Androscoggin River
Androscoggin River | ||
At Errol, NH. |
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Data | ||
Water code | US : 580918 | |
location | Maine , New Hampshire (USA) | |
River system | Kennebec River | |
Drain over | Kennebec River → Atlantic Ocean | |
source |
Umbagog Lake , Coos County , New Hampshire 44 ° 46 ′ 59 ″ N , 71 ° 3 ′ 41 ″ W |
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Source height | 379 m | |
muzzle |
Merrymeeting Bay Coordinates: 43 ° 57 '2 " N , 69 ° 52' 39" W 43 ° 57 '2 " N , 69 ° 52' 39" W. |
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Mouth height | 0 m | |
Height difference | 379 m | |
Bottom slope | 1.4 ‰ | |
length | 264 km | |
Catchment area | 8936 km² | |
Drain |
MQ |
175 m³ / s |
Left tributaries | Sunday River | |
Right tributaries | Magalloway River , Peabody River , Wild River , Nezinscot River , Little Androscoggin River | |
Medium-sized cities | Auburn , Lewiston , Berlin , Brunswick | |
Communities | Gorham , Bethel , Rumford , Dixfield , Livermore Falls , Lisbon Falls | |
Course of the Androscoggin River |
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Canal to a hydroelectric power station in Gorham, New Hampshire |
The Androscoggin River is a river in the United States and is located in the northern New England states of New Hampshire and Maine .
It has a length of 287 km and drains a catchment area of 8936 km². It flows into the Kennebec River at sea level before it flows into the Atlantic Ocean in Merrymeeting Bay in the Gulf of Maine .
course
The Androscoggin River has its origin in the state of New Hampshire near Errol in Coos County at the point where the Magalloway River meets the natural runoff of Umbagog Lake . The river then takes a southerly course, but flows around the cities of Errol, Milan and Berlin in many bends .
It then turns east near Gorham and cuts through the northern end of the White Mountains . Then the river leaves the county and New Hampshire.
It continues eastward, flowing past Bethel , Rumford and Dixfield , before turning south at Livermore Falls , leaving the mountains behind. It flows between the twin cities of Lewiston and Auburn before passing Lisbon Falls in a southeastern direction . It then reaches the city of Brunswick , from there its water level is already influenced by the tides . Merrymeeting Bay is a freshwater estuary about 16 km long , in which the Androscoggin River and Kennebec River meet, just over 30 km from the open Atlantic Ocean .
In Maine it flows through the counties of Oxford , Androscoggin - which is named after the river - and Sagadahoc . Here it flows into the Kennebec River .
Hydrology
The United States Geological Survey maintains four gauges on the Androscoggin River , all of which are immediately below one or more dams.
The first, top level, is in Errol, New Hampshire. ( ⊙ ). The catchment area up to this point covers 2708 km². The flow rate here ranged from a maximum value of 467 m³ / s to a minimum of 0 m³ / s when the dam is completely closed. The average annual runoff here between 1905 and 2005 was 54.3 m³ / s.
The second monitoring station is located near Gorham, New Hamspire ( ⊙ ) and covers a catchment area of 3523 km². The extreme values here range from the maximum value of 620 m³ / s to the lowest flow rate of 22.5 m³ / s when the dam is completely closed. The average discharge at this level is 71 m³ / s between 1905 and 2005.
The third level measures the data in Rumford, Maine. ( ⊙ ) These are based on a catchment area of 5354 km². The historical flow here reaches a maximum value of 2094 m³ / s and a lowest value of 18 m³ / s. The long-term average annual mean is 108 m³ / s.
The fourth and final measuring station in Auburn, Maine ( ⊙ ) corresponds to a catchment area of 8,448 km². The maximum flow rate here on March 31, 1998 was 3820 m³ / s, the lowest was 9.6 m³ / s. The long-term average is 175 m³ / s.
The river has a gradient of eight feet per mile (about 1.5 m / km) and is therefore suitable for water management use by adjacent industrial companies. It is therefore used in Lewiston and Auburn to generate hydropower.
Water quality
The water of the Androscoggin River was quite heavily polluted years ago. This pollution was caused by the various textile mills, paper mills and other industrial operations on its banks and was one of the catalyst for the Clean Water Act . The river has benefited from environmental protection and the disappearance of certain industries from the region; however, there are still problems with untreated industrial wastewater and exposure to mercury . On an approximately 22 km long section of the river, artificial aeration of the river with oxygen is necessary so that the fish population does not suffocate. Environmental groups have filed a lawsuit to force paper mills on the river to purify their sewage.
Fishing on the river
The Androscoggin River is a popular destination for anglers . They are primarily interested in catching fish species such as brook trout , rainbow trout and brown trout , but also Atlantic salmon and black bass . The upper reaches of the river near Errol, New Hampshire is particularly popular for fly fishing from a drifting boat. The water temperature rises in the course of the river and the main fish species on the lower reaches are black bass.
