The Norwalk River is a
river
A river is a natural flowing watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, sea, lake or another river. In some cases, a river flows into the ground and becomes dry at the end of its course without reaching another body of w ...
in southwestern
Connecticut
Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its capita ...
, United States, approximately long.
[U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data]
The National Map
accessed April 1, 2011 The word "Norwalk" comes from the
Algonquian word "noyank" meaning "point of land".
Description
The Norwalk River originates in ponds located in
Ridgefield, Connecticut
Ridgefield is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. Situated in the foothills of the Berkshire Mountains, the 300-year-old community had a population of 25,033 at the 2020 census. The town center, which was formerly a borough ...
. These ponds empty into Ridgefield’s approximately "Great Swamp". The river continues through Ridgefield, and is augmented by the "Great Pond" ( above
sea level
Mean sea level (MSL, often shortened to sea level) is an average surface level of one or more among Earth's coastal bodies of water from which heights such as elevation may be measured. The global MSL is a type of vertical datuma standardise ...
), one of the purest lakes in Connecticut due to its being fed by underwater
springs. The river is closely paralleled by
U.S. Route 7
U.S. Route 7 (US 7) is a north–south United States highway in western New England that runs for through the states of Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Vermont. The highway's southern terminus is at Interstate 95 (I-95) exit 15 ...
as it flows southward through
Branchville,
Georgetown,
Wilton, and
Norwalk, where it is joined by the
Silvermine River and then flows into
Norwalk Harbor and finally into
Long Island Sound.
Recreational
fishing
Fishing is the activity of trying to catch fish. Fish are often caught as wildlife from the natural environment, but may also be caught from stocked bodies of water such as ponds, canals, park wetlands and reservoirs. Fishing techniques inclu ...
continues to be a popular sport along the course of the river, in addition to oystering at the river’s mouth in Norwalk.
A 20-year-old man drowned in the river on May 24, 2009 while trying to save a boy who slipped into a strong current near Broad Street in northern Norwalk, near the Route 7 Connector. The boy had been playing in knee-deep water. Jose Higareda, a Mexican immigrant living in Norwalk, jumped in the water with the boy's father, but Higareda was himself dragged downstream toward Deering Pond. The boy survived.
[Cassidy, Martin B., "Catastrophe on the water: 20-year-old man drowns in Norwalk River while trying to save young boy", May 29, 2009, ''Norwalk Citizen'', p A6]
Great Flood of 1955
Over the weekend of October 14–17, 1955, of
tropical storm rain caused the Norwalk River, along with many other
Connecticut rivers, to severely
flood
A flood is an overflow of water ( or rarely other fluids) that submerges land that is usually dry. In the sense of "flowing water", the word may also be applied to the inflow of the tide. Floods are an area of study of the discipline hydrol ...
. (The statewide destruction prompted
President Eisenhower to declare a
disaster area
A disaster area is a region or a locale that has been heavily damaged by either natural, technological or social hazards. Disaster areas affect the population living in the community by dramatic increase in expense, loss of energy, food and serv ...
in Connecticut.) The
flood of 1955 caused the most severe damage of any flood in the
history of Norwalk. From the heavy rains some
dam
A dam is a barrier that stops or restricts the flow of surface water or underground streams. Reservoirs created by dams not only suppress floods but also provide water for activities such as irrigation, human consumption, industrial use ...
s along the Norwalk River broke, sending walls of water surging downstream, knocking out bridges and additional dams. Many of the Norwalk River’s neighboring towns and communities suffered widespread devastation. Several people died in addition to millions of dollars worth of damage along the Norwalk River
watershed alone.
Pictures
File:NorwalkCTStroffolinoBrRaised08122007.JPG, Stroffolino Bridge closing, Norwalk
File:NorwalkCTStroffolinoBrNorthSide08122007.JPG, Stroffolino Bridge, north side
File:NorwalkCTNorwalkRivrRRBridgeCloseup08122007.JPG, Swing railroad bridge, Norwalk
File:NorwalkCTNorwalkRivRRBridge08122007.JPG, Swing bridge in Norwalk, longer view
File:NorwalkCTWaitAreaHarborCruises08122007.JPG, Waiting area for harbor tours, riverside, South Norwalk
File:NorwalkCTNorwalkRiver@Merritt7OfficePark09162007.JPG, The river passes by numerous office buildings in northern Norwalk.
See also
*
List of rivers of Connecticut
References
External links
The Norwalk River Watershed Association
{{authority control
Geography of Norwalk, Connecticut
Rivers of Fairfield County, Connecticut
Connecticut placenames of Native American origin
Long Island Sound
Rivers of Connecticut
Redding, Connecticut