Farmington River

Farmington River
River
Looking downstream on the Farmington River in Simsbury, Connecticut
Country	United States
State	Massachusetts & Connecticut


Primary source	outlet of Hayden Pond (West Branch of the Farmington River) ^[1]
- location	Otis, Berkshire County, Massachusetts
Secondary source	Barkhamsted Reservoir (East Branch of the Farmington River) ^[2]
- location	Hartland, Hartford County, Connecticut
Source confluence	confluence of the East Branch and West Branch
- location	New Hartford, Litchfield County, Connecticut
Mouth	confluence with Connecticut River
- location	Windsor, Hartford County, Connecticut
- coordinates	41°50′37.3596″N 72°37′52.6368″W / 41.843711000°N 72.631288000°W / 41.843711000; -72.631288000Coordinates: 41°50′37.3596″N 72°37′52.6368″W / 41.843711000°N 72.631288000°W / 41.843711000; -72.631288000

Length	80.4 mi (129 km), from source of West Branch
Basin	602 sq mi (1,559 km²)

The Farmington River is a river, 46.7 miles (75.2 km)^[3] in length along its main stem, which is located in northwest Connecticut with major tributaries extending into southwest Massachusetts. Via its longest branch (the West Branch), the Farmington's length increases to 80.4 miles (129.4 km), making it the Connecticut River's longest tributary by a mere 2.3 miles (3.7 km) over the major river directly to its north, the Westfield River.^[3] The Farmington River's watershed covers 609 square miles (1,580 km²). The river historically played an important role in small-scale manufacturing in towns along its course, but it is now mainly used for recreation and drinking water. The Farmington River Watershed Association^[4] is a non-profit organization for conservation and preservation of this river.

Headwaters for both main branches of the Farmington River, referred to as the East Branch and West Branch, are found in southwestern Massachusetts, though only the West Branch officially begins north of the Connecticut border. The West Branch rises at the outlet of Hayden Pond in Otis, Massachusetts. In 1994, a 14-mile (23 km) stretch of the branch was designated a National Wild and Scenic River.^[5] The East Branch begins in Hartland, Connecticut at the confluence of Pond, Hubbard and Valley Brooks.^[1] However, this branch has been impounded along the first 11 miles of its course to form the Barkhamsted Reservoir and Lake McDonough; it does not assume a particularly river-like appearance until it exits Lake McDonough in New Hartford, Connecticut. The East Branch and West Branch join in New Hartford, Connecticut just about one mile south of Lake McDonough. Upper reaches of the river flow mostly southward, but the river turns northward in Farmington, Connecticut and then runs mostly north and east until it flows into the Connecticut River near the Loomis Chaffee School in Windsor, Connecticut.

Boating

There are several whitewater sections.^[6]^[7] One of these, the so-called "Upper Farmington" section of the West Branch in New Boston, Massachusetts, is about 7 miles (11 km) long. It is Class 2 through farm and woods scenery to an iron bridge, where kayak and canoe slalom races are held. Below the bridge the river becomes Class 3-4, very technical at low water, and technical and pushy at higher water, with a short gorge with several abrupt drops.

Tariffville Gorge Dam

The biggest of these is about four feet at Decoration Rock. Below, the river continues fast and technical with many rocks and constant maneuvering required. The river is continuously rapid, leading through larger drops at Battering Ram rapid and Corkscrew. Eventually it flattens to Class 2 until a final, ledge rapid at Bear's Den, just above the reservoir. The Upper Farmington is barely runnable (very scratchy with many exposed rocks and pinning possibilities) during fall dam releases, and is a much better run at levels of about 600 cubic feet per second (16,990 l/s), or about 5 feet (1.5 m) on the internet gauge for that section.

A second whitewater section is found in Tariffville, Connecticut, one mile (1.6 km) of technical Class 3 water which is runnable all year round. The river is normally paddled at levels between 1.5 and 2.75 feet (45–75 cm) on the internet gauge;^[8] above 2.5 feet (75 cm) it becomes significantly heavier and more dangerous. This section includes the famous T-ville Hole, where kayakers can practice hole surfing and freestyle moves above a flat pool. Below the Hole is a broken dam, where the river funnels through an abrupt four foot drop into a large wave. This area is popular with swimmers in summer, and it is risky due to heavy currents and undercut rocks.

Satan's Kingdom offers tubing on the Farmington River.

There have been at least three fatal drownings in the Tariffville Gorge section, primarily people who were not properly prepared or trained for the heavy rapids and pinning obstacles in the gorge. Paddlers without helmets, lifejackets and Class 3 whitewater skills should end downriver trips at Tariffville Park, just above the start of the gorge.

