Barber, John Warner. The abuse heaped upon the river continued into the 20th century. Developing trade relations among indigenous groups and the new arrivals became more complicated with the establishment of English colonies in Massachusetts. In 1965, actress (and Connecticut Resident) Katharine Hepburn narrated the documentary The Long Tidal River, in which she called the Connecticut River “the world’s most beautifully landscaped cesspool.” This film helped spark a burgeoning environmental movement in New England that called for the creation of more sewage treatment plants and tighter restrictions on industries polluting the environment. History. 63 0 obj Beginning around the 1860s, the river again experienced significant mercury pollution from the hatting industry that continued for several years. This was due to pollution from farms in the area surrounding Danbury, CT. The Connecticut River and its tributaries are much cleaner today than they were decades ago. Even before the hatting industry began in the late 1700s, the Still River was known as a dead river. 1 0 obj I love the Connecticut River! The end of the Second World War brought with it the introduction of new chemical dyes and pesticides, which the river proved incapable of assimilating. The Connecticut River Conservancy works with partners across four states to advocate for local rivers, and to bring people together to prevent pollution, … 39 0 obj Designated the “long tidal river” by the Algonquian peoples of southern New England, it stretches over 410 miles and passes through four states—starting at the northern tip of New Hampshire along the Quebec border and passing through Vermont, Massachusetts, and Connecticut on its way to Long Island Sound. The once pristine waterway was now a river of flowing toxins. We have a long history dating back to 1635, when we began as an independent colony known as the Saybrook Plantation. SPRINGFIELD — Every year, the city's antiquated, inadequate sewage system pumps hundreds of thousands of pounds of pollution into the Connecticut River, sending it … Real-time information about today's air quality forecast in Connecticut's cities and counties on AirNow.gov; MyAir for Connecticut MyAir shows many different kinds of air data for Connecticut. It was the Connecticut River, and the fertile plains adjoining it, that brought colonists to Windsor, Hartford and Wethersfield as early as 1635. <>/Font <>/ProcSet [/PDF /Text ]/ExtGState <>>>/StructParents 423 >>endobj Agricultural run-off from commercial farming and, in particular, the valley’s thriving tobacco industry, further polluted the river. 44 0 obj <>/Font <>/ProcSet [/PDF /Text ]/ExtGState <>>>/StructParents 331 >>endobj By the late 18th and early 19th centuries, the river boasted a robust shipbuilding industry and became a vital route for transporting lumber. “Connecticut River Gateway Commission,” 2012. The Still River has a brief but impactful history that has influenced its condition today. The major kinds of pollution are usually classified by environment and include air, water, and land pollution. While farming and logging had caused tremendous upheaval to the Connecticut River Valley in centuries prior, industrialization accelerated these processes on a massive scale. Pandemic delays effort to deal with Connecticut’s PFAS pollution problems ... reaching the nearby Connecticut River. The group passed the Dutch fort located at modern-day Hartford and established a trading post of their own, just south of where the Farmington and Connecticut Rivers came together. Connecticut has some of the worst ozone air pollution in the eastern United States and particle pollution in Hartford County increased in the past … <>stream 1954 Lowell Thomas produces documentary about our mission. While every ­resident of the state should take part in the effort to control non-point source pollution, waterfront … 19 0 obj We have a long history dating back to 1635, when we began as an independent colony known as the Saybrook Plantation. During the late '90s, the Connecticut River was one of four Vermont rivers with the greatest amount of toxic water pollution. Federal efforts to reduce nitrogen pollution in Long Island Sound depend upon what happens upstream, and states along the Connecticut River -- including Massachusetts -- … Since then, the river has been restored from Class D to Class B (fishable and swimable). The European corruption of that begat “Connecticut.” begins at Fourth Connecticut Lake, a small pond at an elevation of 2,670 feet, steps from Chartierville, Quebec. ��'��L�M����¤�����H�D>ٿ��&��/t�bu�4�����\No>ڻp�#���Y{�C�>�$���ى�����Ֆ������T+��C&�@1�c�I5U�73�*�d��*����O����kP�Cx=ۢ�@��%{�?OUh)�;����~n�$I�ԫ���+%O�h��Pd��=8eB=��~y] O����r��Nz�!xy^)lj C�uE�0�W��ϝ�`6�ӳ#�(!