Androscoggin River
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The Androscoggin River (
Abenaki The Abenaki ( Abenaki: ''Wαpánahki'') are Indigenous people of the Northeastern Woodlands of Canada and the United States. They are an Algonquian-speaking people and part of the Wabanaki Confederacy. The Eastern Abenaki language was pred ...
: ''Ammoscongon'') is a river in the
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states of
Maine Maine ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the United States, and the northeasternmost state in the Contiguous United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Provinces and ...
and
New Hampshire New Hampshire ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec t ...
, in northern
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. It is U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data
''The National Map''
, accessed June 30, 2011
long and joins the
Kennebec River The Kennebec River (Abenaki language, Abenaki: ''Kinəpékʷihtəkʷ'') is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map , accessed June 30, 2011 natural river within the U.S. state of Ma ...
at Merrymeeting Bay in Maine before its water empties into the Gulf of Maine on the
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. Its
drainage basin A drainage basin is an area of land in which all flowing surface water converges to a single point, such as a river mouth, or flows into another body of water, such as a lake or ocean. A basin is separated from adjacent basins by a perimeter, ...
is in area. The name "Androscoggin" comes from the Eastern
Abenaki The Abenaki ( Abenaki: ''Wαpánahki'') are Indigenous people of the Northeastern Woodlands of Canada and the United States. They are an Algonquian-speaking people and part of the Wabanaki Confederacy. The Eastern Abenaki language was pred ...
term ''Ammoscongon'', which referred to the entire portion of the river north of the Great Falls in
Lewiston, Maine Lewiston (; ) is the List of municipalities in Maine, second most populous city in the U.S. state of Maine, with the city's population at 37,121 as of the 2020 United States census. The city lies halfway between Augusta, Maine, Augusta, the sta ...
. The Anglicization of the Abenaki term is likely an analogical contamination with the colonial governor Edmund Andros.


History

There were several ancient names for the river. The Androscoggin was known as ''Pejepscook'' from Merrymeeting Bay to the Great Falls, with its namesake deriving from an anglicization of the section of river from the Great Falls northward. 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, and Ameriscoggin River. The average Androscoggin drop of eight feet per mile (1.5m per km) made it an excellent source of
water power Hydropower (from Ancient Greek -, "water"), also known as water power or water energy, is the use of falling or fast-running water to produce electricity or to power machines. This is achieved by converting the gravitational potential or kin ...
encouraging development of the cities of
Berlin, New Hampshire Berlin ( ) is a city along the Androscoggin River in Coös County, New Hampshire, Coös County in northern New Hampshire, United States. It is the northernmost city in New Hampshire and the only city in Coös County. The population was 9,425 at ...
, and Lewiston and
Auburn, Maine Auburn is a city in south-central Maine, within the United States. Settled in the foothills of the Western Lakes and Mountains region of the state, The city serves as the county seat of Androscoggin County, Maine, Androscoggin County. The popul ...
, and the
Maine Maine ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the United States, and the northeasternmost state in the Contiguous United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Provinces and ...
towns of Brunswick, Topsham, Lisbon Falls, Livermore Falls, Chisholm,
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, Rumford and Bethel.


Water quality

The Androscoggin was once heavily polluted by a variety of
textile mill Textile manufacturing or textile engineering is a major industry. It is largely based on the conversion of fibre into yarn, then yarn into fabric. These are then dyed or printed, fabricated into cloth which is then converted into useful good ...
s,
paper mill A paper mill is a factory devoted to making paper from vegetable fibres such as wood pulp, old rags, and other ingredients. Prior to the invention and adoption of the Fourdrinier machine and other types of paper machine that use an endless belt ...
s, and other industries located along its banks, and helped inspire the
Clean Water Act The Clean Water Act (CWA) is the primary federal law in the United States governing water pollution. Its objective is to restore and maintain the chemical, physical, and biological integrity of the nation's waters; recognizing the primary respo ...
. The river has benefited greatly from environmental work and the departure of certain types of industry from the region. As a result, the amount of contaminated wastewater being released into the river has greatly decreased. However, several mills still release chemical waste into the river, albeit in much smaller amounts. From the 1940s through the 2000s, the Androscoggin was so polluted that some environmental groups listed it as one of the 20 most polluted rivers in the United States. The pollution became so severe that until very recently, one stretch required oxygen bubblers to prevent fish from suffocating. As of May 2007, environmental groups had a
lawsuit A lawsuit is a proceeding by one or more parties (the plaintiff or claimant) against one or more parties (the defendant) in a civil court of law. The archaic term "suit in law" is found in only a small number of laws still in effect today ...
pending, in an attempt to force the paper mills located along the river to clean their waste streams. Most companies have agreed and generally followed through on reducing the amount of wastewater discharge, but only a few have completely stopped, with many companies citing cost as a prime factor for continued pollution. On April 15, 2020, a large explosion occurred at the Verso Paper Mill, located on the river. It is unknown what impacts, either negative or positive, the explosion and the mill's indefinite closing will have on water quality.


Course

The Androscoggin begins in Errol, New Hampshire, where the Magalloway River joins the outlet of Umbagog Lake. The river flows generally south but with numerous bends past the towns of Errol and
Milan Milan ( , , ; ) is a city in northern Italy, regional capital of Lombardy, the largest city in Italy by urban area and the List of cities in Italy, second-most-populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of nea ...
and the city of
Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...
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 freshwater
estuary An estuary is a partially enclosed coastal body of brackish water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea. Estuaries form a transition zone between river environments and maritime enviro ...
where the Androscoggin meets the Kennebec River nearly inland from the Atlantic Ocean.


