Androscoggin River Aləssíkαntekʷ
The Androscoggin flowing pastLewiston, Maine
Map of the Androscoggin River watershed
Location
Country	United States
State	Maine,New Hampshire
Cities	Auburn,Lewiston,Berlin
Physical characteristics
Source	Umbagog Lake
• location	Coos County, New Hampshire
• coordinates	44°46′59″N71°3′41″W / 44.78306°N 71.06139°W /44.78306; -71.06139[1]
• elevation	1,243 ft (379 m)[2]
Mouth	Kennebec River
• location	Merrymeeting Bay,Sagadahoc County, Maine
• coordinates	43°57′2″N69°52′39″W / 43.95056°N 69.87750°W /43.95056; -69.87750[1]
• elevation	0 ft (0 m)[3]
Length	164 mi (264 km)[4]
Basin size	3,450 sq mi (8,900 km2)[4]
Discharge
• location	Auburn[5]
• average	6,174 cu ft/s (174.8 m3/s)[5]
• minimum	340 cu ft/s (9.6 m3/s)
• maximum	135,000 cu ft/s (3,800 m3/s)
Discharge
• location	mouth[4]
• average	6,482 cu ft/s (183.5 m3/s)[4]
Basin features
Tributaries
• left	Sunday River,Dead River
• right	Magalloway River,Peabody River,Wild River

v t e Androscoggin River
Legend
Umbagog Lake Clear Stream Mollidgewock Brook Pontook Reservoir Chickwolnepy Stream Milan Berlin Dead River Cascade Boston & Maine Moose River Gorham Peabody River Shelburne entersMaine Wild River Gilead Pleasant River US 2Bethel Alder River Sunday River Bear River Ellis River SR 232 Concord River South Rumford Upper Dam Middle Dam Old Rumford Dam SR 108 Rumford Swift River Mexico Dixfield Webb River SR 140Canton Riley Dam Jay Dam Jay MEC Rumford branch Otis Dam SR 4 Livermore Falls Dam Dead River SR 219Leeds Nezinscot River Turner Gulf Island Dam Deer Rips Dam Lewiston MEC Back road Lewiston Falls Dam US 202 Auburn Riverwalk Little Androscoggin River Auburn I-95 Sabattus River Lisbon Falls Dam SR 9 Little River Pejepscot Dam I-295 MEC Lewiston Branch Brunswick-Topsham Dam US 201,Brunswick MEC Lower road SR 196 Merrymeeting Bay

TheAndroscoggin River (Abenaki:Ammoscongon)^[6] is a river in theU.S. states ofMaine andNew Hampshire, in northernNew England. It is 178 miles (286 km)^[7] long and joins theKennebec River atMerrymeeting Bay in Maine before its water empties into theGulf of Maine on theAtlantic Ocean. Itsdrainage basin is 3,530 square miles (9,100 km²) in area. The name "Androscoggin" comes from the EasternAbenaki termAmmoscongon, which referred to the entire portion of the river north of the Great Falls inLewiston, Maine.^[6] The Anglicization of the Abenaki term is likely an analogical contamination with the colonial governorEdmund Andros.^[8][9]

There were several ancient names for the river. The Androscoggin was known asPejepscook from Merrymeeting Bay to the Great Falls, with its namesake deriving from an anglicization of the section of river from the Great Falls northward.^[10]

According to the USGS, variant names for the Androscoggin River include Amasagu'nteg, Amascongan, Ambrose Coggin, Ammeriscoggin, Ammoscoggin, Amos Coggin, Amoscommun, Anasagunticook, Anconganunticook, Andrews Coggin, Andros Coggan, Andros Coggin, Androscoggen, Andrus Coggin, Aumoughcaugen, and Ameriscoggin River.

The average Androscoggin drop of eight feet per mile (1.5m per km) made it an excellent source ofwater power encouraging development of the cities ofBerlin, New Hampshire, andLewiston andAuburn, Maine, and theMaine towns ofBrunswick,Topsham,Lisbon Falls,Livermore Falls,Chisholm,Mexico,Rumford andBethel.^[11]

The Androscoggin was once heavilypolluted by a variety oftextile mills,paper mills, and other industries located along its banks, and helped inspire theClean Water Act.^[12] The river has benefited greatly from environmental work and the departure of certain types of industry from the region. As a result, the amount of contaminated wastewater being released into the river has greatly decreased. However, several mills still release chemical waste into the river, albeit in much smaller amounts. From the 1940s through the 2000s, the Androscoggin was so polluted that some environmental groups listed it as one of the 20 most polluted rivers in the United States.^[13] The pollution became so severe that until very recently, one 14-mile (23 km) stretch required oxygen bubblers to prevent fish from suffocating.^[12] As of May 2007, environmental groups had alawsuit pending, in an attempt to force the paper mills located along the river to clean their waste streams. Most companies have agreed and generally followed through on reducing the amount of wastewater discharge, but only a few have completely stopped, with many companies citing cost as a prime factor for continued pollution.^[12]

On April 15, 2020, a large explosion occurred at the Verso Paper Mill, located on the river. It is unknown what impacts, either negative or positive, the explosion and the mill's indefinite closing will have on water quality.^[14][15]

The Androscoggin begins inErrol, New Hampshire, where theMagalloway River joins the outlet ofUmbagog Lake. The river flows generally south but with numerous bends past the towns of Errol andMilan and the city ofBerlin before turning east at the town ofGorham, New Hampshire, to cut across the northern end of theWhite Mountains and enter Maine. Continuing east, the river passes the towns ofBethel,Rumford, andDixfield before turning south at the town ofLivermore Falls and leaving the mountains behind. The river passes through the twin cities ofLewiston andAuburn, turns southeast, passes the community ofLisbon Falls and reaches tidewater just below the final falls in the town ofBrunswick. Merrymeeting Bay is a 10-mile-long (16 km) freshwaterestuary where the Androscoggin meets the Kennebec River nearly 20 miles (32 km) inland from the Atlantic Ocean.

