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Heart of the
Housatonic
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Housatonic River Fact Sheet
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The Housatonic River
Watershed
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The Housatonic River flows 149 miles from its four sources in western Massachusetts. Following a south to southeasterly direction, the river passes through western portions of
Massachusetts and Connecticut before reaching its destination at Long Island Sound at Milford Point. The Housatonic River has a total fall of
1430 feet (959 feet from the confluence of the 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. |
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The river's watershed,
or the land area which drains into the river, encompasses 1,948 square miles and is characterized by rugged terrain giving way to rolling hills and flat stretches of marshland in the south.
While problems do exist in defined stretches, overall the river is characterized by high water quality. The river's flows are sufficient to
support Class I, II, III and IV rapids.
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| With more than 100,000 acres of public recreation land throughout the watershed, opportunities for swimming, canoeing/kayaking, fishing, sculling, boating, hiking, camping and cross-country skiing abound.
The Appalachian Trail runs along the river for five miles between Kent and Cornwall Bridge, the longest stretch of river walk between Georgia and Maine.
Farther north the trail again parallels the river for about one-mile in
Sheffield, MA. |
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P.O. Box
28
Cornwall Bridge, CT 06754
860-672-6678
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P.O. Box 251
South Lee, MA 01260
413-394-9796
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P.O. Box 315
Wassaic, NY 12592
845-789-1381 |
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