Under a new law, the lower Farmington River and Salmon Brook have been given a wild and scenic designation by the U.S. National Park Service.

U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy said the law has been years in the making. The upper part of the river has held this designation since 1994. Former U.S. Rep. Nancy Johnson first started the process to apply the same designation to the lower part of the river more than 10 years ago.

“It’s a long process because wild and scenic designations don’t come easily. You have to do an exhaustive study," Murphy said.

With the designation, the river and Salmon Brook are now eligible for up to $175,000 a year in federal funds for conservation efforts. New protections are also added to the river because of the law.

On May 11, Murphy, along with U.S. Rep. Jahana Hayes and state and local officials, took to the Old Drake Hill Flower Bridge in Simsbury to celebrate the law that applies to the part of the river that runs from Canton through Windsor.

Joining them, Murphy said, were the local advocates who he credits with the success of the law.

“There have been generations of activists who have stayed involved in this issue,” Murphy said. “We only got this passed because we have hundreds and hundreds of people who make it their mission to fight for the river.”

He said it’s clear how important the river is to those who live near it and use it.

“It’s part of these towns’ identity," Murphy said. “You move to Simsbury or Farmington in part because you likely caught a glimpse of the river. You wanted to be near it and part of it. But rivers are in danger these days. The water is often diverted. Development ends up polluting the watershed.”

But being deemed wild and scenic will help all that, Murphy said.

“This designation, while not overriding local land use rules, does give us some additional protection,” Murphy said. "It’s still up to the towns to make sure they aren’t building development right on the river. It prevents any new damming of the river, which is a big issue on the Farmington. It makes it harder to divert water away from the river for other uses, which require federal permits.”

Murphy also sees the designation as a potential marketing tool for Connecticut and the towns the river traverses through. There are only so many rivers that have been deemed as wild and scenic, he said.

“Now that we have the full extent of the river designated, it will help us market these towns and from a residential standpoint," Murphy said. “We have a river that has come back to life since the industrial revolution and now hosts a huge variety of fish species, flora, and fauna. We have a river that is highly trafficked by people who like to be on the river in one way, shape, or form.”