LEARNING & EXPLORING
About the Watershed
Other watershed info:
Fishways | More Content Soon
(excerpted
form Study Report Chapter 2: Description of the Study Area)
A tributary to the Connecticut River, the Eightmile’s confluence with
the Connecticut River is approximately eight miles upstream from the mouth of
the Connecticut River at Long Island Sound, hence its name. This area was the
focus of early industrialization in Connecticut but was spared intense maritime
industrialization after World War II due in part to the restrictive and shifting
sandbars at the mouth of the Connecticut River. The lower Connecticut River
Valley which sits between the highly populated and densely developed areas surrounding
Hartford, New Haven and New London is known for its rural character, relatively
undeveloped landscape and hilly terrain, outdoor recreational opportunities
and nationally and internationally recognized natural environment.
Watershed Characteristics
With over 150 miles of pristine rivers and streams and 62 square miles of relatively undeveloped rural land, the Eightmile River Watershed is an exceptional natural and cultural resource. The watershed contains large areas of unfragmented habitat, an array of rare and diverse wildlife, scenic vistas, high water quality, unimpeded stream flow, and significant cultural features. Most notable is that the overall Eightmile River Watershed ecosystem is healthy and intact throughout virtually all of its range.
The landscape of the watershed is characterized as one of low rolling hills and ridges separated by numerous small, narrow drainage corridors and hollows, and in places broader valleys and basins. Approximately 90% of the watershed lies in roughly equal portions within the three communities of East Haddam, Lyme and Salem, with the remaining 10% evenly split within Colchester and East Lyme. Because the East Lyme section of the watershed is almost entirely protected by state owned forest and the Colchester section is small and contains few tributaries, this study focuses on the portion of the watershed within East Haddam, Lyme and Salem.
In 2004 the combined population of the three main communities was 15,228, with 60% located in East Haddam, 27% in Salem and 13% in Lyme. With just 5,400 people living in the watershed itself, population density is very low at 87 people per square mile as compared to the overall statewide average of 700 people per square mile. The low density has contributed to a rural, bucolic countryside with scenic views, occasional farm fields and a transportation pattern that has not changed substantially since the peak of the local agrarian economy in the mid-19th century. In the latter half of the 20th century, population growth in Salem and East Haddam have outpaced the average State growth with Salem increasing in population size by six-fold over the same period of time.
Ecology/Natural Communities
With over 83% of the watershed in forest, wetland or water, the Eightmile hosts a rich diversity of natural communities and rare and significant plant and animal species. Comprised primarily oak-hickory and maple-ash vegetative communities, the forests of the Eightmile provide resource requirements for a multitude of significant bird, mammal and insect species.
Further detail of the natural resources in the Eightmile watershed is described below in Section 3.B.1 – “Outstandingly Remarkable Resource Values”.
Land Use & Ownership Patterns
With only 6% developed area, the watershed is made up of large un-fragmented habitat blocks supporting an abundant array of rare and diverse species. Substantial open space conservation has been achieved in the watershed. As of March of 2006 nearly 32% of the watershed (12,600 acres) has been permanently protected, including over 5,000 acres of state forest and park land as well as significant holdings by municipalities, local land trusts and The Nature Conservancy.
However, there has been significant pressure for and a trend toward development and forest conversion in the watershed as shown in Table 2.1. Strong economic growth in Hartford and southeastern Connecticut is driving the region’s economy and development trends.
Table 2.1 Land Cover changes between 1985 and 2002 as reported by the Center for Land Use Education and Research (CLEAR), UCONN.
Table 2.3: Land Use in the Eightmile Watershed compared to state-wide land use. Source: UCONN Center for Land Use Education and Research/*Consulting ecologist Bill Moorhead for the Study Committee.
See Map in Eightmile River Watershed Management Plan: Landcover
Towns
Lyme
The town of Lyme makes up the southern third of the watershed and contains Hamburg Cove, the Eightmile River’s only navigable waterway. Lyme is the least populous of the three Watershed towns. The Town’s population actually peaked in 1800 on the strength of its maritime industries and then declined to only 546 residents by 1930 before beginning a 70-year trend of slow growth to 2,016 people in 2000. Lyme is the most isolated of the Watershed towns in terms of expressway access and is more than three towns removed from the regional employment centers of Groton, New London, and Norwich.
Since 1998, Lyme has been the most aggressive of the three principal watershed towns with respect to open space protection. Lyme has conserved approximately 40% of the Town overall with 1,724 acres (nearly 8%) of the Town protected in the last seven years alone.
East Haddam
East Haddam lies in the northwest section of the watershed and, at a population of 8,333, is the most populous of the three towns that comprise the Watershed. This was due initially to the industrialization and immigration of the 19th Century, and later due to the abundance of recreation opportunities and its access to jobs both inside and outside the region via Route 9. Devil’s Hopyard State Park lies within the Eightmile River Watershed in East Haddam and contains Chapman Falls, a locally known scenic and outdoor recreation area that attracts many visitors to the banks of the Eightmile.
Open space preservation efforts since 1998 have conserved 892 acres of land in East Haddam. East Haddam also recently adopted a comprehensive soils based zoning scheme that has significantly increased the level of resource protection in the town.
Salem
Salem makes up the northeast third of the watershed and remains a rural community with a small Town Green and a small commercial center nearby. Early clearing of significant forest resources was followed by agriculture that was hampered by the varied terrain, which also restricted residential growth. Re-growth of the forest has occurred over most of the Town since the 1890's. After a century of population decline, recent pressure for residential development has almost tripled the population in the past 35 years, so that the population is now higher than in colonial times (1,453 in 1970 to 3,858 in the 2000 census). Salem is the fastest growing of the three Watershed towns due to its location closest to employment opportunities in Norwich, Groton and New London as well as its direct access to Colchester and Hartford.
The Town itself has protected 161 acres of open space since 1998. In total, over 2000 acres has been protected by other non-profit and government entities. The Town of Salem is currently working on adoption of its Open Space Plan, to prioritize lands for protection. The Plan of Conservation and Development highlights the importance of preserving the Town's rural character.