Pamet River
Encyclopedia
The Pamet River is a 4.2 miles (6.8 km) river in Truro, Massachusetts
on Cape Cod
. It is named for the Paomet
tribe.
The river is primarily salt marsh, flows west nearly all the way across Cape Cod from its eastern beaches, and empties into Cape Cod Bay
. It lies a few miles south of the Little Pamet River
.
The upper Pamet River is made up of a freshwater marsh
. The marsh occupies the broad floor of the upper Pamet River valley. Originally, 12,000–13,000 years ago, this was the glacial outwash channel that drained water away from the glacier westward, northward and finally eastward into the Atlantic some distance from where Provincetown now lies. Sea level was then 300 to 400 ft (91.4 to 121.9 ) lower than it is today. There was no Cape Cod Bay, and Stellwagen Bank and the Grand Banks
were hills well above the ocean. The subsequent rise of the Atlantic Ocean, which continues to this day, nearly drowned the outer Cape, including the Pamet, which is now only four miles long, compared to 30 miles (48.3 km) long thousands of years ago. This upper freshwater marsh dates from the middle 19th century, when, to promote agriculture, the saltwater tides were prevented from entering by means of a dike that traverses the valley where Route 6A (Truro Center Road) now passes. A one-way clapper valve permitted fresh water to leave at low tide. The result is the meandering, slow-flowing stream that flows from the Atlantic dunes at Ballston Beach west to the bay, with low, flat banks that lie just above the water table. The entire valley, fresh and salt, is underlain by a thick mat of peat derived from the original salt marshes. All plant species growing in this upper portion were brought in as seeds, mostly by birds and mammals. All are indigenous, and virtually none is tolerant of seawater.
MassWildlife has stocked the river with trout.
Truro, Massachusetts
Truro is a town in Barnstable County, Massachusetts, United States, comprising two villages: Truro and North Truro. Located two hours outside Boston, it is a summer vacation community just south of the northern tip of Cape Cod, in an area known as the "Outer Cape"...
on Cape Cod
Cape Cod
Cape Cod, often referred to locally as simply the Cape, is a cape in the easternmost portion of the state of Massachusetts, in the Northeastern United States...
. It is named for the Paomet
Paomet
Paomet was a tribe of Native Americans living near the Pamet River in modern Cape Cod in the 1620s....
tribe.
The river is primarily salt marsh, flows west nearly all the way across Cape Cod from its eastern beaches, and empties into Cape Cod Bay
Cape Cod Bay
Cape Cod Bay is a large bay of the Atlantic Ocean adjacent to the U.S. state of Massachusetts. Measuring below a line drawn from Brant Rock in Marshfield to Race Point in Provincetown, Massachusetts, it is enclosed by Cape Cod to the south and east, and Plymouth County, Massachusetts, to the west....
. It lies a few miles south of the Little Pamet River
Little Pamet River
The Little Pamet River is a river in Truro, Massachusetts on Cape Cod.The river arises in wetlands, flows west for about one mile, and drains into Cape Cod Bay. The nearby Pamet River lies a few miles to the south....
.
The upper Pamet River is made up of a freshwater marsh
Freshwater marsh
A freshwater marsh is a marsh that contains fresh water. They are usually found near the mouths of rivers and are present in areas with low drainage. The Florida Everglades, the largest freshwater marsh in the United States, are an example of this type of marsh....
. The marsh occupies the broad floor of the upper Pamet River valley. Originally, 12,000–13,000 years ago, this was the glacial outwash channel that drained water away from the glacier westward, northward and finally eastward into the Atlantic some distance from where Provincetown now lies. Sea level was then 300 to 400 ft (91.4 to 121.9 ) lower than it is today. There was no Cape Cod Bay, and Stellwagen Bank and the Grand Banks
Grand Banks
The Grand Banks of Newfoundland are a group of underwater plateaus southeast of Newfoundland on the North American continental shelf. These areas are relatively shallow, ranging from in depth. The cold Labrador Current mixes with the warm waters of the Gulf Stream here.The mixing of these waters...
were hills well above the ocean. The subsequent rise of the Atlantic Ocean, which continues to this day, nearly drowned the outer Cape, including the Pamet, which is now only four miles long, compared to 30 miles (48.3 km) long thousands of years ago. This upper freshwater marsh dates from the middle 19th century, when, to promote agriculture, the saltwater tides were prevented from entering by means of a dike that traverses the valley where Route 6A (Truro Center Road) now passes. A one-way clapper valve permitted fresh water to leave at low tide. The result is the meandering, slow-flowing stream that flows from the Atlantic dunes at Ballston Beach west to the bay, with low, flat banks that lie just above the water table. The entire valley, fresh and salt, is underlain by a thick mat of peat derived from the original salt marshes. All plant species growing in this upper portion were brought in as seeds, mostly by birds and mammals. All are indigenous, and virtually none is tolerant of seawater.
MassWildlife has stocked the river with trout.