Name variants
In GNIS the USGS, a number of name variants are listed. They include:
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Main tributaries
The most important tributaries of the Androscoggin River are the following, whereby the place of the confluence is indicated:
No. | Surname | Bank side of the confluence |
Catchment area in km² |
location | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
01 | Magalloway River | right | Errol | NH | |
02 | Clear Stream | right | Errol | NH | |
03 | Mollidgewock Brook | Left | Errol | NH | |
04 | Chickwolnepy Stream | Left | Errol | NH | |
05 | Dead River, New Hampshire | right | Berlin | NH | |
06 | Moose Brook | right | Gorham | NH | |
07 | Moose River | right | Gorham | NH | |
08 | Peabody River | right | 120 | Gorham | NH |
09 | Wild River | right | Gilead | ME | |
10 | Pleasant River | right | Bethel | ME | |
11 | Alder River | right | Bethel | ME | |
12 | Sunday River | Left | 130 | Bethel | ME |
13 | Bear River | Left | Newry | ME | |
14th | Ellis River | Left | Rumford | ME | |
15th | Concord River | right | Rumford | ME | |
16 | Swift River | Left | Rumford and Mexico | ME | |
17th | Webb River | Left | Dixfield | ME | |
18th | Dead River (Maine) | Left | Leeds | ME | |
19th | Nezinscot River | right | Gymnast | ME | |
20th | Little Androscoggin River | right | Auburn | ME | |
21st | Sabattus River | Left | Lisbon | ME | |
22nd | Little River | Left | Lisbon Falls | ME |
Hydropower plants
There are numerous hydropower plants along the Androscoggin River.
The hydropower plants in the downstream direction:
Surname | Power in MW |
Number of turbines |
location | operator |
---|---|---|---|---|
Errol | 3 | 1 | ( ⊙ ) | Brookfield Renewable |
Pontook | 10.5 | 3 | ( ⊙ ) | Brookfield Renewable |
Sawmill | 3 | 4th | ( ⊙ ) | Brookfield Renewable |
Riverside | 8th | 2 | ( ⊙ ) | Brookfield Renewable |
Smith | 15th | 1 | ( ⊙ ) | Public Service Co of NH |
Cross | 3 | 5 | ( ⊙ ) | Brookfield Renewable |
Cascade | 8th | 3 | ( ⊙ ) | Brookfield Renewable |
Gorham | 5 | 4th | ( ⊙ ) | Brookfield Renewable |
Gorham Hydro | 2.2 | 4th | ( ⊙ ) | Public Service Co of NH |
Shelburne | 4th | 3 | ( ⊙ ) | Brookfield Renewable |
Upper Rumford | 28 | 4th | ( ⊙ ) | Brookfield Renewable |
Lower Rumford | 15th | 2 | ( ⊙ ) | Brookfield Renewable |
Riley | 6.6 | 6th | ( ⊙ ) | Verso paper Androscoggin |
Jay | 3.1 | 6th | ( ⊙ ) | Verso paper Androscoggin |
Otis | 10.2 | 2 | ( ⊙ ) | Verso paper Androscoggin |
Livermore | 9.2 | 9 | ( ⊙ ) | Verso paper Androscoggin |
Gulf Island | 19.2 | 3 | ( ⊙ ) | Brookfield Renewable |
Androscoggin 3 | 3.6 | 1 | ( ⊙ ) | Brookfield Renewable |
Deer rep | 6.5 | 7th | ( ⊙ ) | Brookfield Renewable |
Charles E. Monty | 28.4 | 2 | ( ⊙ ) | Brookfield Renewable |
Bates Mill Upper | 3.9 | 3 | Lewiston | |
Hill Mill | 1.8 | 6th | Lewiston | |
Upper Androscoggin | 0.4 | 3 | ( ⊙ ) | City of Lewiston |
Whatumbo | 19.4 | 2 | ( ⊙ ) | Miller Hydro Group |
Pejepscot | 13.7 | 4th | ( ⊙ ) | Topsham Hydro Partners |
Brunswick | 19.6 | 3 | ( ⊙ ) | Brookfield Renewable |
Web links
- MaineRivers.org: Androscoggin River . Profile in English.
- USGS - hydrological level data in real time
- Androscoggin River in the Geographic Names Information System of the United States Geological Survey
- USGS River Basin Info
- Androscoggin River Watershed Council website
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b USGS . Water Resources Data - Maine, Water Year 2005 . Water Data Reports for the United States. 2005.
- ^ Androscoggin River in the Geographic Names Information System of the United States Geological Survey
- ↑ http://mainerivers.org/androscoggin.htm Androscoggin Watershed
- ^ National Public Radio . May 17, 2007. Cities Battle Over River's Pollution Level . Audio file on the NPR website (accessed January 26, 2008)
- ↑ brookfieldrenewable.com
- ↑ energyjustice.net
- ↑ hydroreform.org