The Woonasquatucket River's headwaters begin in the town of North Smithfield and run 19 miles, dropping over 200 feet, to combine with the Moshassuck River in downtown Providence. Along the way, the river is transformed through a series of reservoirs, dams, and natural channels.

The Woonasquatucket River-- which means "where the tide ends" in Narragansett-- is tidally influenced up to the Rising Sun Dam in Olneyville.

The Woonasquatucket watershed, on the other hand, is over 50 square miles in area and encompasses all the land where precipitation and groundwater drain eventually to the river.

The following maps and more can be viewed through URI's Critical Resource Atlas:

Land use in the watershed appears as follows:

	(Click to enlarge)
	Varied land use in the Woonasquatucket watershed means a broad base of interests, problems, and resources and can be problematic. See Watershed Approach Rationale for more info on how some of these problems can be addressed.