England Public Media.
  38. ^Cohen, Nancy Eve (2023-07-28)."Federal appeals court rejects environmentalists' challenge to EPA's Housatonic cleanup plan".New England Public Media.
  39. ^Lerman-Sinkoff, Sarah Tziporah (April 2014).Transport and Fate of Historic Mercury Pollution from Danbury, CT through the Still and Housatonic Rivers(BA thesis). Wesleyan University.doi:10.14418/wes01.1.1052.Retrieved2023-04-06.
  40. ^Varekamp, Johan (2002-06-25)."'Mad Hatters' Long Gone, But The Mercury Lingers On ".UniSci.Cape Coral, FL: UniScience News Net, Inc.Archivedfrom the original on 2016-01-01.Retrieved2015-10-01.
  41. ^Verekamp, J.C.; Buchholtz ten Brink, M.R.; Mecray, E.L.; Kreulen, B. (Summer 2000). "Mercury in Long Island Sound Sediments".Journal of Coastal Research.16(3): 613.JSTOR4300074.
  42. ^"Upper Housatonic Valley National Heritage Area".Housatonic Heritage.Retrieved11 March2023.
  43. ^GMS Rowing Center. New Milford, CT."About Us/Vision."Archived2010-07-06 at theWayback Machine

Notes

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  1. ^Candlewood Lake is a pumped storage facility, so it functions as an artificial distributary when water is pumped into it from the Housatonic and a tributary when water is allowed to flow back into the river
[edit]
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