Wepawaug River

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Wepawaug River
Alice-newton-park-woodbridge-ct.jpg
Below Wepawaug Falls in Woodbridge, Connecticut.
Wepawaug River
Location
CountryUnited States
State Connecticut
County New Haven
Physical characteristics
Source Woodbridge, Connecticut
Mouth Milford Harbor to Long Island Sound
  location
Milford, Connecticut
  coordinates
41°13′19″N73°03′19″W / 41.22204°N 73.05539°W / 41.22204; -73.05539

The Wepawaug River is a stream in New Haven County in the U.S. state of Connecticut. [1] It rises in Woodbridge and flows through Orange and Milford before discharging into Milford Harbor on Long Island Sound. The river is dammed at more than ten places. In Orange, dams form the Wepawaug Reservoir, managed by the South Central Connecticut Regional Water Authority and Lake Wepawaug. In Milford, dams form the Upper and Lower Lagoons. [2] Race Brook is a tributary.

Contents

History

English settlers built a grist mill by the river in 1640. [3] Another mill on the river in Orange made fabric for union soldiers’ uniforms during the American Civil War. [4]

Crossings

Below Memorial Bridge WepawaugRiverMilfordCTUSA.jpg
Below Memorial Bridge

The stone Memorial Bridge was built across the river in Milford in 1899 to commemorate Milford's history and bears the names of Milford's first settlers. [5] The river is also crossed by U.S. Route 1, Interstate 95, Route 34 and the Wilbur Cross Parkway.

See also

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References

  1. "Wepawaug River". Geographic Names Information System . United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior . Retrieved November 23, 2020.
  2. May, Dan (February 9, 2023). "Connecticut Is Littered With Dams" (PDF). Milford-Orange Times. p. 9. Retrieved February 12, 2023.
  3. Greene, M. Louise (March 1899). "Early Milford". The Connecticut Magazine. Vol. 5, no. 3.
  4. "OLT Leading Hike Through Wepawaug". Milford-Orange Times. October 19, 2018. Retrieved November 15, 2020.
  5. South Central Regional Council of Governments (1991). "#5 Milford Center Historic Walk". Milford Center Historic Walk.