Kickamuit River

The Kickamuit River (often called the Kickemuit River) is a river in the states of Massachusetts and Rhode Island flowing approximately 7.9 miles (12.7 km).[1]

Kickamuit River Kickemuit River
An informational display tells the history of the Kickamuit River.
Etymology	Narragansett
Location
Country	United States
Cities	Warren, Rhode Island Rehoboth, Massachusetts
Towns	Bristol, Rhode Island

History

The name Kickamuit is a Narragansett word that has numerous spellings. The river was a major traffic artery during the American Revolutionary War, and supplies traveled upriver daily.[2] By the 1800s, oyster beds were a major revenue source, but effluent from the nearby Parker Mills and general sewage pollution killed most of the oysters by 1910.[2] The Kickamuit River oyster industry was ended with the 1938 New England hurricane.[2]

The Kickamuit River is classified as a Class A, Type II Waterway and open to both recreational activities and shell-fishing.

Course

The river's source is in Rehoboth, Massachusetts in the swamps north of Locust Street in Swansea. From here it flows due south to Swansea and into the Warren Reservoir, which drains approximately 2,300 acres (9.3 km²). The reservoir's dam forms the boundary between fresh and salt water. From the dam it flows generally southwest, then southeast to Mount Hope Bay, passing to the east of the center of the town of Warren, Rhode Island and ending with Bristol, Rhode Island to the west and part of Warren, Rhode Island to the east. The river exits in a passage through the Bristol Narrows into Mount Hope Bay.

Crossings

Below is a list of crossings over the Kickamuit River. The list starts at the headwaters and goes downstream.

Swansea, Massachusetts
- Locust Street
- Reed Street
- Interstate 195
- Stephen French Road
- Colletti Lane
- Fall River Avenue (U.S. 6)
- Burnside Drive
- Lynnwood Road
- Bushee Road
Warren, Rhode Island
- Schoolhouse Road
- Child Street (RI 103)

Tributaries

Heath Brook is the Kickamuit River's only named tributary, though it has many unnamed streams that also feed it.

Gallery

A snow squall over the Kickamuit River

Kickamuit River panorama taken at Warren Bike Path. Remains of train bridge in center.

References

U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data. The National Map Archived 2012-04-05 at WebCite, accessed April 1, 2011
History of the Kickemuit River (Informational display on Warren Bike Path at Kickemuit River), RI Department of Environmental Management

External links

Kickemuit River Council

Black, Billy. "Educational Video on the Kickemuit River Fish Ladder, Warren, Rhode Island" (YouTube video). Kickemuit River Council. Retrieved 6 January 2021.

Rivers of Massachusetts by drainage system

Atlantic Ocean

Buzzards Bay	Acushnet River Agawam River Back River Copicut River Crooked River Mattapoisett River Nasketucket River Paskamanset River Pocasset River Sippican River Slocums River Wankinco River Westport River Weweantic River
Nantucket Sound	Bass River Bumps River Childs River Coonamesset River Mashpee River Mitchell River Oyster Pond River Popponesset Creek Quashnet River Santuit River
Others	Tiasquam River

Gulf of Maine

Cape Cod Bay	Bluefish River Eel River Herring River Jones River Little Pamet River Pamet River Town Brook
Massachusetts Bay	Aberjona River Alewife Brook Canton River Charles River Chelsea Creek Cochato River Fore River Fresh River Indian Head River Malden River Millers River Monatiquot River Muddy River Mystic River Neponset River North River Saugus River Stony Brook (Boston) Stony Brook (Waltham) Stop River Weir River Weymouth Back River
Merrimack River Watershed	Artichoke River Assabet River Back River Beaver Brook Cochichewick River Concord River Little River Merrimack River Nashua River Nissitissit River North Nashua River Phillips Brook Powwow River Quinapoxet River Salmon Brook Shawsheen River Souhegan River South Branch Souhegan River South Nashua River Spicket River Squannacook River Stillwater River Sudbury River Trout Brook Vine Brook Whitman River
Others	Annisquam River Blackwater River Eagle Hill River Egypt River Ipswich River Jericho Creek Roger Island River Rowley River Skug River

Long Island Sound

Connecticut River Watershed	Burnshirt River Chapel Brook Chicopee River Connecticut River Cranberry River Deerfield River East Brookfield River Farmington River Fall River Five Mile River Green River Hubbard River Manhan River Mill River (Northampton) Mill River (Springfield) Millers River Mirey Brook North Branch Millers River North Branch Westfield River North River Otter River Quaboag River Scantic River Seven Mile River Tarbell Brook Ware River Westfield River
Housatonic River Watershed	Housatonic River Konkapot River Schenob Brook Umpachene River
Thames River Watershed	French River Quinebaug River

Narragansett Bay

Mount Hope Bay (Taunton River Watershed)	Assonet River Canoe River Cedar Swamp River Cocasset River Cotley River Forge River Hockomock River Matfield River Mill River Nemasket River Poor Meadow Brook Quequechan River Rumford River Salisbury Plain River Satucket River Segreganset River Shumatuscacant River Snake River Taunton River Three Mile River Town River Wading River Winnetuxet River
Providence River Watershed	Abbott Run Blackstone River Bungay River Chockalog River Mill River Mumford River Peters River Quinsigamond River Sevenmile River Tannery River Ten Mile River Thacher River West River Wilde River
Others	Barrington River Cole River Coles Brook Kickamuit River Lees River Palmer River Runnins River

Upper New York Bay

Hudson River Watershed	Hoosic River Kinderhook Creek

Rivers of Rhode Island by drainage system

Block Island Sound

Point Judith Pond	Saugatucket River