Other whitewater areas include Satan's Kingdom in New Hartford, Connecticut, which is popular with tubers, and the Crystal Rapids section in Collinsville and Unionville, Connecticut, which is about four miles (6 km) of Class 1-3 training waters with a bicycle and pedestrian path on the right side of the river. Entrance to the park is free. A service will also pick tubers up and drop them off at certain points.

Dams and power generation

The west branch of the river includes two hydroelectric dams in West Hartland and Colebrook, run by Connecticut's Metropolitan District Commission.

Colebrook River Reservoir on the West Branch Farmington River in Colebrook, Connecticut.

The largest dam on the east branch is the Saville Dam, which impounds the Barkhamsted Reservoir.

The Rainbow Dam, a 68-foot (21 m) dam with a hydroelectric generator and a fish ladder, dams the river at Windsor, a few miles before the river flows into the Connecticut River.

A number of other dams have been built on the river since European settlement, usually to power mills and other industry. A few, such as in Collinsville, are still mostly intact. The Collinsville Renewable Energy Promotion Act (H.R. 316;113th Congress) would instruct the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to issue licenses to the town of Canton, Connecticut to restart two small power dams along the river.^[9] The bill passed the United States House of Representatives on February 12, 2013, but has not yet become law.

Water released from or flowing over the Otis Reservoir dam enters the Farmington River just North of Reservoir Road in Otis, Massachusetts. Significant quantities of water are released during the fall in order to drop the reservoir water level for the winter.

History

The Farmington River was the home of a Native American indigenous people called the Massaco, who inhabited the Simsbury and Canton area of Connecticut. One of the eighteen bands of the Wappinger, they lived and fished along the river, which later acquired the name "Farmington"^[10]

The Farmington River was one of the Massaco's chief fishing grounds.

The land of the Massaco was subsequently purchased by the Dutch. This and its settlement during the era of the Connecticut Colony are described in the early history of Simsbury.

The Spoonville Dam, built on the Farmington River in 1899 below the Tariffville Gorge in East Granby, was breached in the Flood of 1955 and remained as a partial dam for several decades before being removed in July 2012.^[11] The dam, as well as the bridge crossing the Farmington River downstream at Route 187, derived its name from the silver plating factory erected in 1840 on the north bank of the river. It was the first factory of its kind in the United States.^[12]

Historical crossings

Several old bridges constructed in the 19th century and early 20th century still span the Farmington River to this day. Among these are:

Farmington River Railroad Bridge, a stone arch bridge in Windsor, Connecticut built in 1867^[13]

Drake Hill Road Bridge, a Parker through-truss bridge in Simsbury, Connecticut constructed in 1892^[14]
Town Bridge, a Parker through-truss bridge in Canton, Connecticut constructed by the Berlin Iron Bridge Company in 1895^[15]
Richards Corner Bridge, a Pratt through-truss bridge in New Hartford, Connecticut built in 1930 which spans the East Branch Farmington River^[16]
Pleasant Valley Bridge, a Parker through-truss bridge in Barkhamsted, Connecticut built in 1939^[17]
Unionville Bridge, a Warren through-truss bridge in Farmington, Connecticut built in 1939^[18]

Natural resources

The Farmington River and its tributaries are known to contain 11 species of freshwater mussels.^[19] The Farmington has the highest mussel species diversity of any tributary to the Connecticut, lacking only the Yellow lampmussel, which is found only in the mainstem of the Connecticut from Turners Falls, MA downriver to Windsor, CT.^[19]

Photographs of notable places

Drake Hill Road Bridge, built in 1892 to span the Farmington River in Simsbury, Connecticut
Historic mills along the Farmington River in the Collinsville section of Canton, Connecticut.
A stone arch bridge built in 1867 which still spans the Farmington River in Windsor, Connecticut.
The Saville Dam impounds the East Branch Farmington River to form Barkhamsted Reservoir.
Town Bridge, built in 1895 over the Farmington River in Canton, Connecticut.

