Naugatuck River

River in western Connecticut. On its 105 km/65 mi-long southerly course to join the Housatonic River at Derby, it passes through several manufacturing centres, for which it is an important source of power. The river valley is intensively industrialized and deforested, and prone to severe flooding.

The Naugatuck River rises in Litchfield County at the confluence of several small streams and then flows south through Torrington, Thomaston, Waterbury, Naugatuck, and Ansonia. Because of the many short, steep tributaries that flow into it, the river's run-off is extremely fast; in August 1955, a flood claimed 42 lives and caused US$220 million worth of damage. To prevent such a disaster from recurring, dams and sluices were built along the Naugatuck to control the water flow.