Pawcatuck River

Pawcatuck River
The Pawcatuck River as it flows between Westerly, Rhode Island and Pawcatuck, Connecticut
Pawcatuck River watershed
Location
Country	United States
State	Connecticut / Rhode Island
County	New London County, Connecticut Washington County, Rhode Island
Physical characteristics

Source	Worden Pond
• location	South Kingstown, Rhode Island
• coordinates	41°26′32″N 71°35′27″W / 41.4423°N 71.5909°W / 41.4423; -71.5909

Mouth	Little Narragansett Bay, Long Island Sound
• location	Pawcatuck, Connecticut / Westerly, Rhode Island
• coordinates	41°19′N 71°52′W / 41.32°N 71.86°W / 41.32; -71.86

National Wild and Scenic River
Designated	March 12, 2019^[1]

The Pawcatuck River is a river in the US states of Rhode Island and Connecticut flowing approximately 34 miles (55 km).^[2] There are eight dams along the river's length.^[3] USS Pawcatuck was named after the river.

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History

The river was specified as the western boundary of the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations in the original charter of 1636. It 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 several miles up the river to Westerly, Rhode Island from Little Narragansett Bay at the east end of Fishers Island Sound. It spent several hours at Westerly-Pawcatuck, near the bridge connecting Rhode Island and Connecticut, while several hundred spectators gathered to see it. According to the Mystic Aquarium, the dolphin may have become separated from its pod at sea and had been searching for it. It was captured and taken later that night to the aquarium, where it died; it had become sick, underweight, and bruised during its journey upriver.^[4]

The Pawcatuck River flooded during a fierce rainstorm in New England on March 29, 2010, with waters overflowing into both Westerly and Pawcatuck. Both towns evacuated low-lying areas, and some historic buildings were lost to flood damage along the course of the river, and its tributaries such as a 150-year-old general store in North Stonington adjacent to the Shunock River.^[5] The bridge in downtown Westerly-Pawcatuck was closed for several weeks until the river had gone down enough for divers to inspect it for safety.^[5]

Course

The Pawcatuck River's source is Worden Pond in South Kingstown, Rhode Island. It proceeds generally west and southwest through the villages of Kenyon, Carolina, and Bradford, Rhode Island. It serves as the border between the towns of Charlestown and Richmond, Rhode Island, Charlestown and Hopkinton, Rhode Island, and Hopkinton and Westerly. It turns briefly northwest and west before resuming a southward course to flow past Potter Hill, Rhode Island and between the towns of Westerly, Rhode Island and the Pawcatuck section of Stonington, Connecticut; its mouth is on Little Narragansett Bay on Long Island Sound (41°19′N 71°52′W / 41.32°N 71.86°W / 41.32; -71.86).

Crossings

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

Charlestown
- Biscuit City Road
- South County Trail (RI 2)
- Sherman Avenue
- Northeast Corridor (Amtrak)
- Shannock Road
- Northeast Corridor (Amtrak)
- Old Shannock Road
- Northeast Corridor (Amtrak)
- Carolina Back Road (RI 112)
- Alton Carolina Road (RI 91)
- Northeast Corridor (Amtrak)
- Kings Factory Road
- Northeast Corridor (Amtrak)
- Burdickville Road
- Northeast Corridor (Amtrak)
Westerly
- Northeast Corridor (Amtrak)
- Alton Bradford Road (RI 91/216)
- Ashaway Road (RI 3)
- Potter Hill Road
- Boombridge Road
- Bridge Road
- Westerly Bypass (RI 78)
- Stillman Avenue
- Northeast Corridor (Amtrak)
- Broad Street (U.S. 1)

Tributaries

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

Usquepaug River
Pusquiset Brook
Beaver River
Taney Brook
White Brook
Meadow Brook
Wood River
Poquiani Brook
Tomaquag Brook
McGowan Brook
Aguntaug Brook
Ashaway River
Shunock River
Mastuxet Brook

