The Carmans River is a long river in

Brookhaven, New York Brookhaven is a large Suburb, suburban town in Suffolk County, New York, Suffolk County, Long Island, New York (state), New York. With a population of 488,497 as of 2022, it is the second most populous town in New York (after Hempstead, New Yo ...

in Suffolk County on

Long Island Long Island is a densely populated continental island in southeastern New York (state), New York state, extending into the Atlantic Ocean. It constitutes a significant share of the New York metropolitan area in both population and land are ...

. It is one of the four largest rivers on Long Island and is similar to other Long Island rivers in that is totally

groundwater Groundwater is the water present beneath Earth's surface in rock and Pore space in soil, soil pore spaces and in the fractures of stratum, rock formations. About 30 percent of all readily available fresh water in the world is groundwater. A unit ...

generated (e.g., no lakes), although a lake did exist long ago. Almost all of the river is specifically protected by the Central Long Island Pine Barrens. All of it is designated by New York State as either a "Scenic River" or a "Recreational River." The river, which was earlier once called the Connecticut River (in connection with early settlers from

Connecticut Connecticut ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. ...

, and also due to the mistaken belief that it is fed underground by that river) is named for Samuel Carman who married into milling families on the river in the 19th century, used it to run a mill, and operated a hunting club for residents from New York City. It is fresh water for the first and then becomes an

estuary An estuary is a partially enclosed coastal body of brackish water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea. Estuaries form a transition zone between river environments and maritime enviro ...

for the last two, as it encounters the tidal effects of Great South Bay. There are four dams on the upper river at Upper Mill Pond, Lower Mill Pond, Southaven County Park, and the Sunrise Highway. Adjoining the river is the Wertheim National Wildlife Refuge. The river formed the western boundary of the massive Manor St. George under William "Tangier" Smith who in the 17th century owned most of modern-day Brookhaven south of the Sunrise Highway. A manor subsequently built by the Smith family is located in Shirley at the mouth. In 1967 Art Cooley, a teacher at Bellport High School, noting a decline in the

osprey The osprey (; ''Pandion haliaetus''), historically known as sea hawk, river hawk, and fish hawk, is a diurnal, fish-eating bird of prey with a cosmopolitan range. It is a large raptor, reaching more than in length and a wingspan of . It ...

population on the river was one of the founders of the Environmental Defense Fund which was to lead the fight to ban DDT. Southaven County Park encompasses upstream parts of the river and special regulations trout fishing can be accessed through them. In recent years, wild turkeys have been re-introduced into this park, and have re-populated many of the surrounding areas.

List of crossings of the Carmans River

References

External links

NYSwaterfronts.com profile of river
{{authority control Rivers of Suffolk County, New York Brookhaven, New York Rivers of New York (state)