East Pond | |
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Location | Maine |
Coordinates | 44°38′N69°47′W / 44.633°N 69.783°W [1] |
Max. length | 2.9 mi (4.7 km) [2] |
Surface area | 1,717 acres (695 ha) [3] |
Max. depth | 27 feet (8.2 m) [4] |
Water volume | 27,307 acre⋅ft (33,683,000 m3) [3] |
Surface elevation | 263 ft (80 m) [2] |
North Pond | |
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Location | Maine |
Coordinates | 44°38′N69°51′W / 44.633°N 69.850°W [5] |
Max. length | 3 mi (4.8 km) [2] |
Surface area | 2,531 acres (1,024 ha) [3] |
Max. depth | 20 feet (6.1 m) [6] |
Water volume | 1,662 acre⋅ft (2,050,000 m3) [3] |
Surface elevation | 253 ft (77 m) [5] |
Long Pond | |
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Location | Kennebec County |
Coordinates | 44°32′N69°54′W / 44.533°N 69.900°W |
Max. length | 7.2 mi (11.6 km) [2] |
Surface area | 2,557 acres (1,035 ha) [3] |
Max. depth | 106 ft (32 m) [7] |
Water volume | 73,165 acre⋅ft (90,248,000 m3) [3] |
Surface elevation | 237 ft (72 m) [2] |
The Belgrade Lakes are a chain of lakes around Belgrade, Maine. The flow sequence is from East Pond to North Pond to Great Pond to Long Pond to Messalonskee Lake and thence via Messalonskee Stream to the Kennebec River at Waterville. [2] The lakes have long been an important resort area for fishing, boating, and swimming; and shoreline development includes residences for individuals employed in the cities of Waterville and Augusta.
East Pond is the headwater pond of the Belgrade chain of lakes. The south end of the pond is in Oakland, and the north end of the pond in Smithfield overflows westward approximately 1 mile (1.6 km) through the village of Smithfield into the east side of North Pond. [2] Algal blooms have been observed since the 1990s for about a week in June and again through the last month of summer. [8]
Weedy North Pond covers the boundary of Smithfield to the east, Mercer to the northwest, and Rome to the southwest. It is the shallowest lake of the chain. North Pond tributaries include Sucker Brook and Clark Brook joining the overflow from East Pond, and Leech Brook, Bog Brook and Pattee Brook flowing into the north end of the pond. There is a public boat launch area near the outlet of Bog Brook. The south end of North Pond overflows through Great Meadow Stream, which forms the eastern border of Rome and western border of Oakland and Belgrade for approximately 2 miles (3.2 km) before reaching the northwestern bay of Great Pond. [2]
At 8,239 acres (3,334 ha), Great Pond is the largest of the Belgrade Lakes and forms the boundary between Rome to the north and Belgrade to the south. Tributaries Rome Trout Brook and Robbins Mill Stream enter the north end of Great Pond. Great Pond overflows westward approximately 1 kilometre (1,100 yd) to the east side of Long Pond north of the narrows. [2] Although Great Pond is more than twice as deep as the previous lakes in the chain, it similarly becomes uniformly warm through the summer and unsuitable for native trout or salmon. [9]
The northern basin of Long Pond in Rome is of similar depth as Great Pond, but the basin forming the western boundary of Belgrade and eastern boundary of Mount Vernon south of the narrows is fifty percent deeper with cooler deep waters. There is a public boat launch area at the south end of the narrows. [7] Tributaries Whittier Brook and Beaver Brook drain Whittier Pond, Beaver Pond, Watson Pond, Round Pond, Kidder Pond, and McIntire Pond into the northern basin of Long Pond. Stony Brook and Ingham Stream drain Moose Pond and Ingham Pond into the southern basin. Smaller tributaries like Graveyard Brook and Sandy Cove Stream drain the eastern shores of the southern basin. The south end of Long Pond overflows through Belgrade Stream and Wings Mills Dam, reaching the south end of Messalonskee Lake after flowing 9 miles (14 km) eastward. [2]