References

1 2 Farmington River Watershed: Water Quality Assessment Report (PDF). Massachusetts: Commonwealth of Massachusetts. 2001. p. 9.
↑ Farmington River Watershed Summary (PDF). Connecticut: Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection. 2012. p. 1. Retrieved 15 February 2016.
1 2 U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data. The National Map Archived 2012-04-05 at WebCite, accessed April 1, 2011
↑ "Farmington River Watershed Association". Farmington River Watershed Association. Retrieved 23 September 2010.
↑ "Wild & Scenic". Farmington River Watershed Association. Farmington River Watershed Association. Retrieved 15 February 2016.
↑ "Tariffville (Route 189) to Highway 187 (Tariffville Gorge) (Tville)". American Whitewater. Retrieved 23 September 2010.
↑ "Farmington, W. Branch, Massachusetts, US". American Whitewater. Retrieved 23 September 2010.
↑ "USGS Real-Time Water Data for Connecticut". USGS. Retrieved 23 September 2010.
↑ "H.R 316 - 113th Congress". United States Congress. Retrieved 12 April 2013.
↑ "New York Indian Tribes". Access Genealogy.com. Retrieved September 29, 2010.
↑ "Spoonville Dam is gone!". Farmington River Watershed Association. Farmington River Watershed Association. Retrieved 15 February 2016.
↑ Federal Writers' Project. Connecticut: A Guide to Its Roads, Lore and People. US History Publishers. p. 500. ISBN 978-1-60354-007-0. Retrieved 23 September 2010.
↑ Susan Babbitt (February 15, 1972). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: Farmington River Railroad Bridge" (pdf). National Park Service.
↑ Clouette, Matthew (February 20, 1984). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination: Drake Hill Road Bridge" (PDF). National Park Service. and Accompanying photos, exterior and interior, from 1983
↑ Bruce Clouette & Hoang Tinh (April 30, 1998). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: Town Bridge" (pdf). National Park Service.
↑ "Richards Corner Bridge". Bridgehunter.com: Historic and Notable Bridges of the U.S. Retrieved 22 March 2016.
↑ "Pleasant Valley Bridge". Bridgehunter.com: Historic and Notable Bridges of the U.S. Retrieved 15 February 2016.
↑ "Unionville Bridge". Bridgehunter.com: Historic and Notable Bridges of the U.S. Retrieved 22 March 2016.
1 2 "Nedeau, E.J. 2008. Freshwater Mussels and the Connecticut River Watershed. Connecticut River Watershed Council, Greenfield, MA." (PDF). Retrieved 2012-02-06.

External links

Rivers of Massachusetts
Atlantic Ocean	Tiasquam River
Buzzards Bay	Acushnet River Agawam River Back River Copicut River Crooked River Mattapoisett River Nasketucket River Paskamanset River Pocasset River Sippican River Slocums River Wankinco River Westport River Weweantic River
Cape Cod Bay	Eel River Herring River Jones River Little Pamet River Pamet River Town Brook
Connecticut River Watershed	Burnshirt River Chapel Brook Chicopee River Connecticut River Cranberry River Deerfield River East Brookfield River Farmington River Fall River Five Mile River Green River Hubbard River Manhan River Mill River (Northampton) Mill River (Springfield) Millers River Mirey Brook North Branch Millers River North Branch Westfield River North River Otter River Quaboag River Scantic River Seven Mile River Tarbell Brook Ware River Westfield River
Gulf of Maine	Annisquam River Blackwater River Eagle Hill River Egypt River Ipswich River Roger Island River Rowley River Skug River
Housatonic River Watershed	Housatonic River Konkapot River Schenob Brook Umpachene River
Hudson River Watershed	Hoosic River Kinderhook Creek
Massachusetts Bay	Aberjona River Alewife Brook Canton River Charles River Chelsea Creek Cochato River Fore River Fresh River Indian Head River Malden River Millers River Monatiquot River Mother Brook Muddy River Mystic River Neponset River North River Saugus River Stony Brook (Boston) Stony Brook (Waltham) Stop River Weir River Weymouth Back River
Merrimack River Watershed	Artichoke River Assabet River Back River Beaver Brook Cochichewick River Concord River Little River Merrimack River Nashua River Nissitissit River North Nashua River Phillips Brook Powwow River Quinapoxet River Salmon Brook Shawsheen River South Branch Souhegan River South Nashua River Spicket River Squannacook River Stillwater River Sudbury River Trout Brook Vine Brook Whitman River
Nantucket Sound	Bass River Bumps River Childs River Coonamesset River Mashpee River Mitchell River Oyster Pond River Popponesset Creek Quashnet River Santuit River
Narragansett Bay	Barrington River Cole River Coles Brook Kickamuit River Lees River Palmer River Runnins River
Providence River Watershed	Abbott Run Blackstone River Bungay River Chockalog River Mill River Mumford River Peters River Quinsigamond River Sevenmile River Tannery River Ten Mile River Thacher River West River Wilde River
Taunton River Watershed	Assonet River Canoe River Cedar Swamp River Cocasset River Cotley River Forge River Hockomock River Matfield River Mill River Nemasket River Poor Meadow Brook Quequechan River Rumford River Salisbury Plain River Satucket River Segreganset River Shumatuscacant River Snake River Taunton River Three Mile River Town River Wading River Winnetuxet River
Thames River Watershed	French River Quinebaug River

