Kennebec River

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Kennebec River
Kennebec River in Augusta

Kennebec River in Augusta

Data
Water code US :  569110
location Maine (USA)
River system Kennebec River
origin Moosehead Lake
45 ° 35 ′ 10 "  N , 69 ° 42 ′ 48"  W.
Source height 313  m
muzzle Atlantic Ocean Coordinates: 43 ° 44 ′ 6 "  N , 69 ° 46 ′ 26"  W 43 ° 44 ′ 6 "  N , 69 ° 46 ′ 26"  W
Mouth height 0  m
Height difference 313 m
Bottom slope approx. 0.89 ‰
length approx. 350 km
Catchment area approx. 15,200 km²  (above Merrymeeting Bay)
Discharge at North Sydney gauge ( ⊙ ) A Eo : 13,830 km²
MQ 1979/2012
Mq 1979/2012
 		275 m³ / s
19.9 l / (s km²)
Left tributaries Sebasticook River
Right tributaries Dead River , Carrabassett River , Sandy River , Androscoggin River
Reservoirs flowed through Indian Pond , Wyman Lake
Medium-sized cities Augusta
Small towns Madison , Skowhegan , Fairfield , Waterville , Winslow , Gardiner
Communities Bingham , Solon , Norridgewock
Kennebec River Map.png

The Kennebec River is a river in the US state of Maine .

River course

It has its origin in Moosehead Lake . It flows over its entire route in a predominantly southern direction. It initially flows through the Indian Pond reservoir , later taking in the Dead River from the right and flowing into another elongated reservoir, Wyman Lake . It passes the places Bingham and Solon and takes the Carrabassett River east of North Anson on the right side. Further downstream, Anson and Madison are opposite on the river bank. Later the Sandy River meets the Kennebec River from the right. At Norridgewock it turns briefly to the northeast, to turn south again at Skowhegan . Further downstream are the small towns of Fairfield , Waterville and Winslow on the river. The Sebasticook River flows into the river from the left. About 30 km further south, the Kennebec River flows through Augusta , the capital of Maine. The Kennebec River flows further south, past Gardiner and finally reaches Merrymeeting Bay , which forms the estuary of the river. The Androscoggin River flows into the southern bank of Merrymeeting Bay. After about 350 kilometers the Kennebec River flows into the Atlantic Ocean . The catchment area above Merrymeeting Bay covers 15,200 km². The Moose River is considered the source of the Kennebec River . This represents the main tributary of Moosehead Lake.

fauna

The Kennebec River system was an important spawning area for various migratory fish such as the herring species Alosa sapidissima and Alosa pseudoharengus , the sea ​​bass species Morone saxatilis , the Atlantic salmon , Arctic smelt and the sturgeon species short-nosed sturgeon and Atlantic sturgeon . These fish species are to be reintroduced by demolishing several dams, setting up fish ladders and releasing fish spawn.

Hydropower plants

There are several hydropower plants along the Kennebec River.

The hydropower plants in the downstream direction:

Surname Power
in MW		 Number of
turbines		 location operator
Harris 86 4th ( ⊙ ) Brookfield Renewable
Wyman 83 3 ( ⊙ ) Brookfield Renewable
Williams 13 2 ( ⊙ ) Brookfield Renewable
Anson 9 ( ⊙ ) Madison Paper
Abenaki 17th ( ⊙ ) Madison Paper
Weston 13 4th ( ⊙ ) Brookfield Renewable
Shawmut 10 8th ( ⊙ ) Brookfield Renewable
Hydro Kennebec 15.4 2 ( ⊙ ) Brookfield Renewable
Lockwood 7.2 7th ( ⊙ ) Brookfield Renewable

The Harris and Wyman hydropower plants are located below Indian Pond and Wyman Lake, respectively.

history

Samuel de Champlain was the first European to discover the Kennebec River during his expedition from 1605 to 1606. By 1900 it was navigable as far as the Farmington Falls , 120 kilometers upwards. During the American Revolution , Kennebec was the scene of 1,100 American soldiers being shipped to Québec under Colonel Benedict Arnold . Then it was used to generate energy. In 1999 the Edwards Dam was dismantled, which affected the entire water system.

Origin of name

The name "Kennebec" ( / kínipekʷ / ) comes from the eastern dialect of the Abenaki language and means "large area of ​​water" or "large bay".

Web links

Commons : Kennebec River  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Moosehead Lake in the Geographic Names Information System of the United States Geological Survey
  2. ↑ Kennebec River in the Geographic Names Information System of the United States Geological Survey
  3. ↑ USGS 01049265 Kennebec River at North Sidney, Maine
  4. ↑ a b friendsofmerrymeetingbay.org
  5. ↑ brookfieldrenewable.com
  6. ↑ energyjustice.net
  7. ↑ hydroreform.org
  8. ^ William Bright : Native American placenames of the United States . University of Oklahoma Press, 2004, ISBN 978-0-8061-3598-4 , p. 212, (Retrieved April 14, 2011).