The Rivers of Vermont Words To Know Watershed Drainage Basin Tributary Water Gap

There are four watersheds in Vermont. They are 1) The Connecticut, 2) The Memphremagog-St. Lawrence, 3) Lake Champlain-St. Lawrence, and 4) The Hudson. A watershed includes all the land that is drained by a network of rivers and streams, which flow into a larger body of water such as a river, lake or ocean. Imagine that you could look at the entire watershed all at once, perhaps in a satellite photograph. The watershed might look like a huge basin. In fact, watersheds are sometimes called drainage basins. When a small stream flows into a larger stream or river, the smaller stream is called a tributary of the larger stream.

The Connecticut River is one of New England’s major waterways. It begins in northern New Hampshire, flows between New Hampshire and Vermont, then through Massachusetts and Connecticut where it reaches the Atlantic Ocean, about 400 miles from its source. Unlike the few larger rivers that flow into Lake Champlain, there are many smaller, rapid flowing rivers that are also tributaries to the Connecticut River.

Most of Vermont’s largest rivers are part of the Lake Champlain drainage basin. Lake Champlain drains north into the Richelieu River and the St. Lawrence River in Canada. The Winooski, Lamoille and Missisquoi Rivers rise (or begin) well to the east of the main crest of the Green Mountains. They have cut great valleys through the mountains as the land rebounded (or rose back up) after the weight of the glacial ice retreated. The places where the rivers have cut through the mountains are sometimes called water gaps. The Missisquoi River flows through the northern Green Mountains and then into Canada. The river then swings back into Vermont on its way to Lake Champlain. The only national wildlife refuge in Vermont is located at the mouth of the Missisquoi on Lake Champlain.

The Otter Creek is another Vermont river that empties into Lake Champlain. It is the longest river entirely within Vermont. Otter Creek flows out of the Valley of Vermont, through the towns of Rutland, Brandon, Middlebury, and Vergennes, and empties into Lake Champlain in the town of Ferrisburg.

The Hudson River Basin

Part of the Hudson River watershed takes in the southwestern corner of Vermont. The Hudson River flows south through New York State and empties into the Atlantic Ocean at New York City.

The Lake Memphremagog-St. Lawrence River Basin

1. 
   Explain what a watershed is. What is another name for a watershed?
   

2. 
   What are the four watersheds in Vermont?
   

3. 
   Why are Vermont’s rivers important today?
   

4. 
   Name the large river the rises in Vermont, flows into Canada and then back into Vermont?
   

4. 
   What is the longest river entirely within Vermont?
   

4. 
   Into what river does Lake Champlain empty?