The Shepaug River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data
The National Map
accessed April 1, 2011 river in western

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. ...

, in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. The river originates at the south end of the Shepaug Reservoir in the

town A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city. The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...

of Warren. The reservoir is fed at its northern end by the West Branch Shepaug River and East Branch Shepaug River. The Shepaug runs south through Washington, Roxbury, and Southbury, where it joins the

Housatonic River The Housatonic River ( ) is a river, approximately long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map , accessed April 1, 2011 in western Massachusetts and western Connecticut in the United ...

at Lake Lillinonah () dammed by the hydroelectric Shepaug Dam. The river's watershed area comprises approximately , which encompasses the towns of

Cornwall Cornwall (; or ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is also one of the Celtic nations and the homeland of the Cornish people. The county is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, ...

, Goshen, Torrington, Warren, Litchfield, Washington, Morris, New Milford, Roxbury, Bridgewater, and Southbury. The vicinity of the Shepaug River has been inhabited by humans since around 4000 B.C., though according to

archaeology Archaeology or archeology is the study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of Artifact (archaeology), artifacts, architecture, biofact (archaeology), biofacts or ecofacts, ...

, there was a decline in population around 1000 B.C. The river is a primary source of drinking water for the city of

Waterbury Waterbury is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut. Waterbury had a population of 114,403 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 Census. The city is southwest of Hartford, Connecticut, Hartford and northeast of New York City. Waterbury i ...

, and has been the subject of regional litigation over how much water may be removed from the river.

References

{{authority control Rivers of Litchfield County, Connecticut Rivers of Connecticut Connecticut placenames of Native American origin Tributaries of Housatonic River