Bureau of Land Management National Park Service U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service U.S. Forest Service

Wood & Pawcatuck Rivers, Connecticut, Rhode Island

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Managing Agency:

National Park Service


Designated Reach:

March 12, 2019. Much of the Wood-Pawcatuck Watershed was designated, including –.

  • The Ashaway River from its confluence with the Green Fall River to its confluence with the Pawcatuck River in Hopkinton, Rhode Island.
  • The Beaver River from its headwaters in Exeter and West Greenwich, Rhode Island, to its confluence with the Pawcatuck River in Richmond, Rhode Island.
  • The Chipuxet River from the Kingstown Road Bridge, South Kingstown, Rhode Island, to its outlet in Worden Pond.
  • The Green River from its headwaters in Voluntown, Connecticut, to its confluence with the Ashaway River in Hopkinton, Rhode Island.
  • The Pawcatuck River from the Worden Pond outlet in South Kingstown, Rhode Island, to the mouth of the river between Pawcatuck Point in Stonington, Connecticut, and Rhodes Point in Westerly, Rhode Island.
  • The Queen River from its headwaters in Exeter and West Greenwich, Rhode Island, to the Kingstown Road Bridge in South Kingstown, Rhode Island.
  • The Shunock River from its headwaters in North Stonington, Connecticut, to its confluence with the Pawcatuck River.
  • The Usquepaugh River from the Kingstown Road Bridge to its confluence with the Pawcatuck River in South Kingstown, Rhode Island.
  • The Wood River from its headwaters in Sterling and Voluntown, Connecticut, and Exeter and West Greenwich, Rhode Island, to the confluence with the Pawcatuck River in Charlestown, Hopkinton, and Richmond, Rhode Island.

Classification/Mileage:

Wild — 24.0 miles; Scenic — 52.0 miles; Recreational — 34 miles; Total — 110.0 miles.

Wood-Pawcatuck Rivers

Wood-Pawcatuck Watershed

The Wood and Pawcatuck Rivers System lies in southeastern Connecticut and the southwestern region of Rhode Island. The source of the Pawcatuck River is in the town of South Kingston, Rhode Island, and its terminus is in the towns of Westerly, Rhode Island, and Stonington, Connecticut, where it drains to the Little Narragansett Bay (Long Island Sound). The watershed area is approximately 300-square miles, encompassing many high-quality tributaries within seven major drainage areas, including the Queen-Usquepaugh, Beaver, Wood, Chipuxet, Shunock, Green Fall-Ashway and Pawcatuck Rivers. It is one of the few remaining relatively pristine natural areas along the northeast corridor between New York and Boston.

The Pawcatuck River and its associated tributaries run through a rural, wooded landscape amongst a series of towns that grew up on the banks of the watercourses, historically as mill villages. Vestiges of the textile and fabric dyeing industry can still be found on the banks of the rivers. Prior to the arrival of European colonists, there were about 7,000 Native Americans living in southern Rhode Island, attracted by the abundant wildlife and fish in the region. The watershed is the most rural, least-developed in Rhode Island, with approximately 87 percent of the land undeveloped or in agriculture and approximately 75 percent forested. The estuary of the Pawcatuck River winds its way through the more highly developed communities of Pawcatuck, Connecticut, and Westerly, Rhode Island. Development pressure is high in this region as is typical in the states along the Atlantic coastline.

Outstandingly remarkable values of the rivers include unique geology and hydrology, due to the Charlestown Moraine; outstanding habitat associated with the many wetlands and small headwater streams of the rivers; exemplary Native American and early American historical artifacts; and excellent recreational opportunities. These rivers are especially important because they are close to major population centers in southern New England and provide large expanses of open space and recreation.