It is a tributary of the Stevens Branch of the Winooski River and part of the Lake Champlain watershed.
Turning northwest, the river passes through East Barre; Honey Brook and its tributaries enter from the north before it descends through a narrow valley to the center of Barre, where it enters the Stevens Branch just south (upstream) of the downtown.
[1] The Jail Branch River supports a healthy wild brook trout population and has had few pollution problems in recent years.
[2] On May 26, 2005, the Jail Branch was the site of the drowning of three children, whose bodies were found in Barre at 5:45 a.m. local time.
The flood set state records and hit the Winooski River Valley and tributaries the hardest.