| Quinebaug River | |
| Subdivision Type1: | Country |
| Subdivision Name1: | United States |
| Subdivision Type2: | State |
| Subdivision Name2: | Connecticut, Massachusetts |
| Subdivision Type3: | Counties |
| Subdivision Name3: | New London, CT, Windham, CT, Worcester, MA, Hampden, MA |
| Discharge1 Location: | Jewett City, CT |
| Discharge1 Min: | 40cuft/sAnnual mean, 1931 |
| Discharge1 Avg: | 467cuft/sAverage, 1920-2009 |
| Discharge1 Max: | 2640cuft/sAnnual mean, 1938 |
| Source1: | Holland Pond |
| Source1 Location: | Holland, Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States |
| Source1 Elevation: | 645feet |
| Mouth: | Empties into Shetucket River |
| Mouth Location: | Preston and Lisbon, New London County, Connecticut, United States |
| Mouth Elevation: | 30feet |
| Tributaries Left: | French River |
The Quinebaug River is a river in south-central Massachusetts and eastern Connecticut, with watershed extending into western Rhode Island. The name "Quinebaug" comes from the southern New England Native American term, spelled variously North American Indian languages: Qunnubbâgge, North American Indian languages: Quinibauge, etc., meaning "long pond", from North American Indian languages: qunni-, "long", and North American Indian languages: -paug, "pond".[1] The river is one of the namesake rivers in the Quinebaug and Shetucket Rivers Valley National Heritage Corridor.
The river is about in length.[2] It originates from East Brimfield Lake and ponds northwest of Sturbridge, Massachusetts, flows generally southeast and south through Connecticut (Putnam, Danielson, Plainfield, Canterbury and Jewett City), the river joins Aspinook pond which begins in Canterbury and ends in Jewett City. The river then continues to the Shetucket River northeast of Norwich. That river flows from there into the Thames River and drains into the Long Island Sound. It is dammed in its upper reaches at East Brimfield Dam, Westville Dam, and West Thompson Lake all for flood control, as well as numerous mill dams which powered mills along the river's course. Some of these still provide hydroelectric power today.
The Quinebaug River watershed covers 850sqmi, and extends into western Rhode Island. It is heavily forested with 29 named streams including six major tributaries (the French, Moosup and Five Mile Rivers, and the Wales, Mill and Cady brooks). The watershed also contains 54 lakes and ponds, 31 of which with an area of 10acres or more, for a total of about 3000acres; the largest is East Brimfield Reservoir in Brimfield and Sturbridge, 420acres in area. The watershed is home to fish species including trout, smallmouth bass, largemouth bass, northern pike, and panfish. Elevations range from 1264feet above sea level on Mount Pisgah in Wales, Massachusetts, to about in Norwich, Connecticut.
| State | County | Town | Carries | Built |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CT | New London | Lisbon and Griswold | Providence and Worcester Railroad | |
| I-395 (Connecticut Turnpike) | 1956 | |||
| Route 12/Route 138 | ||||
| Silvandale Road crossing (abandoned) | ||||
| Windham | Canterbury | Providence and Worcester Railroad | ||
| Butts Bridge Road | ||||
| Canterbury and Plainfield | Route 14 | |||
| Brooklyn and Plainfield | Route 205 | |||
| Brooklyn and Killingly | US 6 | |||
| Pomfret and Killingly | Route 101 | |||
| Cotton Bridge Road | ||||
| Putnam | Landfill access bridge (private) | 1999 | ||
| Technology Park Drive | 2015 | |||
| Airline Rail Trail | ||||
| US 44 | 1925 | |||
| Bridge Street | 1958 | |||
| Route 171 | 1988 | |||
| Thompson | West Thompson Road | 1964 | ||
| Blain Road (bridge removed) | ||||
| Red Bridge Road | 1964 | |||
| Brickyard Road | 1964 | |||
| Fabyan Road | 1999 | |||
| Route 197 | ||||
| MA | Dudley | Route 131 | ||
| Southbridge Branch RR (abandoned) | ||||
| West Dudley Road | ||||
| Southbridge | East Main Street | |||
| AO Factory Road (private) | ||||
| AO Factory Pedestrian Bridge (private) | ||||
| AO Factory Pedestrian Bridge (private) | ||||
| AO Factory Pedestrian Bridge (private) | ||||
| Pipeline crossing | ||||
| Business Park Road (Private) | ||||
| Route 169 | 1956 | |||
| Central Street | ||||
| River Street | ||||
| Mill Street | 1956 | |||
| Route 131 | ||||
| Sturbridge and Southbridge | Westville Dam service road | 2003 | ||
| Breakneck Road/Wallace Road | 1956 | |||
| Sturbridge | Old Mashapaug Road | 1956 | ||
| Grand Trunk Rail Trail | 2002 | |||
| Farquhar Road | 1939 | |||
| Haynes Street | 1961 | |||
| I-84 | 1971 | |||
| Old Sturbridge Village Road | 1972 | |||
| OSV Pedestrian Bridge (Private) | ||||
| OSV Covered Bridge (Private) | ||||
| Stallion Hill Road | 1956 | |||
| Holland Road | 1956 | |||
| Hampden | Brimfield | Holland-East Brimfield Road | 1958 | |
| Holland | Morse Road (closed) | 1939 | ||
| Pond Bridge Road | 1934 |
Three sections of the Quinebaug River have been designated National Recreation Trails by the National Park Service, some of the first water trails to receive this designation. The sections are: Holland Pond to East Brimfield Reservoir (in Holland and Brimfield, Massachusetts), Paper Mill Dam in Dudley to West Thompson Lake, and Simonzi Park in Putnam to Aspinook Pond in Canterbury. The East Coast Greenway runs along the river in some spots.
Canoe/kayak launch sites are located at the following locations: