West River (Connecticut)

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The West River is a freshwater stream in southern Connecticut. It flows through the towns of Bethany, Woodbridge, and New Haven before discharging into the West Haven Harbor.

Within the city of New Haven, the river is surrounded by Edgewood Park and the West River Memorial Park along much of its length (Google Map of this location). While the river's natural channel winds along the western edge of the West River Memorial Park, a very straight channel cuts through its middle and terminates at the park's northern edge (Derby Avenue). This channel was constructed for aesthetic purposes. There is a public canoe launch, maintained by the City of New Haven Department of Parks, Recreation, and Trees, in the constructed channel at Derby Avenue.

[edit] Dams

The river is dammed in several places and some of the reservoirs are used by the South Central Connecticut Regional Water Authority to provide a percentage of the public water supply. The reservoirs are named Lily Pond (or Pond Lily), Konolds Pond, Lake Dawson, Lake Watrous, and Lake Bethany, in order from south to north.

[edit] Tide Gate

The river flows through a tide gate where it crosses under Orange Avenue (U.S. Route 1, also referred to as the Boston Post Road). Under unaltered conditions, the river would likely be brackish along much of its length due to salt water mixing at high tide. The tide gate prevents this from happening by only allowing water past at low tide. The gate was installed with the goal of controlling flooding in mind, however, after heavy rains, the gate often exacerbates flooding, as it prevents drainage during high tide. The large quantity of Phragmites australis, or common reed, growing along the river's banks can most likely be attributed to the tide gate. Phragmites cannot tolerate high salinity, and the tide gate maintains the river's salinity at a level low enough for the plant to survive.