The
Clyde River is a tributary of
Lake MemphremagogLake 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...
, over long, in northern
VermontThe State of Vermont is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state ranks 43rd by land area, , and 45th by total area. It has a population of 621,270, making it the second least-populated state...
in the
United StatesThe 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 CountyOrleans County is one of the four northernmost counties in the U.S. state of Vermont. It borders Canada. As of 2000, the population was 26,277. 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 TrailThe 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 ScotlandThe 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....
.
The river has its source in Spectacle and Island Ponds in
BrightonBrighton 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 comprised primarily of soldiers commanded by Colonel Joseph Nightingale and subsequently named Random. The...
.
The
Clyde River is a tributary of
Lake MemphremagogLake 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...
, over long, in northern
VermontThe State of Vermont is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state ranks 43rd by land area, , and 45th by total area. It has a population of 621,270, making it the second least-populated state...
in the
United StatesThe 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 CountyOrleans County is one of the four northernmost counties in the U.S. state of Vermont. It borders Canada. As of 2000, the population was 26,277. 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 TrailThe 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 ScotlandThe 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 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 comprised primarily of soldiers commanded by Colonel Joseph Nightingale and subsequently named Random. The...
. Runs northwest through
CharlestonCharleston 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 MemphremagogLake 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...
in
NewportNewport 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 long. It drains the water from about .
The Route 105/114 junction to Clyde Road section of Clyde River in Vermont is 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 in ; but its current is generally slow.
The principal tributaries of the Clyde are
Pherrin's River from the north;
the Oswegatchie River 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 turn 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 from the southeast.
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 wide waterway, and vegetation dips right into the water.
Geology
The river in in the Nulhegan Basin of northeastern Vermont.
Spectacle Pond is actually a kettle. It is only 8 to deep with a thick bottom of muck.
Dams
In the early 1800s a mill dam constructed at Arnolds Falls. In
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 ProutyGeorge Herbert Prouty of Newport, Orleans County, Vermont was a Republican member of the Vermont House of Representatives, 1896-97; member of Vermont Senate, 1904; Lieutenant Governor of Vermont, 1906-08; Governor of Vermont, 1908-10; delegate to Republican National Convention from Vermont, 1916. ...
). It was long. This was also known as the Clyde Pond dam.
The
Echo LakeEcho 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.The first Surveyor General of Vermont, Whitelaw, gave it the name of Echo Pond because when any sound...
dam is used for hydroelectric power. Construction was completed in 1922. It has a normal surface area of . It is owned by Citizens Utilities Company. The dam is concrete. The core is homogeneous concrete. The foundation is rock. The height is by . Maximum discharge is per second. Its capacity is . Normal storage is . It drains an area of .
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 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 SeymourLake 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 . It is owned by Citizens Utilities Company. This dam is stone, and concrete. The core is concrete. The foundation is soil. Its height is by long. Maximum discharge is per second. The capacity is . Normal storage is . It drains an area of .
List of cities and towns
In upstream order:
- Newport
- Derby
- Charleston
- West Charleston
- East Charleston
- Brighton