Damariscotta River
Encyclopedia
Tidal river
A tidal river is a river, or more typically a stretch of a river, whose flow and level is influenced by tides. An example of a tidal river is the portion of the Connecticut River flowing from Windsor Locks, Connecticut, to the Atlantic Ocean. The Brisbane River, which flows into the Pacific Ocean...
in Lincoln County
Lincoln County, Maine
Lincoln County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maine. As of 2010, the population was 34,457. Its county seat is Wiscasset. It was founded in 1760 and named after the English city Lincoln. At its founding, it accounted for three-fifths of the State's land, and stretched east to Nova...
, Maine
Maine
Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...
, that empties into the Atlantic Ocean
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
. Damariscotta is an old Abenaki word for "river of many fishes". There are 2,500-year-old oyster shell midden
Midden
A midden, is an old dump for domestic waste which may consist of animal bone, human excrement, botanical material, vermin, shells, sherds, lithics , and other artifacts and ecofacts associated with past human occupation...
s (heaps) along the banks of the Damariscotta River, which occupies a drowned river valley leading to the Gulf of Maine
Gulf of Maine
The Gulf of Maine is a large gulf of the Atlantic Ocean on the east coast of North America.It is delineated by Cape Cod at the eastern tip of Massachusetts in the southwest and Cape Sable at the southern tip of Nova Scotia in the northeast. It includes the entire coastlines of the U.S...
, 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, Maine
Newcastle is a town in Lincoln County, Maine, United States. The population was 1,748 at the 2000 census. The village of Newcastle is located in the western part of the town, on the Damariscotta River...
and Nobleboro
Nobleboro, Maine
Nobleboro, founded in 1788, is a town in Lincoln County, Maine, United States. The population was 1,626 at the 2000 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of which, of it is land and of it is water.-Demographics:As of the census of 2000,...
. Damariscotta Lake extends 12 miles (19.3 km) north into the town of Jefferson
Jefferson, Maine
Jefferson is a town in Lincoln County, Maine, United States. The population was 2,388 at the 2000 census.-History:Jefferson is a town in Lincoln County, incorporated on February 24, 1807, when Thomas Jefferson was President, from Ballstown Plantation...
and is fed from tributaries originating as far north as Washington
Washington, Maine
Washington is a town in Knox County, Maine, United States. The population was 1,345 at the 2000 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of which, of it is land and of it is water....
and Somerville, Maine
Somerville, Maine
Somerville is a town in Lincoln County, Maine, United States. The population was 509 at the 2000 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of which, of it is land and of it is water....
. From the lake's outlet, the Damariscotta River drops 50 feet (15.2 m) over just 0.1 mile (0.160934 km) through Damariscotta Mills before reaching tidewater, at an arm of the river known as Salt Bay. The tidal Damariscotta flows southward between Newcastle, Edgecomb
Edgecomb, Maine
Edgecomb is a town in Lincoln County, Maine, United States. The population was 1,090 at the 2000 census. The town was named for Lord Edgecomb, a supporter of the colonists...
and Boothbay
Boothbay, Maine
Boothbay is a town in Lincoln County, Maine, United States. The population was 2,960 at the 2000 census. It includes the villages of East Boothbay and Trevett. The Boothbay region is a center of summer tourist activity, and a significant part of its population does not live there year...
on the west and Damariscotta
Damariscotta, Maine
Damariscotta is a town in Lincoln County, Maine, United States. The population was 2,041 at the 2000 census. A popular tourist resort area, the towns of Damariscotta and Newcastle are linked by the Main Street bridge over the Damariscotta River, forming the "Twin Villages." The name Damariscotta is...
, Bristol
Bristol, Maine
Bristol is a town in Lincoln County, Maine, United States. The population was 2,644 at the 2000 census. A fishing and resort area, Bristol includes the villages of New Harbor, Pemaquid, Round Pond, Bristol Mills and Chamberlain. It includes the Pemaquid Archeological Site, a U.S. National...
and South Bristol
South Bristol, Maine
South Bristol is a town in Lincoln County, Maine, United States. The population was 897 at the 2000 census. A fishing and resort area, South Bristol includes the villages of Walpole and Christmas Cove, the latter at Rutherford Island...
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 19 miles (30.6 km) length, to the bridge between Newcastle and Nobleboro (44.060°N 69.525 °W). It is important in local commerce for tourism, Oyster and Mussel Farming as well as other forms of aquaculture, clamming, marine worming and fishing.