The Powwow River is a

river A river is a natural flowing watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, sea, lake or another river. In some cases, a river flows into the ground and becomes dry at the end of its course without reaching another body of w ...

located in

New Hampshire New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec to the nor ...

and

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut Massachusett_writing_systems.html" ;"title="nowiki/> məhswatʃəwiːsət.html" ;"title="Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət">Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət'' En ...

in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

. It is a

tributary A tributary, or affluent, is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream or main stem (or parent) river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries and the main stem river drain the surrounding drai ...

of the

Merrimack River The Merrimack River (or Merrimac River, an occasional earlier spelling) is a river in the northeastern United States. It rises at the confluence of the Pemigewasset and Winnipesaukee rivers in Franklin, New Hampshire, flows southward into M ...

, part of the

Gulf of Maine , image = , alt = , caption = , image_bathymetry = GulfofMaine2.jpg , alt_bathymetry = , caption_bathymetry = Major features of the Gulf of Maine , location = Northeast coast of the ...

watershed.

River course

The Powwow River rises in the center of Danville, New Hampshire, and flows southeasterly through Long Pond into Kingston, where it enters Great Pond, a water body in the center of the town. Leaving Great Pond, the river enters an extensive network of wetlands and receives a major tributary from the southwest, the outlet of Country Pond, situated in Kingston and Newton. Continuing east, the Powwow River enters Powwow Pond and passes into the southwest corner of East Kingston, flowing over Trickling Falls Dam at Route 107. The river turns southeast and enters South Hampton, where it flows into Tuxbury Pond and crosses into

Amesbury, Massachusetts Amesbury is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States, located on the left bank of the Merrimack River near its mouth, upstream from Salisbury and across the river from Newburyport and West Newbury. The population was 17,366 at the 202 ...

. Below the outlet of the pond, the river winds easterly along the state line before entering Massachusetts for good at Lake Gardner. The river then flows through the center of Amesbury, where it drops over falls and rapids before reaching the Merrimack River.

Falls at Amesbury

The river drops approximately through the center of Amesbury, providing ample water power for the early industrial development of the town. The falls in the center of Amesbury present interesting views, with a variety of machinery, dams, and houses surrounding the falls. The river flows under a historic building in the center of the town. During flooding, the Powwow River has made national news due to the potential destruction of historic buildings in Amesbury.

Atlantic white cedar swamp

Between Country Pond and Powwow Pond, the river is home to the most extensive complex of

Atlantic white cedar ''Chamaecyparis thyoides'' (Atlantic white cedar, Atlantic white cypress, southern white cedar, whitecedar, or false-cypress), a species of ''Cupressaceae'', is native to the Atlantic coast of North America and is found from southern Maine to ...

swamp forest wetlands in New Hampshire.New Hampshire Fish and Game Department
/ref> Atlantic white cedar swamps are a globally rare type of natural community. Of the of wetlands in New Hampshire, only about are Atlantic white cedar swamps. In 2004,

The Nature Conservancy The Nature Conservancy (TNC) is a global environmental organization headquartered in Arlington, Virginia. it works via affiliates or branches in 79 countries and territories, as well as across every state in the US. Founded in 1951, The Nat ...

purchased , including more than of frontage on the Powwow River and nearly all of a large Atlantic white cedar basin swamp. In 2006, The Nature Conservancy acquired four more tracts, totaling and providing of river frontage, adding further protection to the swamp. The partners eventually hope to conserve a contiguous block of more than , safeguarding the river and its special habitats and providing opportunities for public boating, hunting, fishing and wildlife observation. The area of the river between Country Pond and Powwow Pond is also an excellent example of a streamside

fen A fen is a type of peat-accumulating wetland fed by mineral-rich Groundwater, ground or surface water. It is one of the main types of wetlands along with marshes, swamps, and bogs. Bogs and fens, both peat-forming ecosystems, are also known as ...

ecosystem and is situated over one of southeastern New Hampshire's largest and most productive

aquifer An aquifer is an underground layer of water-bearing, permeable rock, rock fractures, or unconsolidated materials ( gravel, sand, or silt). Groundwater from aquifers can be extracted using a water well. Aquifers vary greatly in their characteris ...

References

{{authority control Tributaries of the Merrimack River Rivers of Essex County, Massachusetts Rivers of New Hampshire Amesbury, Massachusetts Rivers of Massachusetts Rivers of Rockingham County, New Hampshire

River course

Falls at Amesbury

Atlantic white cedar swamp

See also

References