References

^ "Explore Designated Rivers". Rivers.gov. Retrieved January 8, 2022.
^ U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data. The National Map, accessed April 1, 2011
^ Governor's Task Force on Dam Safety and Maintenance – Final Report, January 2001
^ [1], News Blog, 4 June 2006 Archived January 24, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
^ ^a ^b Ben Sosenko/John Mongeau, "Pawcatuck River-Stonington flood", NBC Connecticut, 1 April 2010, accessed 8 April 2012

Rivers of Connecticut by drainage system

Long Island Sound

Black Rock Harbor	Ash Creek Rooster River
Bridgeport Harbor	Pequonnock River
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 Podunk River Salmon River Scantic River
Housatonic River Watershed	Blackberry River East Aspetuck River Housatonic River Konkapot River Mad River Naugatuck River Pomperaug River Rocky River Schenob Brook Shepaug River Still River Ten Mile River Whiting River
Little Narragansett Bay (Pawcatuck River Watershed)	Ashaway River Green Fall River Pawcatuck River Shunock River Wood River
Milford Harbor	Wepawaug River
New Haven Harbor	Mill River Quinnipiac River West River
Norwalk Harbor (Norwalk River Watershed)	Norwalk River Silvermine River
Saugatuck River Watershed	Aspetuck River Saugatuck 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
Others	Black Hall River Byram River Cove River Farm River Hammonasset River Indian River Mianus River Mill River (Fairfield) Mystic River Niantic River Noroton River Oyster River Rippowam River

Upper New York Bay

Hudson River Watershed	Titicus River

Rivers of Rhode Island by drainage system

Block Island Sound

Point Judith Pond	Saugatucket River

Long Island Sound

Little Narragansett Bay (Pawcatuck River Watershed)	Ashaway River Beaver River Chipuxet River Flat River (Wood) Green Fall River Pawcatuck River Queen River Usquepaug River Wood River
Thames River Watershed	Moosup River

Narragansett Bay

Pettaquamscutt River Watershed	Mattatuxet River Pettaquamscutt River
Potowomut River Watershed	Hunt River Potowomut River
Providence River Watershed	Abbott Run Big River Blackstone River Branch River Carr River Chepachet River Chockalog River Clear River Congdon River Flat River (South Branch Pawtuxet) Mill River Millers River Mishnock River Moshassuck River Moswansicut River Nipmuc River Nooseneck River North Branch Pawtuxet River Pascoag River Pawtuxet River Peters River Pocasset River Ponaganset River Providence River Seekonk River Sevenmile River South Branch Pawtuxet River Stillwater River Ten Mile River West River Wilde River Woonasquatucket River
Sakonnet River Watershed	Maidford River Maiford River Quaket River Sakonnet River
Warren River Watershed	Barrington River Palmer River Runnins River Warren River
Others	Annaquatucket River Kickamuit River Maskerchugg River Pine River

v t e Waterbodies of Rhode Island
Bays and sounds	Block Island Sound Greenwich Bay Narragansett Bay Rhode Island Sound
Canals, estuaries, and rivers	Blackstone Canal Little Narragansett Bay Mount Hope Bay Pawcatuck River Thames River (Connecticut)
Lakes and ponds	Butterfly Pond Cards Pond Edgewood Lake Ell Pond Great Salt Pond Indian Lake Lake Bel Air Lake Mishnock Lake Washington Mashapaug Pond Maschaug Pond Ninigret Pond Point Judith Pond Potter Pond Quicksand Pond Quonochontaug Pond Roosevelt Lake Silver Lake Trustom Pond Wallum Lake Watchaug Pond Winnapaug Pond
Reservoirs	Burlingame Reservoir Diamond Hill Reservoir Miscoe Lake Scituate Reservoir

v <abbr style=";;background:none transparent;border:none;box-shadow:none;padding:0;" title="Discuss this template">t</abbr> e Pawcatuck River Watershed
Tributaries	Ashaway River Beaver River Chipuxet River Flat River Green Fall River Pawcatuck River Queen River Shunock River Usquepaug River Wood River

This page was last edited on 20 December 2022, at 12:26

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