Listed from source to mouth of Androscoggin, with location of tributary's mouth:

• Magalloway River,Errol, New Hampshire
• Clear Stream,Errol, New Hampshire
• Mollidgewock Brook,Errol, New Hampshire
• Chickwolnepy Stream,Milan, New Hampshire
• Dead River,Berlin, New Hampshire
• Moose Brook,Gorham, New Hampshire
• Moose River,Gorham, New Hampshire
• Peabody River,Gorham, New Hampshire
• Wild River,Gilead, Maine
• Pleasant River,Bethel, Maine
• Alder River,Bethel, Maine
• Sunday River,Bethel, Maine
• Bear River,Newry, Maine
• Ellis River,Rumford, Maine
• Concord River,Rumford, Maine
• Swift River,Rumford andMexico, Maine
• Webb River,Dixfield, Maine
• Dead River,Leeds, Maine
• Nezinscot River,Turner, Maine
• Little Androscoggin River,Auburn, Maine
• Sabattus River,Lisbon, Maine
• Little River,Lisbon Falls, Maine

This sectionneeds additional citations forverification. Please helpimprove this article byadding citations to reliable sources in this section. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.(December 2024) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

The Androscoggin River is a popular fishing destination foranglers. The upper section of the river offers good fly fishing forbrook,rainbow andbrown trout.^[16][17]Landlocked salmon can also be caught in the far northern portions of the river nearErrol, New Hampshire.^[17] As the river progresses south and east of theWhite Mountains, the river widens some and the water quality becomes more acidic. As a result of these changes, the trout and salmon fisheries vanish almost entirely in the central and lower portions of the river. However, these sections often contain trophysmallmouth bass fisheries.Northern pike also inhabit the lower sections, with quality specimens being reported for this species as well. Other species found in the lower portions includeredbreast sunfish,yellow perch, andwhite suckers.

The Androscoggin River Watershed Council, a local nonprofit, has been working to establish awater trail along the entire length of the river.^[18] The trail will provide improvedportages and access sites for paddling, fishing, and boating.^[18] There are currently over 40 mapped public access sites to the river.^[19]

The Androscoggin Riverlands State Park in Maine is a popular area for paddling. It consists of 12 miles (19 km) along the western shoreline of the river just east ofTurner.^[20]

TheU.S. Geological Survey (USGS) maintains four river flow gauges on the Androscoggin River. All four are below one or more dams.

The first is atErrol, New Hampshire (44°46′57″N71°07′46″W / 44.78250°N 71.12944°W /44.78250; -71.12944), where the watershed is 1,046 square miles (2,710 km²). Flow here has ranged from 16,500 to 0 ft³/s (467 and 0 m³/s) (zero flow when dam closed). The mean annual flow between 1905 and 2005 is 1,919 ft³/s (54.3 m³/s).

The second is nearGorham, New Hampshire (44°26′10″N71°11′27″W / 44.43611°N 71.19083°W /44.43611; -71.19083), where the watershed is 1,361 square miles (3,520 km²). Flow here has ranged from 21,900 to a mean daily low of 795 ft³/s (620 and 22.5 m³/s) (lows when dam closed). The mean annual flow between 1905 and 2005 is 2,512 ft³/s (71 m³/s).

The third is atRumford, Maine (44°33′04″N70°32′38″W / 44.55111°N 70.54389°W /44.55111; -70.54389), where the watershed is 2,068 square miles (5,360 km²). Flow here has ranged from 74,000 to 625 ft³/s (2,094 and 17.7 m³/s). The mean annual flow between 1905 and 2005 is 3,801 ft³/s (107.6 m³/s).

The fourth is atAuburn, Maine (44°04′20″N70°12′31″W / 44.07222°N 70.20861°W /44.07222; -70.20861), where the watershed is 3,263 square miles (8,450 km²). Flow here has ranged from 135,000 to 340 ft³/s (3,820.5 and 9.6 m³/s).^[5]

• McFarlane, Wallace Scot (April 2012). "Defining a Nuisance: Pollution, Science, and Environmental Politics on Maine's Androscoggin River".Environmental History.17 (2):307–35.doi:10.1093/envhis/ems019.JSTOR 23212580.

Wikimedia Commons has media related toAndroscoggin River.

• MaineRivers.orgArchived 2016-03-03 at theWayback Machine Androscoggin River profile
• Real-time flow data for theErrol, NH,Gorham, NH,Rumford, ME, andAuburn, ME gages.
• U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Androscoggin River
• USGS River Basin Info
• Androscoggin River Watershed Council
• Characterization of Mercury Contamination in the Androscoggin River, Coos County, New HampshireUnited States Geological Survey

• Androscoggin River
• Northern Forest Canoe Trail
• Rivers of Coös County, New Hampshire
• Rivers of New Hampshire
• Rivers of Sagadahoc County, Maine
• Rivers of Androscoggin County, Maine
• Rivers of Oxford County, Maine
• Rivers of Maine
• Maine placenames of Native American origin
• New Hampshire placenames of Native American origin

• Pages using gadget WikiMiniAtlas
• Webarchive template wayback links
• Articles with short description
• Short description matches Wikidata
• Use American English from February 2025
• All Wikipedia articles written in American English
• Use mdy dates from January 2024
• Coordinates on Wikidata
• Articles needing additional references from December 2024
• All articles needing additional references
• Commons category link from Wikidata