TheHousatonic River (/ˌhuːsəˈtɒnɪk/HOOS-ə-TON-ik) is an approximately 149 mi (240 km) long[4][5] river in westernMassachusetts and westernConnecticut in the United States. It flows south to southeast, and drains about 1,950 square miles (5,100 km2) of southwestern Connecticut intoLong Island Sound.
Indigenous people began using the river area for fishing and hunting at least 6,000 years ago. By 1600, the inhabitants were mostlyMohicans and may have numbered 30,000.[6]
The river's name is derived from the Mohican phrase"usi-a-di-en-uk", translated as "beyond the mountain place" or "river of the mountain place".[6][7] It is referred to in the deed by which a group of twelve colonists called "The Proprietors" captured the land now calledSherman andNew Fairfield as "Ousetonack".[8]Samuel Orcutt, a 19th-century historian, explained the term's pronunciation as "more properly...Howsatunnuck" and also noted an early spelling in the form of "Oweantinock".[9] Prior to the 18th century, the river was alternatively known as the Pootatuck River. Accounts differ on the origin of this name, with some claiming that Pootatuck is an Algonquian term translating to "river of the falls"[7][10] while others relate the term was eponymous, reflecting the name of the tribe that had their principal village along the river in the area ofNewtown, Connecticut.[11] "Pootatuck River" eventually came to refer a lesser tributary in the Housatonic watershed which empties into the Housatonic River atSandy Hook, Connecticut.[12]
The river passes through land that was formerly occupied primarily by native people ofAlgonquian lineage, typically living in villages of two to three hundred families housed in hide wigwams.[10][13] These native inhabitants burned the forests along the Housatonic Valley in the autumn to keep the underbrush down, a practice which was customary throughout Connecticut prior to European settlement.[14]
One notable native wasChief Squantz of theSchaghticoke tribe, who still hold a portion of the former reservation on the west side of the Housatonic River, in what is now called the town ofKent.[8]
English settlement of the northern Housatonic Valley began in 1725 inSheffield, Massachusetts.[6] By 1734, Mohicans established the Indian Town of Stockbridge, which grew over 15 years but then failed, with land pressures increasing.[6]
The river has been a source of power for paper, iron, textiles, and electricity industries.[6] AtGreat Barrington, a grist mill built by David Ingersoll in 1739 used the river for power.[6] The paper industry grew using the river's power from circa 1800.[6]
The river was dammed with the advent of industry. In 1900, there were 30 dams on the river in Pittsfield. Many have been removed, but many remain, such as the Woods Pond dam in Lenox, Columbia Mill dam in Lee, Willow Mill dam in South Lee, Glendale dam in Stockbridge, and Rising Pond dam inGreat Barrington, Massachusetts.[6]
Five dams impound the river in Connecticut to producehydroelectricity: theFalls Village, Bulls Bridge,Shepaug,Stevenson and Derby dams. The last three dams form a chain of lakes:Lake Lillinonah,Lake Zoar and Lake Housatonic, fromNew Milford south toShelton.
Three wooden covered bridges cross the Housatonic River. Two are in Connecticut: one known asBull's Bridge, which spans the river betweenGaylordsville andKent, and another atCornwall, known as theWest Cornwall Covered Bridge. Reinforced with present-day materials, both bridges carry normal vehicle traffic, albeit in only one direction at a time. The third bridge,Old Covered Bridge located inSheffield, Massachusetts, was destroyed by fire and rebuilt in 1998; it is now open only to foot traffic.[15]
Lydia Sigourney's poemThe Housatonic is in her volume, Scenes in my Native Land, 1845, where it accompanied by descriptive text on the river and its neighbourhood.[16]
TheUnited States Navy named a ship for the Housatonic River. TheUSS Housatonic has the distinction of being the first ship in history to be sunk by a submarine, the Confederate vesselCSSH.L. Hunley, in 1864.
Inspired by the river during his honeymoon, the American classical music composerCharles Ives wrote "The Housatonic at Stockbridge" as part of his compositionThree Places in New England during the 1910s, drawing his text from a poem of the same name byRobert Underwood Johnson. The town ofStockbridge is located in southwestern Massachusetts. The river enters Stockbridge on the east side of town before turning south toward Connecticut.
There was a 1962 Americannuclear weapon test of thesame name; several such tests used Native American words as codewords.
