River in Connecticut, United States
Shepaug River(Also called Sheppang, Sheppog, Shippang, Shippaug, and Shippoack) [ 1] Roxbury Falls on the Shepaug River
Source and mouth of Shepaug River in Connecticut
Country United States States Connecticut Towns Warren , Washington , Roxbury , Southbury Source Shepaug Reservoir • location Warren, Connecticut • coordinates (41°43′24″N 73°17′39″W / 41.723354°N 73.294079°W / 41.723354; -73.294079 ) • elevation 820 ft (250 m) [ 2]
Mouth Lake Lillinonah • location
Southbury, Connecticut • coordinates
(41°28′09″N 73°18′38″W / 41.4692620°N 73.3106729°W / 41.4692620; -73.3106729 ) • elevation
197 ft (60 m) [ 1] Length 26 mi (42 km) Basin size 45,400.46 acres (18,372.91 ha) [ 3] Width • maximum 30 feet (9.1 m) River system Housatonic Gradient 20 to 30 fpm [ 4]
The Shepaug River is a 26.0-mile-long (41.8 km)[ 5] river in western Connecticut , in the United States .
The river originates at the south end of the Shepaug Reservoir in the town of Warren . The reservoir is fed at its northern end by the West Branch Shepaug River and East Branch Shepaug River. The Shepaug runs south through Washington , Roxbury , and Southbury , where it joins the Housatonic River at Lake Lillinonah (41°30′37″N 73°19′08″W / 41.5102°N 73.3190°W / 41.5102; -73.3190 ) dammed by the hydroelectric Shepaug Dam . The river's watershed area comprises approximately 150 square miles (390 km2 ), which encompasses the towns of Cornwall , Goshen , Torrington , Warren, Litchfield , Washington, Morris , New Milford , Roxbury, Bridgewater , and Southbury.[ 6]
The vicinity of the Shepaug River has been inhabited by humans since around 4000 B.C. , though according to archaeology , there was a decline in population around 1000 B.C. [ 7]
The river is a primary source of drinking water for the city of Waterbury , and has been the subject of regional litigation over how much water may be removed from the river.[ 4]
References
^ a b "Shepaug River" . Geographic Names Information System . United States Geological Survey , United States Department of the Interior .
^ "Shepaug Reservoir" . Geographic Names Information System . United States Geological Survey , United States Department of the Interior .
^ "Connecticut Watersheds" (PDF) . Retrieved November 4, 2019 .
^ a b "The Shepaug River" . Shepaug River Association. May 16, 2002. Archived from the original on January 14, 2006. Retrieved February 6, 2011 .
^ U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data. The National Map , accessed April 1, 2011
^ "Shepaug River Watershed Summary" (PDF) . 2012. Retrieved November 4, 2019 .
^ Josephy, Alvin M. Jr. (1984). Now That the Buffalo's Gone . p. 34. ISBN 0-8061-1915-2 .
The river flows past the remains of a pedestrian bridge used by visitors to Holiday House from the Shepaug Railroad in the 1900s. Photo taken April 22, 2012.