The Pawtuxet River, also known as the Pawtuxet River Main Stem and the Lower Pawtuxet, is a river in the U.S. state of Rhode Island. It flows 12.3 miles (19.8 km)[1] and empties into the upper Narragansett Bay of the Atlantic Ocean. Together with its two main tributary branches, the North Branch Pawtuxet River and the South Branch Pawtuxet River, it drains a watershed of 231.6 square miles (600 km²), all of which is in the state of R.I. There were four known dams along the river's length.[2]

Pawtuxet River
Original home of the Fruit of the Loom Company on the Pawtuxet River at Pontiac Village Warwick
Location
Country	United States
State	Rhode Island
Physical characteristics
Source
• location	Kent County, Rhode Island
Mouth
• location	Providence River
• coordinates	41.764416°N 71.389094°W / 41.764416; -71.389094
Discharge
• location	Providence River

History

The area around the river was occupied by members of the Native American Patuxet tribe, who were part of the larger Narragansett tribe.[3] In the native language, the word "pawtuxet" means "little falls."[3]

In 1638, Roger Williams purchased the land north of the Pawtuxet, thus founding Providence.[3] In 1642, Samuel Gorton purchased the land south of the river, thus founding Warwick.[3] Collectively, all three branches of the Pawtuxet played an important role in the development of the textile industry in New England, which utilized the river system for hydromechanical and later early hydroelectric power during the 19th century. Located on the lower Pawtuxet were the Natick Mill in West Warwick, the Bellefonte Mill in Cranston and the Pontiac Mill in Warwick, which was the original manufacturing facility of the Fruit of the Loom Company.

Course

The river is formed by the confluence of North Branch Pawtuxet River and South Branch Pawtuxet River at the village of River Point in the town of West Warwick, Rhode Island. From there the river continues roughly east, through West Warwick, Warwick and Cranston, debouching into the Narragansett Bay at Pawtuxet Village. The last 3 miles (4.8 km) of the river form the boundary between the cities of Cranston and Warwick, RI.^{[citation needed]}

Crossings

Below is a list of all crossings over the Pawtuxet River. The list starts at the headwaters and goes downstream:^{[citation needed]}

Town	Carrying
West Warwick	Providence St. Water St.
Warwick	East Ave.
	Route 2
	I-295
	Route 5
	Route 37
	I-95
	Northeast Corridor
	US 1
	US 1A/ Route 117
	Post Rd.

Notable Tributaries

Meshanticut Brook, Three Ponds Brook, the Pocasset River and Mashapaug Brook are the Pawtuxet River's only named tributaries, though it has many unnamed streams that also feed it.^{[citation needed]}

Dams

The lower Pawtuxet had four known dams erected upon it, two of which have been partially removed: Natick Mill Pond Dam, Pontiac Mill Pond Dam, Providence Water Supply upper dam at Pettaconsett Village (partially removed), and the American Wood Paper Company/Providence Water Supply Lower Reservoir Dam at Pawtuxet Falls (partially removed).

Water Quality

The Pawtuxet River has long been negatively impacted by industry. In 1893, the river was described as "a common, natural sewer of the Pawtuxet Valley".[4] Extensive dumping of pollutants occurred, both from mills and from municipal sewer systems.[4]

The Pawtuxet River is impacted by cadmium, mercury, pathogens, low dissolved oxygen and nutrients. It shows biodiversity impacts (Rhode Island 2006 List of Impaired Waters[5]). The Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management[6] has issued new discharge permits to the three major municipal wastewater treatment plants that discharge to the River (West Warwick, Rhode Island, Warwick, Rhode Island and Cranston, Rhode Island).

Habitat restoration

The Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management's Rhode Island Anadromous Fish Restoration Plan[7] gives the Pawtuxet River a low overall ranking due to the river's poor water quality and the large number of dams. However, the Pawtuxet River Authority and Watershed Council[8] is working with state and federal partners to evaluate fish passage alternatives for the first dam on the Pawtuxet, the Pawtuxet Falls Dam. Fish passage at this dam will open up 7.5 miles (12.1 km) of spawning habitat above the dam on the main stem of the river.

Water use and availability

Rhode Island's capital city of Providence has long used the Pawtuxet River System for a centralized water supply. In the 1870's the Providence Water Supply Board created a water treatment facility at Pettaconsett Village in Cranston. Beginning the 1915, this operation was relocated to the town of Scituate on the Pawtuxet River North Branch, where it still operates today as the Scituate Reservoir. The Scituate Reservoir, providing over 60% of the State of Rhode Island with its potable water needs, and the Kent County Water Authority on the Pawtuxet River South Branch, together extract approximately 63 million gallons a day from the Pawtuxet System.[9] About 24.6 million gallons of this water is supplied to almost all the other basins in Rhode Island including the Blackstone River, Ten Mile River, Moshassuck River, Woonasquatucket River, Narragansett Bay and the Westport River. About 34.8 million gallons a day of treated sewage is returned to Lower Pawtuxet.

Flow

The US Geological Survey has five gauges in the Pawtuxet Watershed:[10]

• Ponaganset River at South Foster, Rhode Island[11]
• Nooseneck River at Nooseneck, Rhode Island[12]
• Carr River near Nooseneck, Rhode Island[13]
• South Branch Pawtuxet River at Washington, Rhode Island[14]
• Pawtuxet River at Cranston, Rhode Island[15]

The Pawtuxet River experiences periodic flooding. In October 2005 remnants of Tropical Storm Tammy produced torrential rains over New England. From October 13–15, the National Weather Service reported 7 to 9 inches (230 mm) of rain in Rhode Island and the Pawtuxet River at Cranston and Warwick recorded its second worst flood, cresting at a stage of 13.68 feet (4.17 m).

On March 15 and March 16, 2010, the Pawtuxet River reached a new record high flood level after receiving over three inches of rain on the 13th and 14th. The river crested at 15.2 feet (4.6 m) in the evening of March 15.[16]

On March 29 and 30, 2010, an additional 6-10 inches of rainfall across Southern New England in addition to the 3+ inches that fell on the 23rd, bringing the total rainfall for the month of March to over 16" and causing the Pawtuxet River to exceed the previous flood level occurring only two weeks prior. The river crested at 20.8 feet (6.3 m) in the morning of March 31.[16] This caused the worst flooding in over 200 years for the area, swamping the Warwick Mall, and many homes in the area forcing many evacuations across Rhode Island and Southeastern Massachusetts. The flooding also forced many schools to be closed for an extended period of time, due to road closures and washouts.

Grassroots organizations

There are two river organizations that focus on the Pawtuxet River:

• The Pawtuxet River Authority and Watershed Council
• Friends of the Pawtuxet

See also

• List of rivers in Rhode Island
• North Branch Pawtuxet River
• Pocasset River
• Providence River
• South Branch Pawtuxet River

External links

• Pawtuxet Village
• New England Towns
• Maps from the United States Geological Survey

References