In 1969, nine-year-old Thom Reed and his family claimed to see a bright light rise from the Housatonic River, then found themselves inside "what appeared to be an airplane hangar," where they saw creatures that "resembled large insects." Supporters of the family erected a memorial to the incident at theOld Covered Bridge inSheffield, Massachusetts, in 2015. The 5,000-pound memorial was removed by the town in 2019. The incident featured in a 2020 episode ofUnsolved Mysteries onNetflix.[17][18][19]
Historically, the Housatonic River and itsNaugatuck River tributary hosted the southernmost spawning runs of theAtlantic salmon (Salmo salar).[20][21] The Salmon Creek tributary of the Housatonic River may have been named for thissalmonid, which can reach up to 30 pounds (14 kg).
Fromcirca 1932 until 1977, the river receivedPCBpollution discharges from theGeneral Electric (GE) plant atPittsfield, Massachusetts. The U.S.Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) designated the Pittsfield plant and several miles of the Housatonic as aSuperfund site in 1997, and ordered GE to remediate the site. EPA and GE began a cleanup of the area in 1999.[22] Most of the PCBs used in the United States during this period were made byMonsanto.[23] Aroclor 1254 and Aroclor 1260, made by Monsanto, was a primary contaminant of the pollution in the Housatonic River.[24] Although the water quality has improved in recent decades, and some remediation has taken place,[25][26] the river continues to be contaminated by PCBs.[27]
Between 2005 and 2018 GE completed remediation and restoration of the 10 manufacturing plant areas within the city, and continues to conduct inspection, monitoring and maintenance activities.[28] Additional remediation is planned for the downstream polluted areas of the river. The highest concentrations of PCBs in the Housatonic River are found in Woods Pond inLenox, Massachusetts, just south of Pittsfield, where they have been measured up to 110 mg/kg in the sediment.[24] About 50% of all the PCBs currently in the river are estimated to be retained in the sediment behind Woods Pond dam. This is estimated to be about 11,000 pounds of PCBs.[24] Former filled oxbows are also polluted.[29]
Birds, such as ducks, and fish that live in and around the river contain significant levels of PCBs and can present health risks if consumed.[30][31] As of 2025 fish consumption advisories remain in effect for both the Massachusetts and Connecticut portions of the river.[32][33]
Negotiations regarding how to clean up the contaminated areas south of Pittsfield continued for many years following the initial Superfund site designations, involving GE, EPA, local governments, citizen groups and other stakeholders. In February 2020 EPA announced asettlement agreement involving GE, EPA and most of the concerned parties, to remove contaminated sediment from the river.[34][35][36] Following a public comment period, EPA issued a permit in December 2020 for the final cleanup phase. In 2021 two of the citizen groups that were parties to the settlement filed an appeal of the permit, criticizing the design of the planned landfill. In February 2022 the US Environmental Appeals Board (EAB) denied the permit appeal.[37] Two citizen groups appealed the EAB decision to theFirst Circuit Court of Appeals, and in July 2023 the court rejected the plaintiffs' challenge.[38]
In March 2025 EPA issued a conditional approval for GE's proposed disposal facility for low-level contaminated materials in the Town of Lee. Site preparation activities are expected to start in late 2025.[39] Highly contaminated soil will be removed and shipped to federally approved facilities outside the state.[36]
The Connecticut segment of the river is polluted withmercury levels far beyond background levels, starting at the confluence with theStill River. The hat manufacturing industry ofDanbury, Connecticut, which operated from the 19th to the mid-20th century, was the source of most of this mercury pollution, frommercury nitrate used in the felting process. In the 21st century, the mercury remains in the river sediment and flows downstream, especially during storm events.[40][better source needed][41] High mercury levels are measured in the sediment at the outflow delta of the Housatonic River intoLong Island Sound.[42]
The Housatonic Riverwatershed drains 1,948 square miles (5,050 km2) in western Connecticut and Massachusetts and eastern New York.[4] The Housatonic rises from four sources in far westernMassachusetts in theBerkshire Mountains near the city ofPittsfield. It flows southward through western Massachusetts through the Berkshires and into westernConnecticut, and empties into theLong Island Sound between the cities ofStratford andMilford, forming a border between Connecticut'sFairfield County andNew Haven County, respectively. It includes 83 towns.
For most of its extent the watershed is just to the west of the watershed of the lowerConnecticut River, and to the east of theHudson River Basin. Near the coast, smaller watersheds border it: on the east theQuinnipiac River andWepawaug River watersheds, and on the west theNorwalk River,Saugatuck River, andPequonnock River watersheds.
