Farm River is a south-flowing

river A river is a natural flowing watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, sea, lake or another river. In some cases, a river flows into the ground and becomes dry at the end of its course without reaching another body of wate ...

located entirely within the U.S. state of

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its cap ...

. Because it begins as

freshwater Fresh water or freshwater is any naturally occurring liquid or frozen water containing low concentrations of dissolved salts and other total dissolved solids. Although the term specifically excludes seawater and brackish water, it does include ...

in its northern reaches and flows into tidal

salt water Saline water (more commonly known as salt water) is water that contains a high concentration of dissolved salts (mainly sodium chloride). On the United States Geological Survey (USGS) salinity scale, saline water is saltier than brackish water, ...

Long Island Sound Long Island Sound is a 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 to the south. From west to east, the sound stretches from the Eas ...

, Farm River is by definition an estuary. The river is long.

Sources

The

USGS The United States Geological Survey (USGS), formerly simply known as the Geological Survey, is a scientific agency of the United States government. The scientists of the USGS study the landscape of the United States, its natural resources, a ...

identifies the river's headwaters as an area below the southeast flank of

Pistapaug Mountain Pistapaug Mountain, also known as Paug Mountain, est. , is a traprock mountain located northeast of New Haven, Connecticut. It is part of the narrow, linear Metacomet Ridge that extends from Long Island Sound near New Haven, Connecticut, north th ...

in the

town A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world. Origin and use The word "town" shares an ori ...

of North Branford. The Friends of the Farm River Estuary name the river's source as Pistapaug Pond, a reservoir straddling the town lines of Wallingford, Durham and North Branford, below the west flank of Pistapaug Mountain.

Course

From its northern reaches, the river flows southward into the town of East Haven where it becomes the dividing line between East Haven and Branford. Along its route, the river supplies water via tunnel to Lake Saltonstall, a public water source owned 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 ...

. Near the river's mouth it flows past Farm River State Park.

Other names

The USGS lists among the river's many alternate names Beaver River, Deborah River, Deborah's Stream, East Haven River, Foxon River, Great River, Ironworks River, Mainnuntaquck, Moe River, Muddy River, Scotch Cap River, Stony River, and Tapamshasick. The name Farm River was officially decided upon in 1968.

References

External links

Friends of the Farm River EstuaryThe Farm River Estuary River Guide
Friends of the Farm River Estuary {{authority control Rivers of Connecticut Rivers of New Haven County, Connecticut Long Island Sound Estuaries of Connecticut Geography of New Haven, Connecticut Wallingford, Connecticut North Branford, Connecticut Branford, Connecticut East Haven, Connecticut Durham, Connecticut