Shetucket River

Shetucket River
The river at Salt Rock State Park in Sprague
Shetucket River and environs
Location
Country	United States
State	Connecticut
Counties	Windham, New London
Physical characteristics
Source	Confluence of Willimantic River and Natchaug River
• location	Willimantic, Windham County, Connecticut, United States
• coordinates	41°42′46″N 72°11′31″W / 41.71278°N 72.19194°W / 41.71278; -72.19194[1]
Mouth	Confluence with Yantic River to form Thames River
• location	Norwich, New London County, Connecticut, United States
• coordinates	41°31′20″N 72°04′40″W / 41.52222°N 72.07778°W / 41.52222; -72.07778[1]
Length	20 mi (32 km)
Discharge
• location	Willimantic, CT
• average	718 cu ft/s (20.3 m3/s)Average, 1929-2005
• minimum	337 cu ft/s (9.5 m3/s)Annual mean, 1965
• maximum	1,243 cu ft/s (35.2 m3/s)Annual mean, 1938
Basin features
Tributaries
• right	Quinebaug River, Little River (Shetucket River)

The Shetucket River is a tributary of the Thames River, 20.4 miles (32.8 km) long,^[2] in eastern Connecticut in the United States.

It is formed at Willimantic by the junction of the Willimantic and Natchaug rivers. It flows southeast and south. Approximately 4 miles (6 km) northeast of Norwich it receives the Quinebaug River and broadens into a wide estuary which stretches southeast for approximately 5 miles (8 km) and joins the Thames estuary on the south side of Norwich.

The river flows through a rural section of New England, despite the historical presence of industry in the surrounding region. Parts of the rivers have been designated by the federal government as the Quinebaug and Shetucket Rivers Valley National Heritage Corridor. The National Park Service describes the river valley as the "last green valley" in the Boston-to-Washington megalopolis. In nighttime satellite photos, the valley appears distinctively dark amidst the lights of the surrounding urban and suburban regions.