Quick Facts

Niantic River ~ Quick Facts

 

Did You Know?

 

  • The Niantic River does not currently meet state water quality standards for aquatic life support because of observed degradation of aquatic life and for direct consumption of shellfish due to high levels of bacteria.

 

  • The three main tributaries to the Niantic River, Latimer Brook, Oil Mill Brook, and Stony Brook, do not currently meet state water quality standards for recreation due to high levels of E. coli bacteria.

 

  • Nitrogen and bacteria are the two greatest water quality concerns for the Niantic River.

 

  • Rain carries bacteria into the river where it is filtered by shellfish rendering them unsafe for consumption.  The shellfish beds in the River are closed after every rain fall event of at least one inch.

 

  • Excess nitrogen entering the river enriches the brackish Niantic River water, like fertilizer on a lawn, increasing algal and plant growth.

 

  • Polluted runoff accounts for approximately half (50%) of the nitrogen inputs into the Niantic River.

 

  • Beginning in the 1980s, there was a sharp decline in eelgrass and in subsequent years eelgrass populations have shown annual variation.  Scallops and winter flounder, which rely on eelgrass as nursery habitat, are practically missing from the Niantic River.

 

  • New species like green crabs and grubby, which are more tolerant of polluted waters, appear to be on the rise in the river.

 

  • The Niantic River Watershed covers 31.3 square miles, or approximately 20,000 acres, and includes areas from the four towns of Salem, East Lyme, Waterford, and Montville.  Watershed management boils down to land use management and will depend on participation of all four communities.

 

  • There is a direct relationship between increased impervious surfaces in a watershed and degradation of water quality.

 

  • Oswegatchie Hills is one of the last large stretches of undeveloped waterfront land in Connecticut.