Niantic River

Niantic River
Location
Country	United States
State	Connecticut
Counties	New London
Physical characteristics
Source	Banning Cove
- location	East Lyme, New London County, Connecticut, United States
- coordinates	41°39′39″N 72°06′37″W / 41.66083°N 72.11028°W / 41.66083; -72.11028
Mouth	Long Island Sound
- location	East Lyme, New London County, Connecticut, United States
- coordinates	41°32′22″N 72°18′12″W / 41.53944°N 72.30333°W / 41.53944; -72.30333Coordinates: 41°32′22″N 72°18′12″W / 41.53944°N 72.30333°W / 41.53944; -72.30333

A drawing of the river basin from the 1930s

The Niantic River is a mainly tidal river in eastern Connecticut. It is crossed by the Niantic River Bridge carrying Amtrak's Northeast Corridor. It separates the towns of East Lyme and Waterford. The river is 5.2 miles (8.4 km) long.^[1]. The distance from the end of Banning Cove to the Niantic River Bridge is approximately 3.4 miles.

There are many other water features that drain out into the Niantic River such as Oil Mill Brook and Stony Brook. The Niantic River itself, empties out into the Long Island Sound.

About 12,000 years ago there were humans that lived along the river way before any European settler came. These people were known as the Western Nehantics. They survived on the river's bounty of shellfish, fish, and other marine life. One of the rivers most well known shellfish, the scallop, is now in decline. The river also has a variety of birds such as bald eagles, osprey, egrets, herons, and cormorants. Some fish that are good to catch in the river are flounder, hickory shad, and striped bass. The Niantic River has a large difference between high tide in the river and low tide. At some points in the river, at low tide the water goes down to below sea level.

Crossings

Town	Carrying
East Lyme/ Waterford	US 1
	Route 156
	Amtrak

See also

• List of rivers of Connecticut

References

1. 
   ^ U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data. The National Map, accessed April 1, 2011
   

v t e Rivers of Connecticut
Connecticut River Watershed	Blackledge River Coginchaug River Connecticut River Duck River Eightmile River Falls River Farmington River Hockanum River Hubbard River Jeremy River Lieutenant River Mattabesset River Nepaug River Pameacha Creek Park River Pequabuck River Salmon River Scantic River
Housatonic River Watershed	East Aspetuck River Housatonic River Konkapot River Naugatuck River Pomperaug River Rocky River Schenob Brook Shepaug River Still River Ten Mile River
Hudson River Watershed	Titicus River
Long Island Sound	Ash Creek Aspetuck River Black Hall River Byram River Farm River Hammonasset River Mad River Mianus River Mill River Mill River (Fairfield) Mystic River Niantic River Noroton River Norwalk River Oyster River Pequonnock River Quinnipiac River Rippowam River Rooster River Saugatuck River Silvermine River West River
Pawcatuck River Watershed	Ashaway River Green Fall River Pawcatuck River Shunock River Wood River
Thames River Watershed	Basset Brook Beaver Brook Bigelow Brook Fenton River Fishers Brook Five Mile River French River Hop River Little River Merrick Brook Moosup River Mount Hope River Natchaug River Oxoboxo River Pachaug River Quinebaug River Shetucket River Thames River Willimantic River Yantic River

v t e Waterbodies of Connecticut
Canals, Coves, Estuaries, Harbors, and Rivers	Ash Creek Connecticut River Enfield Falls Canal Farm River Farmington Canal Hammonasset River Housatonic River Kidd Harbor Little Narragansett Bay Long Island Sound Mystic River New Haven Harbor Niantic River Oxoboxo River Oyster River Pawcatuck River Quinnipiac River Smith Cove Still River Thames River Wequetequock Cove Wethersfield Cove Ziegler's Cove more
Lakes and Ponds	Ashford Lake Bantam Lake Burr Pond Converse Lake Crystal Lake Deer Lake Gardner Lake Great Hollow Lake Highland Lake Killingly Pond Lake Chaffee Lake Hayward Lake Pocotopaug Lake Quassapaug Lake Saltonstall Lake Waramaug Lake Whitney Mashapaug Lake Millers Pond Pinewood Lake Round Pond Squantz Pond Tuxis Pond Twin Lakes Wetherell Pond Whalen Pond
Reservoirs	Aspetuck Reservoir Candlewood Lake Higganum Reservoir Hop Brook Lake Killingly Pond Kohanza Reservoir Lake Beseck Lake Gaillard Lake Lillinonah Lake Zoar Mansfield Hollow Lake Quaddick Reservoir Saugatuck Reservoir Shenipsit Lake Success Lake West Hartford Reservoir West Thompson Lake

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