Rivers of Connecticut
Connecticut River Watershed	Blackledge River Coginchaug River Connecticut River Duck River Eightmile River Falls River Farmington River Hockanum River Hubbard River Jeremy River Lieutenant River Mattabesset River Nepaug River Pameacha Creek Park River Pequabuck River Salmon River Scantic River
Housatonic River Watershed	East Aspetuck River Housatonic River Konkapot River Naugatuck River Pomperaug River Rocky River Schenob Brook Shepaug River Still River Ten Mile River
Hudson River Watershed	Titicus River
Long Island Sound	Ash Creek Aspetuck River Black Hall River Byram River Farm River Hammonasset River Mad River Mianus River Mill River Mill River (Fairfield) Mystic River Niantic River Noroton River Norwalk River Oyster River Pequonnock River Quinnipiac River Rippowam River Rooster River Saugatuck River Silvermine River West River
Pawcatuck River Watershed	Ashaway River Green Fall River Pawcatuck River Shunock River Wood River
Thames River Watershed	Basset Brook Beaver Brook Bigelow Brook Fenton River Fishers Brook Five Mile River French River Hop River Little River Merrick Brook Moosup River Mount Hope River Natchaug River Oxoboxo River Pachaug River Quinebaug River Shetucket River Thames River Willimantic River Yantic River

Connecticut River watershed
Tributaries	Ammonoosuc River Ashuelot River Black River Black Hall River Blow-me-down Brook Burnshirt River Chapel Brook Chicopee River Cold River Cranberry River Deerfield River East Brookfield River Eightmile River Fall River Farmington River Five Mile River Green River Halls Stream Hockanum River Hubbard River Indian Stream Israel River Johns River Little Sugar River Manhan River Mascoma River Mattabesset River Mill River (Northampton) Mill River (Springfield) Millers River Mink Brook Mirey Brook Mohawk River North Branch Millers River North Branch Westfield River North River Nulhegan River Oliverian Brook Ompompanoosuc River Ottauquechee River Otter River Park River Partridge Brook Passumpsic River Perry Stream Quaboag River Salmon River Saxtons River Scantic River Seven Mile River Simms Stream Sugar River Tarbell Brook Upper Ammonoosuc River Waits River Ware River Wells River West River Westfield River Whetstone Brook White River Williams River
Lakes	Ashuelot Pond Back Lake Ball Mountain Lake Barkhamsted Reservoir Lake Beseck Brooks Pond Canaan Street Lake Cedar Pond Christine Lake Comerford Reservoir Connecticut Lakes Crystal Lake Dublin Pond Eastman Pond Echo Lake Lake Francis (Murphy Dam) Goose Pond Grafton Pond Granite Lake Harriman Reservoir Harvey Lake Lake Hayward Lakes of the Clouds Little Sunapee Lake Mascoma Lake McIndoes Reservoir Lake Monomonac Moore Reservoir North Hartland Lake Pearly Lake Pocotopaug Lake Quabbin Reservoir Lake Rescue Silver Lake Spofford Lake Lake Sunapee Surry Mountain Lake Lake Tarleton Townshend Lake Lake Wyola
Major cities (>100k)	Hartford, Connecticut Springfield, Massachusetts
Smaller cities and towns (<100k)	Agawam Ascutney Barnet Bath Beecher Falls Bellows Falls Bloomfield Bradford Brattleboro Brunswick Canaan Charlestown Chester Chesterfield Chicopee Claremont Clarksville Colebrook Columbia Concord Cornish Cromwell Dalton Deep River Deerfield Dummerston East Haddam East Hampton East Hartford East Hereford East Windsor Easthampton Enfield Essex Fairlee Gill Gilman Glastonbury Greenfield Groveton Guildhall Haddam Hadley Hanover Hartford VT Hartland Hatfield Haverhill Higganum Hinsdale Holyoke Lancaster Lebanon Lemington Littleton Longmeadow Lunenburg Lyme CT Lyme NH Maidstone Middletown Millers Falls Monroe Montague Moodus Newbury Northampton Northfield Northumberland Norwich Old Lyme Old Saybrook Orford Piermont Pittsburg Plainfield Portland Putney Rockingham Rocky Hill Ryegate South Hadley South Windsor Springfield VT Stewartstown Stratford Suffield Sunderland Thetford Thompsonville Turners Falls Vernon Walpole Waterford Weathersfield Wells River West Lebanon West Springfield Westminster Westmoreland Wethersfield Whately White River Junction Wilder Windsor CT Windsor VT Windsor Locks Woodsville
Crossings	Amtrak Old Saybrook – Old Lyme Bridge Arch Bridge Bulkeley Bridge Calvin Coolidge Bridge Canalside Rail Trail Bridge Cheshire Bridge Columbia Bridge Cornish–Windsor Covered Bridge Dexter Coffin Bridge French King Bridge Gill–Montague Bridge Janice Peaslee Bridge Ledyard Bridge Morey Memorial Bridge Mount Orne Covered Bridge Norwottuck Rail Trail Bridge Piermont Bridge Pittsburg–Clarksville Covered Bridge Ranger Bridge Raymond E. Baldwin Bridge Sunderland Bridge Wells River Bridge

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