Fall Kill
Encyclopedia
The Fall Kill is a creek in Dutchess County, New York
, United States
. The creek begins in the towns of Hyde Park
and Clinton
, flows southward through the town and city of Poughkeepsie, and drains into the Hudson River
. The entire Fall Kill is approximately 38 miles (61.2 km) long, and the southern end of the creek is surrounded by heavy urbanization. In the City of Poughkeepsie, 2.5 miles (4 km) of the Fall Kill were channelized by stone walls during the Great Depression
. The creek's drainage basin
accounts for approximately 12476 acres (50.5 km²) of the larger Hudson Direct Watershed. As of the 2000 Census
, about 28,500 people resided in this area.
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
designates the creek as a Class C stream, meaning it is suitable for fishing. The Fall Kill is also a third order stream by the time it reaches the Hudson River. The northern section of the creek is characterized by marshes and wetlands, harboring several threatened or endangered species.
Dutchess County, New York
Dutchess County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York, in the state's Mid-Hudson Region of the Hudson Valley. The 2010 census lists the population as 297,488...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The creek begins in the towns of Hyde Park
Hyde Park, New York
Hyde Park is a town located in the northwest part of Dutchess County, New York, United States, just north of the city of Poughkeepsie. The town is most famous for being the hometown of U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt....
and Clinton
Clinton, Dutchess County, New York
Clinton is a town in Dutchess County, New York, United States. The population was 4,010 at the 2000 census. The town is named after George Clinton, an early governor of New York....
, flows southward through the town and city of Poughkeepsie, and drains into the Hudson River
Hudson River
The Hudson is a river that flows from north to south through eastern New York. The highest official source is at Lake Tear of the Clouds, on the slopes of Mount Marcy in the Adirondack Mountains. The river itself officially begins in Henderson Lake in Newcomb, New York...
. The entire Fall Kill is approximately 38 miles (61.2 km) long, and the southern end of the creek is surrounded by heavy urbanization. In the City of Poughkeepsie, 2.5 miles (4 km) of the Fall Kill were channelized by stone walls during the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
. The creek's drainage basin
Drainage basin
A drainage basin is an extent or an area of land where surface water from rain and melting snow or ice converges to a single point, usually the exit of the basin, where the waters join another waterbody, such as a river, lake, reservoir, estuary, wetland, sea, or ocean...
accounts for approximately 12476 acres (50.5 km²) of the larger Hudson Direct Watershed. As of the 2000 Census
2000 Census
The following countries conducted a census of the general population in 2000:* Costa Rica, the ninth federal census, conducted at irregular intervals* Indonesia* United States, the 22nd decennial federal census...
, about 28,500 people resided in this area.
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation is responsible for the conservation, improvement, and protection of natural resources within the U.S. state of New York. It was founded in 1970, replacing the previous Conservation Department...
designates the creek as a Class C stream, meaning it is suitable for fishing. The Fall Kill is also a third order stream by the time it reaches the Hudson River. The northern section of the creek is characterized by marshes and wetlands, harboring several threatened or endangered species.