Major 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 Berlin ( ) is a city along the Androscoggin River in Coös County, New Hampshire, Coös County in northern New Hampshire, United States. It is the northernmost city in New Hampshire and the only city in Coös County. The population was 9,425 at ...
* 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 Leeds is a New England town, town in Androscoggin County, Maine, Androscoggin County, Maine, United States. The population was 2,262 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is included in both the Lewiston-Auburn, Maine Metropolitan St ...
* Nezinscot River, Turner, Maine *
Little Androscoggin River } The Little Androscoggin River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed June 30, 2011 river in Maine. It flows from Bryant Pond in Woodstock () to its confluence with the A ...
,
Auburn, Maine Auburn is a city in south-central Maine, within the United States. Settled in the foothills of the Western Lakes and Mountains region of the state, The city serves as the county seat of Androscoggin County, Maine, Androscoggin County. The popul ...
* Sabattus River, Lisbon, Maine * Little River, Lisbon Falls, Maine


Recreation


Angling

The Androscoggin River is a popular fishing destination for anglers. The upper section of the river offers good fly fishing for brook,
rainbow A rainbow is an optical phenomenon caused by refraction, internal reflection and dispersion of light in water droplets resulting in a continuous spectrum of light appearing in the sky. The rainbow takes the form of a multicoloured circular ...
and
brown trout The brown trout (''Salmo trutta'') is a species of salmonid ray-finned fish and the most widely distributed species of the genus ''Salmo'', endemic to most of Europe, West Asia and parts of North Africa, and has been widely introduced globally ...
. Landlocked salmon can also be caught in the far northern portions of the river near Errol, New Hampshire. As the river progresses south and east of the White Mountains, the river widens some and the water quality becomes more acidic. As a result of these changes, the trout and salmon fisheries vanish almost entirely in the central and lower portions of the river. However, these sections often contain trophy
smallmouth bass The smallmouth bass (''Micropterus dolomieu'') is a species of freshwater fish in the Centrarchidae, sunfish family (biology), family (Centrarchidae) of the order (biology), order Centrarchiformes. It is the type species of its genus ''Micropterus ...
fisheries.
Northern pike The northern pike (''Esox lucius'') is a species of carnivorous fish of the genus ''Esox'' (pikes). They are commonly found in brackish water, moderately salty and fresh waters of the Northern Hemisphere (''i.e.'' holarctic in distribution). T ...
also inhabit the lower sections, with quality specimens being reported for this species as well. Other species found in the lower portions include redbreast sunfish, yellow perch, and
white sucker The white sucker (''Catostomus commersonii'') is a species of freshwater cypriniform fish inhabiting the upper Midwest and Northeast in North America, but it is also found as far south as Georgia and as far west as New Mexico. The fish is common ...
s.


Paddling

The Androscoggin River Watershed Council, a local nonprofit, has been working to establish a
water trail Water trails (also known as blueways) are marked routes on navigable waterway such as rivers, lakes, canals, and coastlines for recreational use. They allow access to waterways for non-motorized boats and sometimes motorized vessels, inner tube ...
along the entire length of the river. The trail will provide improved
portage Portage or portaging ( CA: ; ) is the practice of carrying water craft or cargo over land, either around an obstacle in a river, or between two bodies of water. A path where items are regularly carried between bodies of water is also called a '' ...
s and access sites for paddling, fishing, and boating. There are currently over 40 mapped public access sites to the river. The Androscoggin Riverlands State Park in Maine is a popular area for paddling. It consists of along the western shoreline of the river just east of
Turner Turner may refer to: People and fictional characters * Turner (surname), a common surname, including a list of people and fictional characters with the name * Turner (given name), a list of people with the given name *One who uses a lathe for tur ...
.


Streamflow

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) maintains four river flow gauges on the Androscoggin River. All four are below one or more dams. The first is at Errol, New Hampshire (), where the watershed is . Flow here has ranged from 16,500 to 0 ft3/s (467 and 0 m3/s) (zero flow when dam closed). The mean annual flow between 1905 and 2005 is 1,919 ft3/s (54.3 m3/s). The second is near Gorham, New Hampshire (), where the watershed is . Flow here has ranged from 21,900 to a mean daily low of 795 ft3/s (620 and 22.5 m3/s) (lows when dam closed). The mean annual flow between 1905 and 2005 is 2,512 ft3/s (71 m3/s). The third is at Rumford, Maine (), where the watershed is . Flow here has ranged from 74,000 to 625 ft3/s (2,094 and 17.7 m3/s). The mean annual flow between 1905 and 2005 is 3,801 ft3/s (107.6 m3/s). The fourth is at
Auburn, Maine Auburn is a city in south-central Maine, within the United States. Settled in the foothills of the Western Lakes and Mountains region of the state, The city serves as the county seat of Androscoggin County, Maine, Androscoggin County. The popul ...
(), where the watershed is . Flow here has ranged from 135,000 to 340 ft3/s (3,820.5 and 9.6 m3/s).


References


Further reading

*


External links


MaineRivers.org
Androscoggin River profile * Real-time flow data for th
Errol, NHGorham, NHRumford, ME
an
Auburn, ME
gages. *


Androscoggin River Watershed Council

Characterization of Mercury Contamination in the Androscoggin River, Coos County, New Hampshire
United States Geological Survey The United States Geological Survey (USGS), founded as the Geological Survey, is an agency of the U.S. Department of the Interior whose work spans the disciplines of biology, geography, geology, and hydrology. The agency was founded on Mar ...
{{authority control Northern Forest Canoe Trail Rivers of Coös County, New Hampshire Rivers of New Hampshire Rivers of Sagadahoc County, Maine Rivers of Androscoggin County, Maine Rivers of Oxford County, Maine Rivers of Maine Maine placenames of Native American origin New Hampshire placenames of Native American origin