Saco River

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Saco River
Saco River in Crawford Notch

Saco River in Crawford Notch

Data
Water code US574648
location Maine , New Hampshire (USA)
River system Saco River
origin Saco Lake in the White Mountains
44 ° 12 ′ 58 "  N , 71 ° 24 ′ 34"  W
muzzle Saco Bay (Atlantic Ocean) Coordinates: 43 ° 27 ′ 40 "  N , 70 ° 22 ′ 37"  W 43 ° 27 ′ 40 "  N , 70 ° 22 ′ 37"  W
Mouth height m

length 216 km
Catchment area 4411 km²
Left tributaries Ellis River
Right tributaries Swift River , Ossipee River , Little Ossipee River
Medium-sized cities Biddeford , Saco
Small towns Conway
Communities Hiram
Saco River catchment area

Saco River catchment area

Saco River in Saco, Maine - view from US Highway 1

Saco River in Saco, Maine - view from US Highway 1

The Saco River is a 216 km long river in northwest New Hampshire and southwest Maine in the United States .

It drains a rural area of ​​4411 km² west and southwest of Portland and flows into the Atlantic Ocean . It provides drinking water for 250,000 people.

course

The Saco River arises in Saco Lake in Crawford Notch in Coos County in the US state of New Hampshire in the White Mountains . It runs in a south-southeast direction through Carroll County in New Hampshire and Oxford County in Maine. In the further course he drives six hydroelectric plants and is crossed by Interstate 95 and reaches York County . There it flows between Saco and Biddeford , which are connected by a bridge on US Highway 1 . It reaches its confluence with the Atlantic Ocean in Saco Bay of the Gulf of Maine between Camp Ellis and Hills Beach.

Hydrography

The United States Geological Survey maintains two water level gauges along the river . The first is in Conway ( ). The flow rate at this point is a long-term average (from 1904 to 2006) 27 m³ / s. The maximum value was 1339 m³ / s on March 27, 1953, and the lowest value of about 1 m³ / s was recorded on August 4, 1959. The second level is in Cornish , below the confluence of the Ossipee River ( ). The highest flow rate was here on 21./22. March 1936 recorded with 1322 m³ / s and the lowest on October 7, 1964 was 7 m³ / s. The long-term average since 1916 is 77 m³ / s.

Major tributaries

Covered bridges

In Conway, the Saco River Covered Bridge spans the river.

Hydropower plants

There are several hydropower plants along the Saco River.

The hydropower plants in the downstream direction:

Surname Power
in MW
Number of
turbines
location operator
Hiram 10.5 2 ( ) Brookfield Renewable
Bonny Eagle 7.2 6th ( ) Brookfield Renewable
West Buxton 7.7 6th ( ) Brookfield Renewable
Bar Mills 4th 2 ( ) Brookfield Renewable
Skelton 16.8 2 ( ) Brookfield Renewable
Cataract 6.6 1 ( ) Brookfield Renewable

Web links

Commons : Saco River  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Saco River in the Geographic Names Information System of the United States Geological Survey
  2. Water Resources Data - New Hamspire, Water Year 2006 (PDF) In: Water Resources Data - New Hamspire, Water Year 2006 . 2006. Retrieved January 18, 2008.
  3. Water Resources Data - Maine, Water Year 2006 (PDF) In: Water Resources Data - Maine, Water Year 2001 . 2006. Retrieved January 18, 2008.
  4. ^ Saco River Covered Bridge in the Geographic Names Information System of the United States Geological Survey
  5. brookfieldrenewable.com
  6. energyjustice.net
  7. hydroreform.org