Clyde River (Vermont)
Encyclopedia
The Clyde River is a tributary of Lake Memphremagog
, over 25 miles (40 km) long, in northern Vermont
in the United States
. It is the easternmost of the four major rivers in Orleans County
. It is the most powerful of the four within Orleans County, powering several turbines at damsites. It is part of the Northern Forest Canoe Trail
.
It was named by one of the early surveyors from his partiality to a river of the same name in Scotland
.
. Runs northwest through Charleston
and falls into Lake Memphremagog
in Newport
. With the exception of three miles (5 km) of rapids near its mouth, this is a very sluggish stream, passing through in its course, several natural ponds of considerable size. Even during spring high water, there is barely a perceptible current. The river is about 25 miles (40 km) long. It drains the water from about 146 square miles (378 km²).
The Route 105/114 junction to Clyde Road section of Clyde River in Vermont is 21 miles (33.8 km) long and is rated by American Whitewater as a class I-III section.
Pherrin's River, which empties into the Clyde from the north about a mile below the outlet, frequently rises quite suddenly, swelling the waters of the latter so as to reverse its current and cause it to back up into Island Pond with great force for ten hours or more, until the pond is full, or the water subsides below, when it will again change and rush out.
The principal tributaries of the Clyde are
Pherrin's River from the north;
another riverdrains Suke's Pond flows into it from the south; then
the waters of Cold Brook from the south; Webster Brook flows into it from the west; the Clyde then turns northwest.
Into it flows the stream from Cole's Pond in Brighton;
Bald Mountain Brook, and
Echo Lake Brook at the East village; next
Fenner Brook from Westmore, then the
Nutting Brook from Broadway pond, and
Toad Pond Brook from Toad pond.
The Clyde then turns northward. An unnamed brook from Mud Pond empties into it. The Clyde then turns west, then north again. It empties into the south end of Pensioners Pond.
Vermont routes 5A/105 parallels the Clyde from here on. It exits from Pensioners Pond and empties into the south end of Charleston Pond. It exits from the north of that pond and empties into Clyde Pond #1.
After exiting from Clyde Pond #1, it proceeds westward. It empties into Lake Salem from the south. It exits the northwest corner of this lake. It is then joined by an unnamed brook from Derby Pond from the north. It then empties into Clyde Pond #2 from the northeast. It exits this Pond west and into south Lake Memphremagog from the north. The mouth is just east of where US 5/Vermont 105 crosses Lake Memphremagog.
The river winds through farm country, with silver maple and alder dominating the shoreline. Northern white cedar, an occasional willow, and a variety of shrubs line the 40 feet (12.2 m) wide waterway, and vegetation dips right into the water.
Spectacle Pond is actually a kettle. It is only 8 to 10 ft (2.4 to 3 m) deep with a thick bottom of muck.
1883 a dam was constructed at the outlet to Lake Memphremagog. In
1918 the Newport Dam (Clyde Pond #2) was constructed. This dam was also known as Prouty Dam (after Governor Prouty
). It was 713 feet (217 m) long. This was also known as the Clyde Pond dam.
The Echo Lake
dam is used for hydroelectric power. Construction was completed in 1922. It has a normal surface area of 530 acres (2.1 km²). It is owned by Citizens Utilities Company. The dam is concrete. The core is homogeneous concrete. The foundation is rock. The height is 16 by. Maximum discharge is 693 cubic feet (19.6 m³) per second. Its capacity is 5000 acre.ft. Normal storage is 3180 acre.ft. It drains an area of 24 square miles (62.2 km²).
In 1928 a dam was constructed at West Charleston. In
1929 a dam was built at Pensioner's Pond.
In 1957 #11 Dam was constructed. It was located 1000 feet (305 m) below the current hydro generation station off Clyde Street.
In 1994 the #11 Dam was breached. In 1996 the #11 Dam was removed. In
2007 a fish (salmon) passage was built at the Newport Dam
Lake Seymour
is on a tributary which drains into Echo Lake, which in turn drains into the Clyde. It is used for hydroelectric power. Construction was completed in 1928. It has a normal surface area of 2.8 square miles (7.3 km²). It is owned by Citizens Utilities Company. This dam is stone, and concrete. The core is concrete. The foundation is soil. Its height is 7 feet (2.1 m) by 68 feet (20.7 m) long. Maximum discharge is 85 ft3 per second. The capacity is 5200 acre.ft. Normal storage is 3500 acre.ft. It drains an area of 20.1875 square miles (52.3 km²).
