About Watershed Management

An Introduction

The Naugatuck River Watershed includes all of the land that drains into the Naugatuck River and its tributaries. The watershed covers 49,515 acres and multiple municipalities in western Connecticut, including

​ area in each of the following towns:​
​Norfolk, Winchester, Goshen, Torrington, Litchfield, Harwinton, Thomaston, Watertown, Plymouth, Wolcott, Waterbury, Middlebury, Naugatuck, Prospect, Oxford, Beacon Falls, Bethany, Seymour, Woodbridge, Ansonia, Shelton and Derby. While ​we’ve made great strides in improving water quality in the Naugatuck watershed since the Clean Water Act, there is still work to be done; the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) has found the Naugatuck River and many of its tributaries to still be ​listed as I​mpaired as of 2014.
Since water quality depends so heavily on land use, restoring impaired reaches requires a watershed-scale approach to management. A job this size cannot be done by any one person or organization; on the contrary, watershed management requires that many individuals work together including municipalities, residents, state and federal governments, environmental groups and other stakeholders. Working together can help ensure that the Naugatuck River and its tributaries are clean, beautiful, and accessible to everyone for years to come.

 

General Information

Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection

Environment America – Research and Policy Center