Quinnipiac River
Quinnipiac River Dragon River, East River, New Haven River[1] | |
---|---|
Location | |
Country | United States |
State | Connecticut |
Region | New Haven, Hartford |
District | North Haven, Wallingford, Cheshire, Southington, Plainville |
Cities | New Haven, Meriden |
Physical characteristics | |
Source | Deadwood Swamp |
• location | Farmington, Connecticut, Hartford County, Connecticut, United States |
• coordinates | 41°41′42″N 072°48′55″W / 41.69500°N 72.81528°W[2] |
• elevation | 335 ft (102 m) |
Mouth | New Haven Harbor, New Haven, Connecticut |
• location | Long Island Sound, New Haven County, Connecticut, United States |
• coordinates | 41°17′58″N 072°54′14″W / 41.29944°N 72.90389°W[2] |
• elevation | 0 ft (0 m) |
Length | 45.5 mi (73.2 km) |
Discharge | |
• location | mouth |
• average | 414 cu ft/s (11.7 m3/s) (estimate)[3] |
The Quinnipiac River (/ˈkwɪnəˌpi.æk/ KWIH-nə-pee-ak) is a 45.5-mile (73.2 km)[4] long river in the New England region of the United States, located entirely in the state of Connecticut.
The river rises in West Central Connecticut from Dead Wood Swamp near the city of New Britain. It flows roughly southward to Plainville, Southington, and Cheshire, west of the city of Meriden, through Wallingford and Yalesville, North Haven, and flows into New Haven Harbor, an inlet of Long Island Sound, east of downtown New Haven.
History
The name "Quinnipiac" comes from an
Watershed and course
The Quinnipiac River watershed drains an area of approximately 165 square miles (430 km2).[7] There are four dams, most of which are old remnants, that impede boat travel. The first dam is about 1/2 mile south of Plantsville, the second dam is at the southeast corner of Hanover Pond in South Meriden, the third dam is in northeast Yalesville, and the fourth dam is at the south end of Community Lake in Wallingford.
In April 2017, a small
Paddling is a frequent recreational activity along the Quinnipiac River, especially within the tidal marsh in North Haven. Additionally, the tidal variation extends approximately 14 miles (23 km) upriver from its mouth.
Ecology and conservation
Throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, the river suffered from severe
Nevertheless, by 1914, the State Board of Health reported that the major fish life had largely disappeared from its mouth. The pollution has been somewhat abated by the passage of the Connecticut Clean Water Act of 1967, and by the
Recreation
Paralleling the west bank of the Quinnipiac River through the entire length of Quinnipiac River State Park in North Haven is the Quinnipiac Trail.
Crossings
County | Town | Carrying |
---|---|---|
Hartford | Plainville | Route 72 |
Crooked Street (SSR 536) | ||
Woodford Avenue (SSR 536) | ||
Tomlinson Avenue | ||
Stillwell Drive | ||
Shuttlemeadow Road | ||
Southington | Route 10 | |
Newell Street | ||
West Queen Street | ||
Spring Street | ||
I-84 | ||
Lazy Lane | ||
Curtiss Street | ||
Hart Street | ||
Mill Street | ||
Center Street | ||
West Center Street | ||
West Main Street | ||
Atwater Street | ||
Exit 29 ramps | ||
Route 10 | ||
Old Turnpike Road. | ||
Route 322 | ||
New Haven | Cheshire | I-691 |
East Johnson Avenue | ||
Blacks Road | ||
Cheshire Street | ||
Meriden | Oregon Road | |
Main Street | ||
Wallingford | Oak Street | |
Route 150 | ||
Route 68 | ||
Wilbur Cross Parkway
| ||
Route 150 | ||
Quinnipiac Street | ||
Toelles Road | ||
North Haven | US 5 | |
Broadway | ||
Route 40 | ||
Sackett Point Road | ||
New Haven | Middletown Avenue | |
I-91
| ||
Grand Avenue | ||
Ferry Street | ||
I-95 | ||
US 1 |
See also
References
- ^ Hughes, Arthur; Morse S. Allen (1976). Connecticut Place Names. Hartford, Connecticut: The Connecticut Historical Society. p. 364.
- ^ a b "Quinnipiac River". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
- ^ United States Environmental Protection Agency. "Watershed Report: Quinnipiac River". WATERS GeoViewer. Archived from the original on 2021-09-13. Retrieved 2021-09-13.
- ^ U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data. The National Map Archived 2012-03-29 at the Wayback Machine, accessed April 1, 2011
- ^ a b "The Quinnipiac River". Quinnipiac River Fund. Retrieved 2015-02-08.
- JSTOR 137818.
- ^ State of Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection, A Total Maximum Daily Load Analysis for the Quinnipiac River Regional Basin Archived May 28, 2010, at the Wayback Machine, June 4, 2008
- ^ Andrew Ragall, Ancient technology in Meriden's Hannover Pond dam begins generating electricity, Meriden Record Journal, Apr. 27, 2017.
External links
- Quinnipiac River Fund home page
- Connecticut Department of Environment Protection: Quinnipiac River
- Quinnipiac River Historic District, New Haven.
- Quinnipiac River Watershed Association, located on Hanover Pond, Oregon Road, City of Meriden, CT.
- Connecticut Explorer's Guide Online paddling map of the Quinnipiac River