Mill River (Connecticut) on:
[Wikipedia]
[Google]
[Amazon]
The Mill River is a
The National Map
, accessed April 1, 2011 The river is dammed in southern Hamden to form Lake Whitney, which is operated as a reservoir by the
here
trail
is under development that follows the course of the river, especially in the city of New Haven. The lower portion of the river is a fresh tidal system because of the existence of tide gates that cyclically block flow near State Street in New Haven. This section of the river is the subject o
research
to determine how sediments, metals, and other substances cycle through the estuary.
English Station, an abandoned
study
of PAHs in this section of the river.
Save the Sound
and Connecticut DEEP. The river and its watershed are stewarded by a volunteer group, th
Mill River Watershed Association
In July 2020, 2.1 million gallons of raw sewage spilled into the Mill River when a corroded sewage pipe broke. Within a week the broken pipe was replaced and city officials announced water samples from the river showed safe levels of bacteria.
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 New Haven County, Connecticut
New Haven County is a county (United States), county in the south central part of the U.S. state of Connecticut. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 864,835, making it the third-most populous county in Connectic ...
, United States.
History
A mill for grinding corn was built on a Quinnipiack ford nearEast Rock
East Rock of south-central Connecticut, United States, with a high point of , is a long trap rock ridge located primarily in the neighborhood of East Rock on the north side of the city of New Haven. A prominent landscape feature and a popular ...
in 1642. By 1780 there were eight mills. In time the river provided power for Eli Whitney
Eli Whitney Jr. (December 8, 1765January 8, 1825) was an American inventor, widely known for inventing the cotton gin in 1793, one of the key inventions of the Industrial Revolution that shaped the economy of the Antebellum South.
Whitney's ...
's gun factory, now the Eli Whitney Museum.
It joins the Quinnipiac River at the mouth of New Haven Harbor which opens out into 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, ...
.
Watershed and course
The river starts in the town ofCheshire
Cheshire ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Merseyside to the north-west, Greater Manchester to the north-east, Derbyshire to the east, Staffordshire to the south-east, and Shrop ...
, flows through Hamden and New Haven
New Haven is a city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound. With a population of 135,081 as determined by the 2020 U.S. census, New Haven is the third largest city in Co ...
, and discharges into New Haven Harbor on 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 upper portion of the river is formed from eastern and western branches, the latter of which is sometimes called Willow Brook. The river's length is .U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map
, accessed April 1, 2011 The river is dammed in southern Hamden to form Lake Whitney, which is operated as a reservoir by the
South Central Connecticut Regional Water Authority
The South Central Connecticut Regional Water Authority (SCCRWA or RWA) is a public water supply utility in Connecticut, United States. The RWA supplies water in a 15-town region with a population of about 430,000. The RWA acts as a steward of the ...
.
Mill River passes through Sleeping Giant State Park in northern Hamden and East Rock Park below Lake Whitney in Hamden. These are among the river's reaches that remain undeveloped and are popular spots for fishing
Fishing is the activity of trying to catch fish. Fish are often caught as wildlife from the natural environment (Freshwater ecosystem, freshwater or Marine ecosystem, marine), but may also be caught from Fish stocking, stocked Body of water, ...
and hiking
A hike is a long, vigorous walk, usually on trails or footpaths in the countryside. Walking for pleasure developed in Europe during the eighteenth century. Long hikes as part of a religious pilgrimage have existed for a much longer time.
"Hi ...
.
The USGS has maintained a gauge (01196620) near Sleeping Giant for the past 41 year to continuously monitor flow. Real time data are availablhere
trail
is under development that follows the course of the river, especially in the city of New Haven. The lower portion of the river is a fresh tidal system because of the existence of tide gates that cyclically block flow near State Street in New Haven. This section of the river is the subject o
research
to determine how sediments, metals, and other substances cycle through the estuary.
English Station, an abandoned power plant
A power station, also referred to as a power plant and sometimes generating station or generating plant, is an industrial facility for the electricity generation, generation of electric power. Power stations are generally connected to an electr ...
, lies on Ball Island in the New Haven terminus of the river. There has been study
of PAHs in this section of the river.
Ecology and conservation
In 2018 a plan for protecting and restoring the Mill River Watershed was developed through collaboration betweeSave the Sound
and Connecticut DEEP. The river and its watershed are stewarded by a volunteer group, th
Mill River Watershed Association
In July 2020, 2.1 million gallons of raw sewage spilled into the Mill River when a corroded sewage pipe broke. Within a week the broken pipe was replaced and city officials announced water samples from the river showed safe levels of bacteria.
See also
*List of rivers of Connecticut
Most of Connecticut's rivers flow into Long Island Sound and from there the waters mix into the Atlantic Ocean. A few extremely eastern rivers flow into Block Island Sound. The list is arranged by drainage basin from east to west, with respective ...
References
Further reading
* 1998. ''The Streets of New Haven - The Origin of Their Names'', (2nd ed.) {{authority control Rivers of New Haven County, Connecticut Geography of New Haven, Connecticut Rivers of Connecticut