The Mamaroneck River is a

freshwater Fresh water or freshwater is any naturally occurring liquid or frozen water containing low concentrations of dissolved salts and other total dissolved solids. The term excludes seawater and brackish water, but it does include non-salty mi ...

stream A stream is a continuous body of water, body of surface water Current (stream), flowing within the stream bed, bed and bank (geography), banks of a channel (geography), channel. Depending on its location or certain characteristics, a strea ...

located in Southern Westchester County,

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

. The river forms in White Plains and Harrison and flows south through Mamaroneck Town and

Village A village is a human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand. Although villages are often located in rural areas, the term urban v ...

, where it empties into Mamaroneck Harbor and

Long Island Sound Long Island Sound is a sound (geography), marine sound and tidal estuary of the Atlantic Ocean. It lies predominantly between the U.S. state of Connecticut to the north and Long Island in New York (state), New York to the south. From west to east, ...

. The name of the river comes from a local native American word meaning, "where the fresh water meets the salt water." The river flows into Long Island Sound. The watershed of the Mamaroneck River is . It is dominated by suburban residential neighborhoods and commercial and retail tracts. High density residential development also is prevalent throughout the middle and lower portions of the watershed.

Detail

Originating above sea level in a small

wetlands A wetland is a distinct semi-aquatic ecosystem whose groundcovers are flooded or saturated in water, either permanently, for years or decades, or only seasonally. Flooding results in oxygen-poor ( anoxic) processes taking place, especially ...

area in Harrison, the river flows south along the eastern boundary of White Plains. It joins the 'East Branch' near the junction of Anderson Hill Road and Westchester Avenue. The Mamaroneck River flows another to its confluence with the 'West Branch', where it forms the river's main stem. Human encroachment into the stream corridor and manipulation of the stream channel are byproducts of intense residential construction in and around the river's headwaters. The main stem of the Mamaroneck River flows southeasterly, paralleling Westchester Avenue and the

Hutchinson River Parkway The Hutchinson River Parkway (known colloquially as the Hutch) is a controlled-access highway, controlled-access Parkways in New York, parkway in southern New York (state), New York in the United States. It extends for from the Bruckner Interc ...

. Below the parkway, the river flows south to its confluence with the West Branch of the Mamaroneck River at the Mamaroneck Reservoir. South of the reservoir, the river forms the municipal boundary between Mamaroneck Village and Harrison. At the New England Thruway, the Mamaroneck River flows southward through Mamaroneck Village, where it joins the Sheldrake River and finally emptying into Mamaroneck Harbor on

Tributaries

Besides the Sheldrake River, two principal tributaries enter the Mamaroneck River, one from the east and one from the west. The East Branch of the Mamaroneck River is the furthest upstream tributary and originates in north Harrison near the intersection of Westchester Avenue and Anderson Hill Road. The West Branch originates just south of the Hutchinson River Parkway near Mamaroneck Avenue. The East Branch of the Mamaroneck River is long. The main stem is long north of its confluence with the east branch. The east branch originates from a small pond in north Harrison at about above sea level and then flowing southeast into Forest Lake. South of Forest Lake, it flows westerly to its confluence with the main stem. The West Branch of the Mamaroneck River is the smallest of the Mamaroneck River's two primary tributaries, draining an area of just south and southeast of downtown White Plains. The west branch originates from a wetland and pond adjacent to Archbishop Stepinac High School on Mamaroneck Avenue and flows about south and southwest through several stormwater management basins to its confluence with the main stem near the intersection of Mamaroneck Avenue and Hutchinson River Parkway.

References

{{authority control Mamaroneck, New York Long Island Sound Rivers of New York (state) Rivers of Westchester County, New York

Detail

Tributaries

See also

References