The Shepaug River

The Shepaug River

Trial Update - November 30, 2001
Although Judge Beverly J. Hodgson ruled in favor of the Shepaug River and its advocates in her February 2000 decision, the City of Waterbury appealed. Now the State Supreme Court has heard that appeal, and a decision is expected soon. For more information on the legal proceedings, see the Rivers Alliance of Connecticut site.

This site is dedicated to the history, appreciation and preservation of the Shepaug River. Located in Litchfield County, Connecticut, the River's headwaters are dammed, forming the Cairns and Shepaug Reservoirs in Warren. These reservoirs are used by the city of Waterbury for water. The river flows south and is joined by the Bantam River in Washington. It continues its southerly flow into Roxbury, finally joining Lake Lillinonah, a dammed portion of the Housatonic River, in Southbury. (See map.)
The Native American name Shepaug means "rocky waters," and indeed its bed is filled with boulders and its banks are lined with ledge and rocky outcroppings. This scenic waterway offers tranquil respite, natural recreation and striking evidence of nature's beauty. To all who live near it or visit it, it is a dear natural resource. But its waters do not flow in sufficient abundance to support healthy aquatic life or consistent flow. For years, concerned citizens have lobbied the city of Waterbury to increase its release of water into the river from the dam in Woodville. This site will give voice to that interest.
Shepaug Facts:

Shepaug Dam (operated by the City of Waterbury) currently releases less than 4 cubic feet per second (or 2.5 million gallons per day) into the Shepaug River. The USGS has a stream flow gauge just below the dam and posts the cubic feet per second released, as well as the gage height in feet.

Shepaug River Gradient

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Gradient = 20 to 30 foot drop per mile
(steepest in Connecticut)

Total Shepaug Watershed Area = 150+ square miles

11 Towns in Shepaug Watershed:
Cornwall, Goshen, Torrington, Warren, Litchfield, Washington, Morris, New Milford, Roxbury, Bridgewater, Southbury

Watershed above Shepaug Dam = 28 square miles (East Branch of Shepaug and Marshepaug Rivers)
Watershed of Cairns Reservoir = 10.2 square miles (West Branch Shepaug River)
Total watershed of both reservoirs = 38.2 square miles = 24,448 acres

Average Precipitation = 44-52 inches per year (with 50% run-off to rivers)

Shepaug Reservoir = 96 acres = 96,100,000 cubic ft water storage = 0.7 billion gallons

Cairns Reservoir = 337 acres = 360,000,000 cubic ft storage = 2.7 billion gallons

Storage capacity of both Reservoirs = 3.4 billion gallons

United States Geological Survey Basin # 6700

1 cubic foot of water = 7.48 gallons

Copyright © 1998 The Shepaug River Association. All rights reserved.
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Site last updated 06 May 2002