The Sheepscot River is a
[U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data]
The National Map
accessed June 22, 2011 river in the
U.S. state
In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sover ...
of
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 north ...
. Its lower portion is a complex island
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 environment ...
with connections to 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 river within the U.S. state of Maine. It ri ...
downstream of
Merrymeeting Bay
Merrymeeting Bay is a large freshwater tidal bay located in the U.S. state of Maine. Merrymeeting Bay's unusual geography defies common landform terms. It is not what is usually meant by the word bay. It is somewhat like an estuary but it has fres ...
.
Route
The Sheepscot River originates in
Freedom
Freedom is understood as either having the ability to act or change without constraint or to possess the power and resources to fulfill one's purposes unhindered. Freedom is often associated with liberty and autonomy in the sense of "giving on ...
() and flows southwesterly through
Sheepscot Pond
Sheepscot Pond (also called Sheepscot Lake) is the third-largest lake in Waldo County, Maine. It is in the township of Palermo, on the western edge of Waldo County.
The lake has a maximum depth of 150 feet with well-oxygenated water. It contains ...
in
Palermo
Palermo ( , ; scn, Palermu , locally also or ) is a city in southern Italy, the capital (political), capital of both the autonomous area, autonomous region of Sicily and the Metropolitan City of Palermo, the city's surrounding metropolitan ...
and Long Pond in
Somerville and
Windsor
Windsor may refer to:
Places Australia
* Windsor, New South Wales
** Municipality of Windsor, a former local government area
* Windsor, Queensland, a suburb of Brisbane, Queensland
**Shire of Windsor, a former local government authority around Wi ...
. The river is bridged by
Maine State Route 3
State Route 3 (SR 3) is a state highway located in southern Maine. It is a major interregional highway, connecting the Interstate 95 corridor to the Atlantic coast. The western terminus is at SR 8, SR 11 and SR 27 in Augusta and the eastern ...
upstream of Sheepscot Pond and by
Maine State Route 105
State Route 105 (SR 105) is a highway in the south-central part of the U.S. state of Maine. SR 105 begins in Augusta at Cony Circle where it intersects U.S. Route 201 (US 201), US 202, and State Routes 9, 17, and 100. It ...
in Somerville between Sheepscot Pond and Long Pond. The river continues flowing southwesterly through the villages of Coopers Mills, North Whitefield, and Whitefield in the town of
Whitefield. The river is bridged by
concurrent
Concurrent means happening at the same time. Concurrency, concurrent, or concurrence may refer to:
Law
* Concurrence, in jurisprudence, the need to prove both ''actus reus'' and ''mens rea''
* Concurring opinion (also called a "concurrence"), a ...
Maine State Routes 17 and
32 at Coopers Mills. The
West Branch Sheepscot River joins the main stem between Cooper's Mills and North Whitefield. The river is bridged by
Maine State Route 126
State Route 126 (SR 126) is a state highway in central Maine connecting Lewiston and Washington
Washington commonly refers to:
* Washington (state), United States
* Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States
** A metonym f ...
at North Whitefield and by concurrent
Maine State Routes 194 and
218 at Whitefield. The river flows south from Whitefield and becomes a
tidal
Tidal is the adjectival form of tide.
Tidal may also refer to:
* ''Tidal'' (album), a 1996 album by Fiona Apple
* Tidal (king), a king involved in the Battle of the Vale of Siddim
* TidalCycles, a live coding environment for music
* Tidal (servic ...
estuary at the village of Head Tide in
Alna
Alna is a borough of the city of Oslo, Norway. It is named after the River Alna, which flows through it.
The borough consists of the following neighborhoods:
* Alnabru
* Ellingsrud
* Furuset
* Haugerud
* Hellerud
* Lindeberg
* Trosterud
* Tve ...
. The
narrow gauge
A narrow-gauge railway (narrow-gauge railroad in the US) is a railway with a track gauge narrower than standard . Most narrow-gauge railways are between and .
Since narrow-gauge railways are usually built with tighter curves, smaller structu ...
