The Branch River is a
river
A river is a natural stream of fresh water that flows on land or inside Subterranean river, caves towards another body of water at a lower elevation, such as an ocean, lake, or another river. A river may run dry before reaching the end of ...
in the
U.S.
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 states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 contiguous ...
state of
Rhode Island
Rhode Island ( ) is a state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Connecticut to its west; Massachusetts to its north and east; and the Atlantic Ocean to its south via Rhode Island Sound and Block Is ...
. It flows for approximately 16 km (10 mi). There are six dams along the river's length, including those forming the
Slatersville Reservoir.
Governor's Task Force on Dam Safety and Maintenance – Final Report, January 2001
/ref> The river provided energy for many of the region's textile mill
Textile manufacturing or textile engineering is a major industry. It is largely based on the conversion of fibre into yarn, then yarn into fabric. These are then dyed or printed, fabricated into cloth which is then converted into useful good ...
s in the nineteenth century.
Course
The river is formed in Burrillville by the confluence of the Clear and Chepachet rivers. From there, it flows north to North Smithfield, past Slatersville and Forestdale to the Blackstone River
The Blackstone River in the United States is a river that flows through Massachusetts and Rhode Island. It is long with a drainage area of 475 mi2 (1229 km2). It drains into the tidal river, Pawtucket River at Pawtucket, Rhode Island, Pawtuck ...
.
Crossings
Below is a list of all crossings over the Branch River. The list starts at the headwaters and goes downstream.
*Burrillville
**Victory Highway
**Broncos Highway ( RI 102) (Twice)
**Douglas Pike ( RI 7)
*North Smithfield
**Main Street
**Railroad Street
** Rhode Island State Route 146
**Great Road ( RI 146A)
Tributaries
Trout and Dawley Brooks are the Branch River's only named tributaries, though it has many unnamed streams that also feed it.
See also
*List of rivers in Rhode Island
This is a list of rivers in the U.S. state of Rhode Island. Rivers in bold are considered major rivers either geographically or historically.
By stream network
All rivers eventually empty into the Atlantic Ocean. Rivers are listed in order from we ...
References
*Maps from the United States Geological Survey
The United States Geological Survey (USGS), founded as the Geological Survey, is an agency of the U.S. Department of the Interior whose work spans the disciplines of biology, geography, geology, and hydrology. The agency was founded on Mar ...
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Rivers of Providence County, Rhode Island
Rivers of Rhode Island
Tributaries of Providence River