Damariscotta River sunset - 20070722 07979

The Damariscotta River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data
The National Map
, accessed June 22, 2011

tidal river A tidal river is a river whose flow and level are influenced by tides. A section of a larger river affected by the tides is a tidal reach, but it may sometimes be considered a tidal river if it has been given a separate name. Generally, tidal ri ...

in Lincoln County,

Maine Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and ...

, that empties into the

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...

. ''Damariscotta'' is an old

Abenaki The Abenaki ( Abenaki: ''Wαpánahki'') are an Indigenous peoples 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 pre ...

word for "river of many fishes". There are 2,500-year-old oyster shell middens (heaps) along the banks of the Damariscotta River, which occupies a drowned river valley leading to 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 ...

, a large embayment of the Atlantic Ocean. The Damariscotta River begins at the outlet of Damariscotta Lake, at Damariscotta Mills, a village straddling the boundary between the towns of

Newcastle Newcastle usually refers to: *Newcastle upon Tyne, a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England *Newcastle-under-Lyme, a town in Staffordshire, England *Newcastle, New South Wales, a metropolitan area in Australia, named after Newcastle ...

and Nobleboro. Damariscotta Lake extends north into the town of Jefferson and is fed from tributaries originating as far north as

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

and Somerville, Maine. From the lake's outlet, the Damariscotta River drops over just through Damariscotta Mills before reaching tidewater, at an arm of the river known as Salt Bay. The tidal Damariscotta flows southward between Newcastle, Edgecomb and

Boothbay Boothbay is a town in Lincoln County, Maine, United States. The population was 3,003 at the 2020 census. It includes the villages of Back Narrows, Dover, East Boothbay, Linekin, Oak Hill, Ocean Point, Spruce Shores, and Trevett. The Boothbay reg ...

on the west and Damariscotta,

Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...

and South Bristol on the east, reaching the Atlantic Ocean between Linekin Neck on the west and Inner Heron Island on the east. It is a navigable river for nearly its entire length, to the bridge between Newcastle and Nobleboro (). It is important in local commerce for tourism, Oyster and Mussel Farming as well as other forms of aquaculture, clamming, marine worming and fishing.

Damariscotta Mills

Damariscotta Mills is a place where locals gather every year (May–June) to celebrate the “Annual Alewife Festival” which sees millions of alewives returning to the Damariscotta River. This festival is attracting more people through the years. The centerpiece of this annual alewife festival is the newly rebuilt/renovated Damariscotta Stone Fish Ladder. This fish ladder was constructed in 1807 to bypass the Damariscotta Mills Dam but the fish ladder was falling into dis-repair by 2007. With local community support and financing this unique stone fish ladder was fully re-constructed between 2007 and 2013. This reconstitution has once again allowed alewives to increase into the millions along the Damariscotta.

References

External links

* Estuaries of Maine Rivers of Lincoln County, Maine Damariscotta, Maine Rivers of Maine {{Maine-river-stub

Damariscotta Mills

See also

References

External links