Wiscasset, Waterville and Farmington Railway
The Wiscasset, Waterville and Farmington Railway is a narrow gauge railway. The line was operated as a for-profit company from 1895 until 1933 between the Maine towns of Wiscasset, Albion, and Winslow, but was abandoned in 1936. Today, about o ...
closely followed the river through the town of Whitefield to Head Tide from 1895 until 1933 and bridged the river between the villages of Whitefield and Head Tide. At
Wiscasset the estuary is bridged by the
Maine Central Railroad Rockland Branch
The Rockland Branch is a railroad from Brunswick, Maine to Rockland, Maine. A charter was granted in 1849 to build a railway from the Portland and Kennebec Railroad on the west side of the Kennebec River to Rockland. Construction through the roc ...
and by
U.S. Route 1
U.S. Route 1 or U.S. Highway 1 (US 1) is a major north–south United States Numbered Highway that serves the East Coast of the United States. It runs from Key West, Florida, north to Fort Kent, Maine, at the Canadian border, making i ...
. Sheepscot Bay is navigable for a distance of approximately from Wiscasset to the mouth between
Reid State Park and
Southport Island.
Estuary
The lower estuary is defined by large islands. The estuary is split by
Westport Island. The channel east of Westport Island is considered the Sheepscot River, while the western channel is identified as the
Back River. The Back River is crossed in
Hockomock Bay
Hockomock Bay, located in Sagadahoc County, Maine,Sagadahoc County, Maine"Hometown Locator"Retrieved May 26, 2022. is a small brackish water bay connected to Montsweag Bay. It is located in the area of Wiscasset, and Bath, Maine. The Chewonki F ...
by a tidal channel identified as the
Sasanoa River
The Sasanoa River is an U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed June 22, 2011 tidal channel in the Midcoast region of Maine, connecting the Kennebec River with the Sheepscot Rive ...
. The Sasanoa River connects the Kennebec River estuary at
Woolwich
Woolwich () is a district in southeast London, England, within the Royal Borough of Greenwich.
The district's location on the River Thames led to its status as an important naval, military and industrial area; a role that was maintained throu ...
with the Sheepscot River estuary between Westport Island and
Georgetown Island. Georgetown Island forms the west side of the mouth of Sheepscot Bay and the east side of the mouth of the Kennebec River estuary. The Back River reaches the Kennebec River on the west side of Georgetown Island.
Arrowsic Island forms the east side of the Kennebec River estuary between the Sasanoa River and the Back River.
Maine State Route 144
State Route 144 (SR 144) is part of Maine's system of List of Maine State Routes, numbered state highways, located in Lincoln County, Maine, Lincoln County along the state's southern coast. The southern terminus is at West Shore Road in ...
bridges the Back River from Wiscasset to Westport Island.
Maine State Route 127
State Route 127 (SR 127) is a state highway running between Dresden and Georgetown in the U.S. state of Maine.
Route description
The route starts to the east of Georgetown, and goes in towards the center of the settlement before t ...
bridges the Sasanoa River from Woolwich to Arrowsic Island and the Back River from Arrowsic Island to Georgetown Island.
Smaller islands of the estuary
The Sheepscot River portion of the estuary includes the following named islands:
* Barters Island
* Boston Island
* Crow Island
* Davis Island
* Fox Island
* Green Island
* Hen Island
* Hodgdon Island
* Indiantown Island
* Isle of Springs
* MacMahan Island
* Malden Island
* Lower Mark Island
* Upper Mark Island
* Merrow Island
* Miles Island
* Mink Island
* Pratts Island
* Ram Island
* Sawyer Island
* Spectacle Island
* Tibbet Island
* Turnip Island
* Whittum Island
* Wood Island
Restoration
In 2018 the Coopers Mill Dam was removed on the Sheepscot River. In the Summer/Fall of 2019 the Head Tide Dam near Alna was partially breached to allow easier passage for differing fish species. A pedestrian overlook was constructed in late 2019 on the re-configured Head Tide Dam. This overlook will allow locals, visitors, and tourists to access the continued restoration of the lower portions of the Sheepscot. Alewives, herring, Atlantic salmon, and resident trout species will assuredly benefit from these restoration efforts.
See also
*
List of rivers of Maine
A ''list'' is any set of items in a row. List or lists may also refer to:
People
* List (surname)
Organizations
* List College, an undergraduate division of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America
* SC Germania List, German rugby union ...
Midcoast Conservancy
References
*
Maine Streamflow Data from the USGSMaine Watershed Data From Environmental Protection Agency
External links
{{authority control
Rivers of Lincoln County, Maine
Rivers of Waldo County, Maine
Wiscasset, Maine
Rivers of Maine