Messalonskee Lake is the deepest at 113 feet (34 m), and second largest of the Belgrade Lakes with similar cold water habitat to the south basin of Long Pond. [10] The north end of Messalonskee Lake overflows through Messalonskee Stream 10 miles (16 km) to the Kennebec River. [2]
The 486-acre (197 ha) McGrath Pond and 562-acre (227 ha) Salmon Pond overflow into the east side of Great Pond. They have extensive shoreline development and are sometimes called the sixth and seventh Belgrade Lakes. [11]
The lakes provide suitable habitat for chain pickerel, white perch, smallmouth bass and largemouth bass. Early angling focused on brook trout from the tributary brooks and Atlantic salmon in the deeper lakes; but tributaries lack sufficient spawning and nursery habitat to replace angling success. Attempts to sustain the salmon population by stocking hatchery fish caused dramatic decline in the late 1970s of the population of rainbow smelt which had been the primary prey of native salmon. [7] Stocking then introduced brown trout with greater tolerance for warm water lake conditions. Local interests seeking alternative angling opportunities illegally introduced northern pike [9] and black crappie. [4] Eutrofication from residential development of the shoreline has reduced Secchi disk depth to 4 meters, and dead algae has reduced oxygen levels in deep water. [8]
The Sebasticook River is a 76-mile-long (122 km) river in the central part of Maine, in the United States. From its source in Dexter, the upper "Main Stream" section flows generally west and south 30 miles (48 km) to Great Moose Lake. From the outlet of the lake in Hartland, the Sebasticook flows 41 miles (66 km) south to the Kennebec River in Winslow.
The Baker Branch Saint John River is a 48.0-mile-long (77.2 km) river. This river is a tributary of the Saint John River, flowing in the Maine North Woods, in Maine, in the Northeastern United States.
The Moose River is an 83-mile-long (134 km) river in Maine. Its source is in Beattie, on the Canada–United States border, which runs along the height of land between the watersheds of the Kennebec River in Maine and the Chaudière River in Quebec. From there, the river runs east through Attean Pond and Wood Pond, past the town of Moose River, then through Long Pond and Brassua Lake. The Moose River empties into Moosehead Lake, the source of the Kennebec River, in Rockwood Strip. The International Railway of Maine was built along Moose River in 1889.
The Roach River is a river in Piscataquis County, Maine. From the outlet of Third Roach Pond in Shawtown, the river runs 19.1 miles (30.7 km) west, through a chain of ponds. The Flow sequence through the ponds is from the Fourth Roach Pond through the Third Roach Pond, Second Roach Pond, and First Roach Pond to empty into Moosehead Lake, the source of the Kennebec River, in Spencer Bay. The Seventh Roach Pond drains through the Sixth Roach Pond in a separate tributary to the Third Roach Pond. No fifth Roach Pond is shown on modern maps.
Harris Station Dam is a hydroelectric dam in Northeast Somerset, Somerset County, Maine. Also known as the Indian Pond Project, the dam was built from 1952 to 1954 as the largest hydroelectric dam in the state of Maine. It impounds the Kennebec River at the southern end of the natural Indian Pond, about 12 miles (19 km) downstream from Moosehead Lake.
Range Ponds State Park is a public recreation area wrapping around the eastern end of Lower Range Pond in the town of Poland in Androscoggin County, Maine. The state park offers a sandy beach with lifeguard-supervised swimming, kayaking, limited motorized boating, hiking trails, and fishing. Mountain biking trails, built with the help of local volunteers, provide intermediate level, single-track loops off a central double-track trail that winds through mature pine and hardwood forests.
