| Fall Kill | |
| Pushpin Map: | USA New York#USA |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location of the mouth of the Fall Kill in New York State |
| Subdivision Type1: | Country |
| Subdivision Name1: | United States |
| Subdivision Type2: | State |
| Subdivision Name2: | New York |
| Subdivision Type3: | County |
| Subdivision Name3: | Dutchess County |
| Subdivision Type5: | City |
| Subdivision Name5: | Poughkeepsie |
| Length: | 38miles |
| Source1 Location: | Town of Clinton |
| Source1 Coordinates: | 41.8453°N -73.8733°W |
| Mouth: | Hudson River |
| Mouth Location: | City of Poughkeepsie |
| Mouth Coordinates: | 41.7092°N -73.9403°W |
| Basin Size: | 19.5sqmi |
The Fall Kill is a creek in Dutchess County, New York, United States. The stream is approximately 38miles long, and joins the Hudson River in the city of Poughkeepsie.
The creek begins in the towns of Hyde Park and Clinton, flows southward through the town and city of Poughkeepsie, and drains into the Hudson River. The creek's drainage basin accounts for approximately 12476acres of the larger Hudson Direct Watershed. As of the 2000 Census, about 28,500 people resided in this area.[1]
Although the northern section of the creek is characterized by marshes and wetlands harboring several threatened or endangered species, the southern end of the creek is surrounded by heavy urbanization. In the city of Poughkeepsie, 2.5miles of the Fall Kill were channelized by stone walls during the Great Depression.[1]
The Innis Dye Works building, dating to the 1830s, abuts the creek several hundred feet from its confluence with the Hudson River.[2] The creek was an important source of industrial water power in the early 19th century, such as grinding materials to make dyes.[3]
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation designates the creek as a "Class C" stream, meaning it is suitable for fishing. The Fall Kill is also a third order stream by the time it reaches the Hudson River.[1]