Kennebec River

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Kennebec River
The Kennebec River just south of Bath
Origin	Moosehead Lake
Mouth	Gulf of Maine, North Atlantic Ocean
Basin countries	United States
Length	149 mi (240 km)
Source elevation	1,024 ft (312 m)
Avg. discharge	9,111 ft³/s (258 m³/s) at its entrance to Merrymeeting Bay
Basin area	5,869 mi² (15,200 km²)

The Kennebec River is a river, 150 mi (240 km) long, in the state of Maine in the northeastern United States. It rises in Moosehead Lake in northern Maine and flows southward past the cities of Madison, Skowhegan, Waterville, the state capital Augusta, and the shipbuilding center of Bath. Near its mouth, it is joined by the Androscoggin River, at Merrymeeting Bay, a 16 mi (26 km) long freshwater, tidal bay. Ocean tides affect the river height as far north as Augusta. Tributaries of the Kennebec River include the Dead River, Carrabassett River, Sandy River, and Sebasticook River.

The river was explored by Samuel de Champlain in 1604 and 1605. In 1607, the Popham Colony, the first English colony in New England, was founded near its mouth. The river, then known as the Sagadahoc River, also marked the northern border of the 1622 land patent of the Province of Maine granted to Ferdinando Gorges and John Mason. The Virginia of Sagadahoc, the first oceangoing vessel built in the New World by English-speaking shipwrights, was launched into the river.

Hundreds of wooden and steel vessels have since been launched on the Kennebec, particularly in Bath, the so-called City of Ships. The sole remaining shipyard is the Bath Iron Works, one of the few yards still building warships for the United States Navy.

Prior to the industrial era, the river contained many anadromous fish, in particular the Atlantic Salmon. The exploiting of hydroelectric power in the region reduced the runs of such fish. The removal of dams on the river has been a controversial local issue in recent years. The removal of the Edwards Dam in 1999 has led to increased anadromous activity on the river.

The river drains a total area of 5,870 square miles (15,200 km²), and on average discharges nearly six billion (5,893 million) U.S. gallons per day into Merrymeeting Bay at a rate of 9,111 cubic feet per second (258 m³/s). The United States government maintains three river flow gages on the Kennebec river. The first is at The Forks, Maine (45°20′45″N, 69°575′48″W) where the rivershed is 1,590 square miles. Flow here has ranged from 32,900 to 161 cubic feet per second. The second is at Bingham, Maine (45°03′06″N, 69°53′12″W) where the rivershed is 2,715 square miles. Flow here has ranged from 65,200 to 110 cubic feet per second. The third is at North Sidney, Maine (44°28′21″N, 69°41′09″W) where the rivershed is 5,403 square miles. Flow here has ranged from 232,000 to 1,160 cubic feet per second. Two additional river stage gages (no flow data) are in Augusta, Maine (44°19′06″N, 69°46′17″W) and Gardiner, Maine (44°13′50″N, 69°46′16″W) - both of these gage heights are affected by ocean tides.^[1]

Prior to damming, the river was navigable by ships. In the winter it was possible to go as far north as Brunswick, ME, and in the summer as far as Waterville, ME. The founder of Colby College sailed his sloop, Hero, up to Waterville where he decided to found the college.

[edit] See also

• List of Maine rivers

[edit] External links

• MaineRivers.org Kennebec River profile
• Real-time flow or stage data for the The Forks, Bingham, North Sidney, Augusta, and Gardiner gages.
• Kennebec-Chaudiere Kennebec-Chaudiere International Corridor

[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.