Androscoggin River

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The Androscoggin River is a river in the US states of Maine and New Hampshire, in northern New England. It is 178 miles (287 km) long and joins the Kennebec River at Merrymeeting Bay in Maine before its water empties into the Gulf of Maine on the Atlantic Ocean. Its drainage basin is 3,530 square miles in area.

The Androscoggin begins in Errol, New Hampshire, where the Magalloway River joins the outlet of Lake Umbagog. The river flows generally south but with numerous bends past the towns of Errol and Milan and the city of Berlin before turning east at the town of Gorham, New Hampshire to cut across the northern end of the White Mountains and enter Maine. Continuing east, the river passes the towns of Bethel, Rumford, and Dixfield before turning south at the town of Livermore Falls and leaving the mountains behind. The river passes through the twin cities of Lewiston and Auburn, turns southeast, passes the community of Lisbon Falls and reaches tidewater just below the final falls in the town of Brunswick. Merrymeeting Bay is a 10-mile long freshwater estuary where the Androscoggin meets the Kennebec River nearly 20 miles inland from the Atlantic Ocean.

The Androscoggin was once badly polluted by a variety of textile mills, paper-making factories, and other industries located along its banks, but has benefitted greatly from environmental work and the departure of certain types of industry from the region. It still has problems, however, with industrial residue and mercury poisoning.

The United States government maintains four river flow gages on the Androscoggin river. All gages on this river are below one or more dams. The first is at Errol, New Hampshire (44°46′57″N, 71°07′46″W) where the rivershed is 1,046 square miles. Flow here has ranged from 16,500 to zero cubic feet per second (lows when dam closed). The second is near Gorham, New Hampshire (44°26′10″N, 71°11′27″W) where the rivershed is 1,361 square miles. Flow here has ranged from 21,900 to zero cubic feet per second (lows when dam closed). The third is at Rumford, Maine (44°33′04″N, 70°32′38″W) where the rivershed is 2,068 square miles. Flow here has ranged from 74,000 to 625 cubic feet per second. The fourth is at Auburn, Maine (44°04′20″N, 70°12′31″W) where the rivershed is 3,263 square miles. Flow here has ranged from 135,000 to 340 cubic feet per second.^[1]

According to the USGS, variant names for the Androscoggin River include: Amasagu'nteg, Amascongan, Ambrose Coggin, Ammeriscoggin, Ammoscoggin , Amos Coggin, Amoscommun, Anasagunticook, Anconganunticook, Andrews Coggin, Andros Coggan, Andros Coggin, Androscoggen, Andrus Coggin, Aumoughcaugen, Pescedona, and Ameriscoggin River.

[edit] Tributaries

Listed from source to mouth of Androscoggin, with location of tributary's mouth:

• Magalloway River, Errol, New Hampshire
• Clear Stream, Errol, New Hampshire
• Mollidgewock Brook, Errol, New Hampshire
• Chickwolnepy Stream, Milan, New Hampshire
• Dead River, Berlin, New Hampshire
• Moose Brook, Gorham, New Hampshire
• Moose River, Gorham, New Hampshire
• Peabody River, Gorham, New Hampshire
• Wild River, Gilead, Maine
• Pleasant River, Bethel, Maine
• Alder River, Bethel, Maine
• Sunday River, Bethel, Maine
• Bear River, Newry, Maine
• Ellis River, Rumford, Maine
• Concord River, Rumford, Maine
• Swift River, Rumford and Mexico, Maine
• Webb River, Dixfield, Maine
• Dead River, Leeds, Maine
• Nezinscot River, Turner, Maine
• Little Androscoggin River, Auburn, Maine
• Sabattus River, Lisbon, Maine
• Little River, Lisbon Falls, Maine

[edit] External links

• MaineRivers.org Androscoggin River profile
• Real-time flow data for the Errol, NH, Gorham, NH, Rumford, ME, and Auburn, ME gages.
• USGS GNIS page on Androscoggin River
• USGS River Basin Info

[edit] References

1. ^ G.J. Stewart, J.P. Nielsen, J.M. Caldwell, A.R. Cloutier (2002). Water Resources Data - Maine, Water Year 2001 (PDF). Water Resources Data - Maine, Water Year 2001. Retrieved on 2006-05-07.