Amy Souers, American Rivers

Amy Souers is online editor for American Rivers in Washington, D.C. She is on a two-month cross-country road trip exploring America's rivers.

This morning I left the Passaic River watershed in New Jersey, crossed the Hudson River, and entered New England. The one good thing about traffic is that it lets you snap pictures. (That's the Hudson River below.)

In Simsbury, Conn., I met Kevin Case of the Farmington River Watershed Association. Kevin grew up in Barkhamsted, a nearby town, so he knows this watershed better than most.

The Farmington River begins in Becket, Mass., and flows 81 miles to Windsor, Conn., where it meets the Connecticut River. More than 400,000 people in the greater Hartford area drink water from the Farmington. And more than 14 million gallons of treated wastewater enter the Farmington River each day.

Kevin said that the river today is in fairly good shape, but that it still faces threats. The EPA recently gave the watershed the highest possible water quality ranking, as well as the highest possible vulnerability ranking.

Kevin's primary concern is the rapid growth of towns along the river -- the new roads and parking lots and runoff problems.

"What effects will this sprawl and all of the associated non-point source pollution have on the river, on the water quality?" he asks.

Back in the late 1800s, most of the pollution came from paper mills, tanneries, cotton mills, sawmills, and foundries. The dams that were built on the river to power the mills blocked runs of Atlantic salmon and other migratory fish.

As part of Connecticut's Atlantic Salmon Restoration Project, more than 1 million juvenile salmon were stocked in the river and its tributaries every year between 1995 and 1999. But so far this year, only two adult fish have returned.

Our first stop of the day was Tariffville Gorge, a popular whitewater kayaking run. We made our way down the steep gravel path through the poison ivy and some tiny purple flowers. The river was swollen and rushing from the recent rains, but no paddlers were here today to play in the waves. The Watershed Association hosts annual canoe and kayak races and whitewater rodeos in the Gorge. On other stretches of the Farmington, inner-tubing is very popular.

West of the Gorge is the Barkhamsted reservoir, the biggest reservoir in the watershed. Built in the 1930s, it holds 30 billion gallons. They were spilling water over the dam today because the rains had filled the reservoir too high. Standing in the wind on top of the dam, Kevin pointed down to the far end of the reservoir to where some bald eagles are nesting. This river valley is the only place in the state with nesting bald eagles.

"Despite all the growth in the area, we still have a lot of wildlife here. There are more bear sightings than ever, and even some moose. But that could be because the sprawl is pushing them out of their old habitat," he said.

Facing the wide stretch of glassy water, he told me he has seen old historic records showing that some of his relatives long ago owned land that was flooded by the reservoir.

Looking into the future, he doesn't think any more big reservoirs like this will be built. He thinks more groundwater wells will be developed, adding, "That's OK, as long as you make sure you keep good instream flows for the river."

One big step in protecting the Farmington River came in 1994, with the addition of 14 miles of the west branch to the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System. The designation recognizes the river's beauty, character, history, and ecological value.

Kevin and I drove along West River Road, which parallels the wild and scenic river. State Forest land surrounded us on both sides. We passed a campground and several houses. Some of the yards had thick trees and shrubs growing along the bank to prevent erosion -- but other yards were mowed right down to the water. While the wild and scenic river designation calls for certain protections, enforcement is another story.

We stopped at the Riverton General Store for one of the best cheese sandwiches I've ever eaten. And, appropriately, I noticed they were selling six-packs of Farmington River Ale.

We ate our sandwiches at a picnic table overlooking the river. I'd have to agree with author Henry James who called the Farmington an "ample, admirable, in every way distinguished" stream.

Tomorrow it's on to another river -- one that was a big inspiration to other writers, including Hawthorne and Thoreau.