West Branch Penobscot River
| West Branch Penobscot River | ||
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| Data | ||
| Water code | US : 578079 | |
| location | Maine (USA) | |
| River system | Penobscot River | |
| Drain over | Penobscot River → Atlantic Ocean | |
| origin |
Seboomook Lake 45 ° 54 '38 " N , 69 ° 43' 59" W. |
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| Source height | 327 m | |
| Association with |
East Branch to Penobscot River Coordinates: 45 ° 36 ′ 15 ″ N , 68 ° 31 ′ 55 ″ W 45 ° 36 ′ 15 ″ N , 68 ° 31 ′ 55 ″ W. |
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| Mouth height | 73 m | |
| Height difference | 254 m | |
| Bottom slope | approx. 1.3 ‰ | |
| length | approx. 190 km | |
| Catchment area | 5150 km² | |
| Flowing lakes | Pemadumcook Lake | |
| Reservoirs flowed through | Chesuncook Lake , Dolby Pond | |
| Small towns | Millinocket | |
| Communities | East Millinocket , Medway | |
 Course of the West Branch Penobscot River as the right source of the Penobscot River |
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The West Branch Penobscot River is the right headwaters of the Penobscot River in the US state of Maine .
The West Branch Penobscot River drains the regulated Seboomook Lake to the east. It flows through the reservoir Chesuncook Lake and then the lake system of Pemadumcook Lake . It passes the small town of Millinocket and is later dammed downstream to Dolby Pond . Now the place follows East Millinocket before the river at Medway with the approach flowing from the North East Branch of the Penobscot River combined. The West Branch Penobscot River has a length of about 190 km and has a catchment area of 5150 km². There are several dams and hydroelectric power stations on the river. North Branch and South Branch Penobscot River flow into the western end of Seboomook Lake and thus form the headwaters of the West Branch Penobscot River.
Hydropower plants
There are several hydropower plants along the West Branch Penobscot River.
The hydropower plants in the downstream direction:
| Surname | Power in MW |
Number of turbines |
location | operator |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| McKay | 38 | 3 | ( ⊙ ) | Brookfield Renewable |
| North Twin | 7th | 3 | ( ⊙ ) | Brookfield Renewable |
| Millinocket | 36 | 8th | ( ⊙ ) | Brookfield Renewable |
| Dolby | 21st | 7th | ( ⊙ ) | Brookfield Renewable |
| East Millinocket | 7th | 6th | ( ⊙ ) | Brookfield Renewable |
| Medway | 3.44 | 5 | ( ⊙ ) | Erie Blvd Hydropower |
The McKay hydropower plant is located below the Ripogenus Dam , which dams the Chesuncook Lake. North Twin sits at the drain of the Pemadumcook Lake system. The Medway hydropower plant is being modernized under the Penobscot River Restoration Agreement.
