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 (Connecticut), Lake Whitney, which is operated as a reservoir by the South Central Connecticut Regional Water Authority. Mill River passes through
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 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 w ...
in New Haven County, Connecticut
New Haven County is a county in the south central part of the U.S. state of Connecticut. As of the 2020 census, the population was 864,835, making it the third-most populous county in Connecticut. Two of the state's top 5 largest cities, New ...
.
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'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.
Watershed and course
The river starts in the town of Cheshire, flows through Hamden andNew Haven
New Haven is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound in New Haven County, Connecticut and is part of the New York City metropolitan area. With a population of 134,023 ...
, and discharges into New Haven Harbor
New Haven Harbor is an inlet on the north side of Long Island Sound in the state of Connecticut]. The harbor area is an inlet carved by the retreat of the glaciers during the last ice age approximately 13,000 years ago.
The city of New Haven and ...
on Long Island Sound. 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 (Connecticut), Lake Whitney, which is operated as a reservoir by the South Central Connecticut Regional Water Authority. Mill River passes through
Sleeping Giant State Park
Sleeping Giant (also known as the Blue Hills and Mount Carmel), (''Hobbomock'' in Quinnipiac), is a rugged traprock mountain with a high point of , located north of New Haven, Connecticut. A prominent landscape feature visible for miles, the Sle ...
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, but may also be caught from stocked bodies of water such as ponds, canals, park wetlands and reservoirs. Fishing techniques inclu ...
and hiking
Hiking is a long, vigorous walk, usually on trails or footpaths in the countryside. Walking for pleasure developed in Europe during the eighteenth century.AMATO, JOSEPH A. "Mind over Foot: Romantic Walking and Rambling." In ''On Foot: A Histor ...
.
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 el ...
, 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 ConnecticutReferences
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