Pawcatuck River

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The Pawcatuck River, looking south, with Westerly, RI buildings in view, and Pawcatuck, CT just off to left.
The Pawcatuck River as it flows between Westerly, Rhode Island and Pawcatuck, Connecticut
Pawcatuck River watershed

The Pawcatuck River is a river in the U.S. states of Rhode Island and Connecticut flowing approximately 34 miles (55 km).[1] There are eight dams along the river's length.[2] The former USS Pawcatuck (AO-108) was named after the river.

Contents

[edit] History

The river was specified as the western boundary of the Rhode Island Colony in its original charter in 1636. The river was formerly called the Charles River between its source and the mouth of the Wood River near Bradford, Rhode Island.

On April 20, 2006 an Atlantic white-sided dolphin swam up the river into Westerly, Rhode Island. The mouth of the river is several miles from downtown Westerly, which is where the dolphin ultimately ended up. After several hours spent in downtown Westerly-Pawcatuck, near the bridge connecting Rhode Island and Connecticut, several hundred spectators gathered to see the dolphin that had possibly separated from its pod at sea, according to authorities at the Mystic Aquarium and Institute for Exploration. The dolphin died later that night at the aquarium after becoming sick, underweight and bruised during its adventure.[3]

On March 29, 2010, the river flooded causing an immense amount of flooding in both Westerly and Pawcatuck. Several evacuations occurred in both towns. The bridge in downtown Westerly-Pawcatuck was closed for several weeks until the river was calm enough for divers to inspect and reopen the bridge.[4]

[edit] Course

The Pawcatuck River's source is Worden Pond in South Kingstown (41°26′32″N 71°35′27″W / 41.4423°N 71.5909°W / 41.4423; -71.5909). It proceeds generally west and southwest through the villages of Kenyon, Carolina, and Bradford. It then turns briefly northwest and west before resuming a southward course to flow past Potter Hill and between the town of Westerly, Rhode Island and the Pawcatuck section of Stonington, Connecticut until it finally empties into Little Narragansett Bay on Long Island Sound (41°19′N 71°52′W / 41.32°N 71.86°W / 41.32; -71.86).

[edit] Crossings

Below is a list of all crossings over the Pawcatuck River. The list starts at the headwaters and goes downstream.

[edit] Tributaries

In addition to many unnamed tributaries, the following brooks and rivers feed the Pawcatuck:

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data. The National Map, accessed April 1, 2011
  2. ^ Governor's Task Force on Dam Safety and Maintenance – Final Report, January 2001
  3. ^ http://newsblog.projo.com/archives/2006/04/21/
  4. ^ http://www.nbcconnecticut.com/news/local-beat/Pawcatuck_River_-_Stonington_flood_Hartford.html
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Pawcatuck_River&oldid=458302597"
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