Lake Memphremagog
Lake Memphremagog is a fresh water glacial lake located between Newport, Vermont, United States and Magog, Quebec, Canada. The lake is long with 73 percent of the lake's surface area in Quebec, where it drains into the Magog River. However, three-quarters of its watershed, , is in Vermont. The...
, over 25 miles (40 km) long, in northern Vermont
Vermont
Vermont is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state ranks 43rd in land area, , and 45th in total area. Its population according to the 2010 census, 630,337, is the second smallest in the country, larger only than Wyoming. It is the only New England...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It is the easternmost of the four major rivers in Orleans County
Orleans County, Vermont
Orleans County is one of the four northernmost counties in the U.S. state of Vermont. It borders Canada. In 2010, the population was 27,231. Its county seat is Newport. As in the rest of New England, few governmental powers have been granted to the county...
. It is the most powerful of the four within Orleans County, powering several turbines at damsites. It is part of the Northern Forest Canoe Trail
Northern Forest Canoe Trail
The Northern Forest Canoe Trail is a marked canoeing trail in the northeastern United States and Canada, extending from Old Forge in the Adirondacks of New York to Fort Kent in Maine. Along the way, the trail also passes through the states and provinces of Vermont, Quebec, and New Hampshire...
.
It was named by one of the early surveyors from his partiality to a river of the same name in Scotland
River Clyde
The River Clyde is a major river in Scotland. It is the ninth longest river in the United Kingdom, and the third longest in Scotland. Flowing through the major city of Glasgow, it was an important river for shipbuilding and trade in the British Empire....
.
Course
The river has its source in Spectacle and Island Ponds in BrightonBrighton, Vermont
Brighton is a town in Essex County, Vermont, United States. The population was 1,260 at the 2000 census. The town was named Gilead in its original grant in 1780. The town was sold to a group consisting primarily of soldiers commanded by Colonel Joseph Nightingale and subsequently named Random. The...
. Runs northwest through Charleston
Charleston, Vermont
Charleston is a town in Orleans County, Vermont, United States. The population was 895 at the 2000 census. The town contains three unincorporated villages: Charleston, East Charleston and West Charleston.-Town:* Selectman - Tom Jensen...
and falls into Lake Memphremagog
Lake Memphremagog
Lake Memphremagog is a fresh water glacial lake located between Newport, Vermont, United States and Magog, Quebec, Canada. The lake is long with 73 percent of the lake's surface area in Quebec, where it drains into the Magog River. However, three-quarters of its watershed, , is in Vermont. The...
in Newport
Newport (city), Vermont
Newport is a city in and the shire town of Orleans County, Vermont, United States. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 5,005. The city contains the largest population of any government in the county, yet encompasses the smallest area....
. With the exception of three miles (5 km) of rapids near its mouth, this is a very sluggish stream, passing through in its course, several natural ponds of considerable size. Even during spring high water, there is barely a perceptible current. The river is about 25 miles (40 km) long. It drains the water from about 146 square miles (378 km²).
The Route 105/114 junction to Clyde Road section of Clyde River in Vermont is 21 miles (33.8 km) long and is rated by American Whitewater as a class I-III section.
Brighton
The Clyde originates in Spectacle Pond, Brighton. It flows from there to Island Pond from the north end of Island Pond to the west. It proceeds towards Charleston, in a northwesterly direction.Pherrin's River, which empties into the Clyde from the north about a mile below the outlet, frequently rises quite suddenly, swelling the waters of the latter so as to reverse its current and cause it to back up into Island Pond with great force for ten hours or more, until the pond is full, or the water subsides below, when it will again change and rush out.
Charleston
The Clyde River is the largest in Charleston. It runs nearly through the center of the town. Some falls of importance are found on the stream, especially the Great Falls in the western part of the town, where the descent is more than 100 feet (30 m) in 66 feet (20 m); but its current is generally slow.The principal tributaries of the Clyde are
Pherrin's River from the north;
another river
the waters of Cold Brook from the south; Webster Brook flows into it from the west; the Clyde then turns northwest.
