TheOttauquechee River (pronouncedAWT-ah-KWEE-chee) is a 41.4-mile-long (66.6 km)[1]river in easternVermont in theUnited States.[2] It is atributary of theConnecticut River, which flows toLong Island Sound.
The Ottauquechee rises in theGreen Mountains[2] in easternRutland County in the town ofKillington, and flows generally eastwardly intoWindsor County, where it passes through or along the boundaries of the towns ofBridgewater,Woodstock,Pomfret,Hartford andHartland; and the villages ofWoodstock andQuechee. It joins the Connecticut River in the town of Hartland, about 4 miles (6 km) south-southwest ofWhite River Junction.[3]
Aheadwaters tributary known as theNorth Branch Ottauquechee River flows southeastwardly through the towns of Killington and Bridgewater.[3][4]
Quechee State Park is located along the river near the village of Quechee. Near the river's mouth theU.S. Army Corps of Engineers'North Hartland Dam impounds the river to formNorth Hartland Lake.[3]
Near the state park, the river flows through the 165-foot-deep (50 m)Quechee Gorge. TheU.S. Rt. 4 bridge crosses over the gorge and provides good viewing down into its depths.[1]
In late August 2011,Hurricane Irene swept through the Ottauquechee River watershed, raising the water level in the river to far beyond its normal height. Houses and towns along the river were devastated.
TheU.S. Board on Geographic Names settled on "Ottauquechee River" as the stream's name in 1908. According to theGeographic Names Information System, it has also been known historically as:[5]
Media related toOttauquechee River at Wikimedia Commons
43°39′54″N72°46′52″W / 43.6651023°N 72.7811448°W /43.6651023; -72.7811448