In Massachusetts, the Quinebaug River basin is located in Hampden and Worcester Counties and contains all or part of 15 towns; the French River basin, located in Worcester County, contains all or part of 10 towns. The basins are heavily forested, with some areas being more than 80 percent forest.

Elevations in the basins range from 1,264 ft on Mount Pisgah in Wales, Mass., to about 25 ft in Norwich, Conn., where the Quinebaug River joins the Shetucket River. The description of the French and Quinebaug River basins is based on Hydrologic Investigations Atlas 700 (Eames and Epstein, 1988).