Into it flows the stream from Cole's Pond in Brighton;
Bald Mountain Brook, and
Echo Lake Brook at the East village; next
Fenner Brook from Westmore, then the
Nutting Brook from Broadway pond, and
Toad Pond Brook from Toad pond.
The Clyde then turns northward. An unnamed brook from Mud Pond empties into it. The Clyde then turns west, then north again. It empties into the south end of Pensioners Pond.
Vermont routes 5A/105 parallels the Clyde from here on. It exits from Pensioners Pond and empties into the south end of Charleston Pond. It exits from the north of that pond and empties into Clyde Pond #1.
Derby
The Clyde River forms the principal water-course, flowing through the town from east to west.After exiting from Clyde Pond #1, it proceeds westward. It empties into Lake Salem from the south. It exits the northwest corner of this lake. It is then joined by an unnamed brook from Derby Pond from the north. It then empties into Clyde Pond #2 from the northeast. It exits this Pond west and into south Lake Memphremagog from the north. The mouth is just east of where US 5/Vermont 105 crosses Lake Memphremagog.
Natural history
Beaver populate the countryside and sometimes undercut the streamside silver maple, toppling them into the water thereby creating logjams.The river winds through farm country, with silver maple and alder dominating the shoreline. Northern white cedar, an occasional willow, and a variety of shrubs line the 40 feet (12.2 m) wide waterway, and vegetation dips right into the water.
Geology
The river is in the Nulhegan Basin of northeastern Vermont.Spectacle Pond is actually a kettle. It is only 8 to 10 ft (2.4 to 3 m) deep with a thick bottom of muck.
Dams
In the early 19th century a mill dam constructed at Arnolds Falls. In1883 a dam was constructed at the outlet to Lake Memphremagog. In
1918 the Newport Dam (Clyde Pond #2) was constructed. This dam was also known as Prouty Dam (after Governor Prouty
George H. Prouty
George Herbert Prouty of Newport, Orleans County, Vermont was a Republican member of the Vermont House of Representatives, 1896–97; member of Vermont Senate, 1904; the 44th Lieutenant Governor of Vermont, 1906–08; the 52nd Governor of Vermont, 1908–10; delegate to Republican National Convention...
). It was 713 feet (217 m) long. This was also known as the Clyde Pond dam.
The Echo Lake
Echo Lake (Charleston, Vermont)
Echo Lake is located in the town of Charleston in Orleans County, Vermont, an area known as the Northeast Kingdom. It is one of only two deep, cold, and oligotrophic lakes in the Clyde River system...
dam is used for hydroelectric power. Construction was completed in 1922. It has a normal surface area of 530 acres (2.1 km²). It is owned by Citizens Utilities Company. The dam is concrete. The core is homogeneous concrete. The foundation is rock. The height is 16 by. Maximum discharge is 693 cubic feet (19.6 m³) per second. Its capacity is 5000 acre.ft. Normal storage is 3180 acre.ft. It drains an area of 24 square miles (62.2 km²).
In 1928 a dam was constructed at West Charleston. In
1929 a dam was built at Pensioner's Pond.
In 1957 #11 Dam was constructed. It was located 1000 feet (305 m) below the current hydro generation station off Clyde Street.
In 1994 the #11 Dam was breached. In 1996 the #11 Dam was removed. In
2007 a fish (salmon) passage was built at the Newport Dam
Tributaries
The following dams are on tributaries (watershed) that feed into the Clyde, and not the Clyde itself:Lake Seymour
Lake Seymour (Vermont)
Lake Seymour is located in the town of Morgan in Orleans County, Vermont, an area known as the Northeast Kingdom. The lake was named for Israel Seymour, one of the original grantees. Natives called it Namagonic . It is the second largest natural lake in Vermont...
is on a tributary which drains into Echo Lake, which in turn drains into the Clyde. It is used for hydroelectric power. Construction was completed in 1928. It has a normal surface area of 2.8 square miles (7.3 km²). It is owned by Citizens Utilities Company. This dam is stone, and concrete. The core is concrete. The foundation is soil. Its height is 7 feet (2.1 m) by 68 feet (20.7 m) long. Maximum discharge is 85 ft3 per second. The capacity is 5200 acre.ft. Normal storage is 3500 acre.ft. It drains an area of 20.1875 square miles (52.3 km²).
List of cities and towns
In upstream order:- Newport
- Derby
- Charleston
- West Charleston
- East Charleston
- Brighton
- Island Pond