Seboeis Lake extends from Lake View Plantation, Maine, north into Maine township 4, range 9. The lake is enclosed by rocky headlands and sandy beaches and contains several pine-covered islands. The inlet at the north end receives several tributaries from Long A township including Dean Brook, Jordan Brook, and West Seboeis Stream. Bear Brook flows into the northwest corner of the lake, and Northwest Pond overflows into the west side of the Lake. West Branch Sebois Stream overflows the east side of the lake through Dudley Rips into Endless Lake; and Endless Lake overflow reaches the Piscataquis River 15 miles (24 km) downstream, just 3 miles (4.8 km) upstream of the Piscataquis and Penobscot River confluence at Howland.
Caucomgomoc Lake is in the North Maine Woods at the corner of townships 6 and 7 in ranges 14 and 15. Loon Stream flows into the southern end of the lake from Loon Lake, Bear Pond, Big Hurd Pond, Little Hurd Pond, Bear Brook Pond, McDougal Pond, and tributaries from the southwest. Overflow from Little Shallow Lake through Shallow Lake, Daggett Pond, and Round Pond enters the east side of Caucomgomoc Lake through Ciss Stream. Smaller tributaries Avery Brook, Middle Brook, and Ramsell Brook flow into the north end of the lake. There is a dam at the lake outlet on the eastern shore a short distance south of Ciss Stream. Discharge through the dam flows down Caucomgomoc Stream through Black Pond and Chesuncook Lake to the West Branch Penobscot River at Ripogenus Gorge. White perch and yellow perch have largely replaced historic trout populations in the lake.
The Fish River chain of lakes is a series of five lakes in the North Maine Woods region of northern Maine, in a tributary stream to the Fish River. The lakes are an important northern Maine recreation area providing habitat for wildlife including rainbow smelt, brook trout, lake trout, and land-locked Atlantic salmon.
Rainbow Lake is the source of Rainbow Stream in Rainbow township in the North Maine Woods. Rainbow Stream discharges over a dam at the west end of the lake and flows 4 miles (6.4 km) south to Nahmakanta Lake. Nahmakanta Lake overflows through Nahmakanta Stream and Pemadumcook Chain of Lakes to the Penobscot River. The Appalachian Trail follows Rainbow Stream and the south shore of the lake; but the old logging road to the dam has deteriorated with boggy areas no longer passable by four-wheel drive vehicles. The lake has a small catchment basin and is surrounded by large granite boulders. The low nutrient input in this setting produces unusually clear water. The lake has a native population of brook trout.
Spencer Lake extends southward from Fish Pond in Hobbstown township into Maine township 3, range 5. The north end of the lake receives drainage from Whipple Bog, Whipple Pond, Hall Pond, Toby Pond, and Chub Pond through Fish Pond. The south end of the lake overflows through Little Spencer Stream and thence Spencer Stream 6 miles (9.7 km) to the Dead River 14 miles (23 km) upstream of the confluence with the Kennebec River at The Forks. The lake supports a native population of lake trout and brook trout, and has been stocked with land-locked Atlantic salmon. There is a boat launch area at the north end of the lake accessible from a 2-mile (3.2 km) gravel road 11 miles (18 km) west off U.S. Route 201 at Parlin Pond.
A chain of three Jo-Mary Lakes along the border of Penobscot County and Piscataquis County drain into the Pemadumcook Chain of Lakes in the North Maine Woods. The flow sequence is from Upper Jo-Mary Lake into Middle Jo-Mary Lake and then through Lower Jo-Mary Lake into Pemadumcook Lake.
The chain of Debsconeag Lakes in the North Maine Woods is a tributary to the West Branch Penobscot River. The flow sequence is from the Sixth Debsconeag Lake through the Fifth, Fourth, Third, Second, and First into the Debsconeag Deadwater on the West Branch.
Nahmakanta Lake is the source of Nahmakanta Stream in the North Maine Woods. Nahmakanta Stream flows 4 miles (6.4 km) from the southeast end of the lake in Maine Township 1, Range 11, to the Pemadumcook Chain of Lakes in Township 1, Range 10. The Appalachian Trail follows Nahmakanta Stream and the southwest shore of Nahmakanta Lake. The northwest end of the lake in Township 2, Range 11, receives drainage from Rainbow Lake via Rainbow Stream, from Gould Pond via Gould Brook, from the Bean Ponds via Bean Brook, and from Female Pond, Wadleigh Pond, the Musquash Ponds, and Pollywog Pond via Pollywog Brook. These streams provide spawning habitat for brook trout and land-locked Atlantic salmon, while lake trout spawn in the shoals of the lake.
