Quinnipiac River
| Quinnipiac River | |
| Dragon River, East River, New Haven River | |
| stream | |
 The Quinnipiac River, as seen looking west (upstream) from "Red Bridge" in Meriden, Connecticut
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| Country | United States |
|---|---|
| State | Connecticut |
| Regions | New Haven, Hartford |
| Districts | North Haven, Wallingford, Cheshire, Southington, Plainville |
| Cities | New Haven, Meriden |
| Source | Deadwood Swamp |
| - location | Farmington, Connecticut, Hartford County, Connecticut, United States |
| - elevation | 335 ft (102 m) |
| - coordinates | 41°41′42″N 072°48′55″W / 41.69500°N 72.81528°W |
| Mouth | New Haven Harbor, New Haven, Connecticut |
| - location | Long Island Sound, New Haven County, Connecticut, United States |
| - elevation | 0 ft (0 m) |
| - coordinates | 41°17′58″N 072°54′14″W / 41.29944°N 72.90389°WCoordinates: 41°17′58″N 072°54′14″W / 41.29944°N 72.90389°W |
| Length | 45.5 mi (73 km) |
For the river from Norwich, CT: Quinebaug River
The Quinnipiac River is a 45.5 miles (73.2 km) long, southward-flowing river in the New England region of the United States, located entirely in the state of Connecticut.
It rises in west central Connecticut from Dead Wood Swamp west of the city of New Britain. It flows roughly southward to Plainville, Southington, and Cheshire, west of the city of Meriden, through Wallingford and Yalesville, North Haven, and flows into New Haven Harbor, an inlet of Long Island Sound, east of downtown New Haven.
The name comes an Algonquian phrase for "long water land", and the name given to the river and the area around its mouth. Europeans found the river in 1614. By the early 18th century, early settlers called the Quinnipiac River the Dragon River after the seals, then referred to as “sea dragons,” that were once abundant there. Although these seals were likely harbor seals (Phoca vitulina), archaeological evidence confirms that gray seals (Halichoerus grypus), which are over twice the size of a harbor seal, also lived near the mouth of the Quinnipiac River as recently as the sixteenth century.
The Quinnipiac River watershed drains an area of approximately 165 square miles (430 km2). There are four dams, most of which are old remnants, that impede boat travel. The first dam is about 1/2 mile south of Plantsville, the second dam is at the southeast corner of Hanover Pond in South Meriden, the third dam is in northeast Yalesville, and the fourth dam is at the south end of Community Lake in Wallingford. Paddling is a frequent recreational activity along the Quinnipiac River, especially within the tidal marsh in North Haven. Additionally, the tidal variation extends approximately 14 miles (23 km) upriver from its mouth.
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Wikipedia