Deerfield by the numbers: Watershed Facts and Figures
Back to Ecology		From Stratton Mountain in Southern Vermont to Greenfield in Massachusetts, the Deerfield River watershed typifies rural New England at its best. Our rugged topography boasts spectacular scenic settings and exciting recreational opportunities. This topography has also attracted large electric utilities and their accompanying dams: we have ten hydrolelectric developments on the mainstem, some built as far back as 1911. One of the coldest and cleanest rivers in the region, the Deerfield River is home to native and stocked trout and is the site for Atlantic salmon restoration.

Click on the image above to get a better view of the watershed

Click on aerial photo at left to enter "Where in the Watershed" contest!

• Drainage area: about 665 square miles (347 in MA)
• Mainstem miles: 70.2 (44 in MA)
• River and stream miles: 649.7
• Perennial river miles: 589.3
• Lakes in the watershed: 49 (7023.3 watershed acres)
• Major tributaries: North Branch, South Branch, East Branch and West Branch in Vermont; Cold, Chickley, Bear, South, and Green Rivers in Massachusetts (North and Green originate in VT)
• Perimeter: 130.74 mi
• Some subwatersheds:
  North River: 92.4 square miles
  Green River: 89.9 square miles
  Cold River: 31.7 square miles
  Chickley River: 27.4 square miles
  South River: 26.3 square miles
  Clesson Brook: 21.2 square miles
• List of tributaries in MA
• More information at the USGS site: The basin in MA contains relatively few lakes and ponds, and most of these were created or enlarged by earthen dams. There are a total of 23 lakes and ponds, 16 of which cover at least 10 acres. The largest lake is Sherman Reservoir in Rowe, which has an area of 162 acres. The natural flow of the Deerfield River has been modified by the reservoirs in Vermont. Sherman Reservoir provides water for generation and for some once-through cooling water at Sherman Hydro Station, also for whitewater releases at No. 5 dam. Water released from the reservoirs during periods of power generation causes diurnal fluctuations in streamflow. The reservoirs help control floods in the basin and augment flow in the Deerfield River during low-flow periods.
• Map of surficial geology with stream gages in MA
• Current flow of the mainstem at USGS gaging station
• Hourly Stage Plot of the lower Connecticut River: includes 3 gaging stations on the Deerfield
  

• River elevation: drops approximately 2000 feet from the headwaters in southern Vermont to the confluence with the Connecticut River in Greenfield, Massachusetts.
• Altitudes: range from 2,841 to 120 ft above sea level
• The river flows southeastward through the Berkshire Hills of Massachusetts in a narrow valley bordered by steep slopes that rise, in places, more than 1,000 ft above the river. Near the Connecticut River, the terrain is much flatter. Overall, the gradient of the Deerfield River is quite steep, averaging 46.8 ft/mi from its headwaters to the USGS streamflow gage near West Deerfield, a distance of about 69.5 river MI

• 16 towns in 2 Vermont counties (Bennington,Windham)
  Brattleboro, Dover, Glastonbury, Guilford, Halifax, Marlboro, Readsboro, Searsburg, Somerset, Stamford, Stratton, Sunderland, Wardsboro,Whitingham, Wilmington, Woodford
  
• 20 town in 3 Massachusetts counties (Berkshire, Franklin, Hampshire)
  Adams, Ashfield, Bernardston, Buckland, Charlemont,Colrain, Conway, Deerfield, Florida, Goshen, Greenfield, Hawley, Heath, Leyden, Monroe, North Adams, Plainfield, Rowe, Savoy, Shelburne
• 35,300 people in the Massachusetts section (1990 Census data)

• About 78 percent of the basin is forested and only about 3 percent is urbanized.
• There are 9 dams and 10 hydroelectric developments on the mainstem
• Check the EPA site "Surf your Watershed" for more!

Updated 7/26/06 DRWA Home