�'��pk�������=4���. Each spring, when the Connecticut overflowed its banks, the Park River would back up, blocked by the high water from completing its journey into the Connecticut. Industrialization in the 1800s introduced an entirely new array of influences that reshaped how people utilized the river. The White River’s west fork spans the entire width of the state, from Winchester on the eastern border, down to Mt. The farming industry in Danbury led to extreme pollution in the river. CRM Talks: Andrew Fisk, “How Did We Clean Up Our Rivers? CONNECTICUT Base from U.S. Geological Survey Digital Line Graphs, 1989 Universal Transverse Mercator 1:100,000 UNITED STATES QUEBEC 73˚ 72˚ 71˚ 45˚ 44˚ 43˚ 42˚ 41˚ Bridgeport New Haven Hartford Springfield ... Housatonic River Connecticut River Thames River Mt. The Connecticut River is Nationally Recognized. <>/Font <>/ProcSet [/PDF /Text ]/ExtGState <>>>/StructParents 422 >>endobj New Englanders take great pride in the region’s longest river, and they should. Connecticut River, longest stream in New England, rising in the Connecticut lakes in northern New Hampshire, U.S. After flowing about 9 miles (14 km) through New Hampshire, it moves roughly southwestward and forms the border between New Hampshire and Vermont for … <>/Font <>/ProcSet [/PDF /Text ]/ExtGState <>>>/StructParents 333 >>endobj An Environmental History of the Legislation, Technology, and Politics of Clean Water in the Connecticut River Watershed” Tuesday, February 9, 2021 6:00 – 7:00 pm Members $5.00 Non-Members $10.00 […] Decades later, the Connecticut River and its tidelands have been recognized by a succession of local, state, national and international organizations as ecologically important by the Ramsar Treaty, as one of the Western Hemisphere’s forty Last Great Places by The Nature Conservancy, as an American Heritage River and as the Silvio O. Conte US Fish & Wildlife National Refuge. HOCKANUM RIVER CENTRAL TO MANCHESTER'S HISTORY by Susan Barlow The Hockanum River has played many roles throughout our town’s history – some stories are imbued with pristine nature and some with smelly pollution. The program was dismantled in 2014, but the national landmark that is the Connecticut River endures.The river that flows from th… April 2nd, 2019 | Tags: Connecticut River, CSO, DEP, pollution, wastewater treatment, Water Quality | Enable NH Municipalities to manage plastic waste The Honorable Clyde Carson, Chair House Municipal and County Government Committee Legislative Office … Despite being offered incentives to establish a presence in the river valley, the English initially expressed little interest until September 26, 1633, when a group of Plymouth settlers under William Holmes sailed up the Connecticut River. Volunteers of this year’s annual Source to Sea Cleanup picked up a lot more trash than usual along the Connecticut River basin, following a summer of limited activities amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Use of the pesticide DDT was severely restricted by EPA in 1972 after appli-cation of over 1.3 billion pounds during the previous 30 years. Old Saybrook is one of the most beautiful towns in New England. The Connecticut River Compact has been signed by many of the groups involved with river projects who have agreed to work together “for the betterment of the River Valley,” a shared vision that includes economic development, protection of the river ecosystem, farmland preservation, reduction of river pollution, and public recreational usage. %PDF-1.4 Learn more about the history of pollution. Because of its steep gradient, the Naugatuck River was well suited for waterpower and it was developed for this use very early in the history of Connecticut. <>/Font <>/ProcSet [/PDF /Text ]/ExtGState <>>>/StructParents 1 >>endobj “Diagram Showing Changes in the Course of the Connecticut River.” Connecticut Historical Society, ca 1835. Arianna Alexsandra Collins , Ashfield, MA But, there are times – particularly after rain – when bacteria in our rivers still might make you sick. Greeting Fellow Connecticiteers, I was sailing down the Connecticut River the other day when my vessel stuck something very disturbing. The Clean Water Act, smart investments, and the hard work of many people have made this possible. Connecticut River Conservancy. Water and air pollution have altered the course of the earth’s history. Its 23 principal tributaries, which include the Passumpsic, White, Deerfield, and Farmington rivers (on the right) and the Ammonoosuc and Chicopee rivers (on the left), are mostly short, swift streams in narrow valleys dotted with small power dams, storage ponds, and factories. <>/Font <>/ProcSet [/PDF /Text ]/ExtGState <>>>/StructParents 399 >>endobj We are one of the oldest towns in the state, incorporated on July 8,1854. 29 0 obj <>/Font <>/ProcSet [/PDF /Text ]/ExtGState <>>>/StructParents 4 >>endobj Industrialization of its valley and use of the river as a receiving stream for municipal sewage, and a wide variety of industrial wastes followed. Because of its steep gradient, the Naugatuck River was well suited for waterpower and it was developed for this use very early in the history of Connecticut. Concerns Of Connecticut River Pollution. 34 0 obj 49 0 obj Discharge pipes like this one north of Springfield's Memorial Bridge on the Connecticut River are releasing millions of gallons of sewage into the river annually. Industries diverted the natural flow of the river in order to generate power, while dumping industrial wastes that threatened to destroy fragile ecological environments downstream. The first Europeans, the Dutch, arrived in what is now Connecticut around 1614. 54 0 obj The Connecticut River is the longest river in New England. Designated the “long tidal river” by the Algonquian peoples of southern New England, it stretches over 410 miles and passes through four states—starting at the northern tip of New Hampshire along the Quebec border and passing through Vermont, Massachusetts, and Connecticut on its way to Long Island Sound.