Whetstone Brook is a tributary of theConnecticut River that runs through the heart ofBrattleboro, Vermont, in the United States. It flows into the Connecticut at an elevation of 250 feet (76 m) above sea level.[1] The headwater for the brook is at Hidden Lake, which is 1,500 feet (460 m) above sea level in the town ofMarlboro.[1] Of the 28-square-mile (73 km2) watershed, over two thirds is contained within Brattleboro, while another 30 percent is in Marlboro. The remaining 2% is within the town ofDummerston.[1] The brook is crossed byCreamery Covered Bridge inWest Brattleboro, which was built in 1879. The original Abenaki name for the waterway isKitadowôganisibosis.[2]

Whetstone Brook was an important part of the economic development of the town of Brattleboro, providing power for mills and factories along the shore of the brook. The firstgristmill was established in the area byGovernor Wentworth of New Hampshire in 1762, while the region was still under disputed claims between the colonies ofNew York andNew Hampshire.[3] By 1773, the road near Whetstone Brook contained several sawmills, as well as housing from new settlers to the area.[3]

The Whetstone has a long history of contamination from the surrounding community of Brattleboro. In 1907, a local newspaper editorial described the brook becoming "an open sewer".[4]
In 1990, theVermont Department of Environmental Conservation identified oil leakage from anunderground storage tank; the subsequent cleanup effort removed nearly 4,000 gallons of petroleum from the waterway and nearby soil, costing $440,000.[5] The EPA uses the situation as a case study cleanup effort, for local-national cooperation in oil spill cleanup.[5] As of 2007, the lower 2.5 miles (4.0 km) of the brook, along which there is significant development, is contaminated byE. coli and other bacteria.[1] In 2011, a sewer interceptor pipe was ruptured during the landfall ofHurricane Irene, and nearly spilled sewage from the town of Brattleboro into the creek.[6]
42°51′06″N72°33′24″W / 42.85176°N 72.55658°W /42.85176; -72.55658