Highland Lake is a lake in the U.S. state of Maine. Formerly known as Duck Pond, the lake extends from the northern tip of Westbrook through the western edge of Falmouth into east Windham, Maine. The south end of the lake overflows via Mill Brook 4 miles (6.4 km) through Westbrook to the Presumpscot River at Riverton. The shoreline of the lake is heavily developed with residences, seasonal cabins, and a state-owned parking area off Mast Road in Falmouth for the launch of canoes and car-top boats. The deeper northern basin of the lake in Windham has been stocked with brown trout, splake, alewife, and occasionally brook trout and land-locked Atlantic salmon. Highland Lake's shallow southern basin is favorable habitat for white perch and chain pickerel, and has been stocked with largemouth bass.
Hancock Brook is an east-bank tributary to the Saco River at Hiram, Maine. The brook originates in eastern Denmark and flows through a chain of ponds along the border between Hiram and Sebago. The narrow-gauge Bridgton and Saco River Railroad was built along the brook in 1882, and operated until 1941.
The Saint John Ponds are a chain of shallow lakes at the headwaters of the Baker Branch Saint John River in the North Maine Woods. The flow sequence is from the Upper First Saint John Pond, through the Lower First Saint John Pond, Second Saint John Pond, Third Saint John Pond, and Fourth Saint John Pond to the Fifth Saint John Pond. Flow from one pond to the next is sometimes called Baker Stream rather than the Baker Branch Saint John River. Great Northern Paper Company dug a canal from Fifth Saint John Pond 2 miles (3.2 km) westward to the North Branch Penobscot River in 1939, and built a dam at the north end of Fifth Saint John Pond so pulpwood logs harvested in the upper Saint John River watershed could be floated down the Penobscot River to Millinocket, Maine. The canal and dam have fallen into disrepair so most drainage from the ponds again flows down the Saint John River. All upstream ponds with the exception of the first had dams to regulate discharge flow for log driving, but those dams have similarly fallen into disrepair. Moose use the ponds as summer refuge from heat and biting insects.
Musquacook Stream is a tributary to the Allagash River in the North Maine Woods. The stream originates in a chain of lakes in Maine range 11 townships 10, 11 and 12. The flow sequence is from Clear Lake through Fifth Musquacook Lake into Fourth Musquacook Lake in Piscataquis County; and from Fourth Musquacook Lake through Third Musquacook Lake, Second Musquacook Lake, and First Musquacook Lake into the Allagash River Musquacook Deadwater in Aroostook County.
Parmachenee Lake is on the Magalloway River near the Canadian border on the western edge of Maine. The lake was named for the daughter of Native American chief Metalluk, and is best known for the Gilded Age Parmachenee Club. The Magalloway River headwaters enter the north end of the lake in Parmachenee township, and the lake extends south into Lynchtown township where it overflows 2 miles (3.2 km) upstream of Aziscohos Reservoir.
China Lake is a lake in Kennebec County, Maine. Located northeast of the state capital of Augusta, China Lake is situated in the towns of China and Vassalboro. China Lake has two large basins connected by a narrow neck. The elongated eastern basin with an average depth of less than 30 feet (9.1 m) is entirely within the town of China, and has an irregular shoreline heavily developed with residences and seasonal cottages. The more nearly circular western basin extending into East Vassalboro is as deep as 85 feet (26 m), and shoreline development around the western basin has been discouraged to allow use as a water supply for Waterville and Winslow. The western basin overflows into Outlet Stream in the town of Vassalboro. Outlet Stream flows 7 miles (11 km) north to discharge into the Sebasticook River in Winslow 1 mile (1.6 km) upstream of the Kennebec River.