The river's total fall is 1,430 feet (440 m) (959 feet (292 m) from the confluence of its east and west branches) to Long Island Sound. Its major tributaries in Massachusetts are (heading downstream) theWilliams River (inGreat Barrington),Green River andKonkapot River (inAshley Falls). Crossing south into Connecticut, the Housatonic's major tributaries are theBlackberry River (inCanaan),Salmon Creek (belowFalls Village),Ten Mile River (aboveGaylordsville but originating in New York),Still River (south ofNew Milford),Shepaug River (at theBridgewater andSouthbury border),Pomperaug River (atSouthbury), andNaugatuck River (inDerby). TheNaugatuck River is the Housatonic's largest tributary with a contributing watershed of 312 square miles (810 km2).[4]
Candlewood Lake is apumped storage facility which is replenished when water is pumped into it from the Housatonic during times of non-peak electrical consumption; the water is then allowed to flow back into the river during peak times to generate electricity.
TheGreater Danbury metropolitan area inWestern Connecticut is also known as the Housatonic Valley Region.
TheUpper Housatonic Valley National Heritage Area is a designatedNational Heritage Area consisting of an 848-square-mile (2,200 km2) area in the watershed of the upper Housatonic River, extending fromKent, Connecticut, toLanesborough, Massachusetts, including eight towns in Connecticut and eighteen in Massachusetts.[43]
 | This sectionneeds additional citations forverification. Please helpimprove this article byadding citations to reliable sources in this section. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Housatonic River" – news ·newspapers ·books ·scholar ·JSTOR(July 2025) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
The Housatonic River is a popular whitewater paddling destination beginning atFalls Village, Connecticut, and continuing toGaylordsville. Most of the river is quickwater and Class I whitewater with long sections of Class II-III whitewater. A deadly and extreme Class VI resides at Great Falls inCanaan (Falls Village) and is most likely not able to be paddled. The most dangerous and difficult section that is navigable is by Bulls Bridge, with Class V whitewater.
There are several minor and major dams along the river that form lakes. Most notable are two lakes in Connecticut,Lake Zoar, which bordersMonroe,Newtown,Oxford, andSouthbury, andLake Lillinonah. Both lakes are major water-sport recreation outlets for the surrounding towns.
Two of the three lakes formed by the dams are used forrowing by clubs, schools, and to hostregattas. Lake Lillinonah is used by the GMS Rowing Center and is host to the GMS Regatta.[44] Lake Housatonic is used by theYale University Crew Team at theGilder Boathouse and by theNew Haven Rowing Club. It is also host to the Derby Sweeps & Sculls and theHead of the Housatonic.
The Housatonic River is also a popularfly fishing destination. Fly fishing on the Housatonic River has been compared with western rivers and is among the finest for trout in the eastern United States. The most popular area for fly fishing is inLitchfield County, Connecticut, between the dam atFalls Village andCornwall Bridge. The sections between Kent School and Bulls Bridge are also known for quality fly fishing. The area below Bulls Bridge thru Gaylordsville and the power plant in New Milford is dangerous and not recommended for swimming or entering the water as the currents are quite strong.[citation needed] Fish consumption advisories remain in effect for the Housatonic River in Connecticut as of 2025.[33]
TheAppalachian Trail follows the river along this section from the Bulls Bridge covered wooden bridge near Kent to Falls Village.
AsU.S. Route 7 runs along the Housatonic River Valley between Pittsfield and New Milford, it crosses the Housatonic several times.
| State | County | Carrying |
|---|---|---|
| MA | Berkshire |  US 20 inLee |
 I-90 inLee | ||
 Route 102 inLee | ||
 US 7 inStockbridge | ||
 Route 183 inHousatonic | ||
| US 7 inGreat Barrington | ||
| US 7 inAshley Falls | ||
 Route 7A inAshley Falls | ||
| CT | Litchfield |  US 44 inNorth Canaan |
| US 7 inFalls Village | ||
 Route 128 inWest Cornwall(West Cornwall Covered Bridge) | ||
 US 7/Route 4 inCornwall Bridge | ||
 Route 341 inKent | ||
| Bulls Bridge Road inSouth Kent (Bull's Bridge) | ||
| US 7 inGaylordsville | ||
 US 202 inNew Milford | ||
| Litchfield/ Fairfield Line |  Route 133 inBrookfield | |
| Fairfield/ New Haven Line |  I-84/ US 6 inSouthbury | |
 Route 34 atLake Zoar(Stevenson Dam Bridge,Stevenson Dam) | ||
| (Lake Housatonic Dam) | ||
| State Road 712 (Derby–Shelton Bridge) | ||
| CSX/Housatonic Railroad bridge | ||
 Route 8 inShelton/Derby (Commodore Isaac Hull Memorial Bridge) | ||
 Route 15/ Merritt Parkway inMilford/Stratford | ||
 I-95CT Turnpike inMilford/Stratford | ||
 US 1 inMilford/Stratford |
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: publisher location (link)
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
