| Aroostook River | |
|---|---|
 Aroostook River atWashburn, Maine | |
 Aroostook River watershed | |
| Location | |
| Country | United States,Canada |
| State | Maine |
| Province | New Brunswick |
| Cities | Ashland, Maine,Washburn, Maine,Presque Isle, Maine,Caribou, Maine, Fort Farfield, Maine |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source confluence | Millinocket Stream and Munsungan Stream |
| • location | Maine Township 8, Range 8, WELS,Penobscot County, Maine |
| • coordinates | 46°20′40″N68°48′04″W / 46.3445°N 68.8011°W /46.3445; -68.8011 |
| Mouth | Saint John River (New Brunswick) |
• location | Aroostook, NB |
• coordinates | 46°48′36″N67°42′58″W / 46.810123°N 67.71620°W /46.810123; -67.71620 |
• elevation | 330 ft (100 m) |
| Length | 112 mi (180 km) |
| Basin size | 2,442.7 sq mi (6,327 km2) |
| Discharge | |
| • location | Masardis, Maine |
| • average | 1,506 cu ft/s (42.6 m3/s) |
| • minimum | 41 cu ft/s (1.2 m3/s) |
| • maximum | 29,500 cu ft/s (840 m3/s) |
| Discharge | |
| • location | Washburn, Maine |
| • average | 2,696 cu ft/s (76.3 m3/s) |
| • minimum | 75 cu ft/s (2.1 m3/s) |
| • maximum | 49,500 cu ft/s (1,400 m3/s) |
| Watershed data.[1] | |
TheAroostook River is a 112-mile-long (180 km)[2] tributary of theSaint John River in theU.S. state ofMaine and theCanadian province ofNew Brunswick. Its basin is the largest sub-drainage of the Saint John River.[3]
The name is derived from theMalecite nameWool-ahs-took, translated by Ganong as "good river for everything". It appears asArassatuk (DeRozier, 1699).[4]
In the late 1830s, the territory comprising the river's drainage area was the scene of theAroostook War, a boundary dispute between the United States and theUnited Kingdom.[citation needed]
The river rises in northeastern Maine from theconfluence of Millinocket Stream and Munsungan Stream in Maine Township 8, Range 8, WELS, in northernPenobscot County. The river winds east and northeast throughAroostook County. It runs throughAshland, and passes north ofPresque Isle and east ofCaribou. It joins the Saint John River inAroostook, New Brunswick, 2 miles (3 km) after crossing theCanada–United States border.[citation needed]
The United States government maintains two river flow gages on the Aroostook. The first is located nearMasardis, Maine (46°31′21″N68°22′23″W / 46.52250°N 68.37306°W /46.52250; -68.37306 (Masardis, Maine)) where the rivershed is 892 square miles (2,310 km2). The second is atWashburn, Maine (46°46′36″N68°09′29″W / 46.77667°N 68.15806°W /46.77667; -68.15806 (Washburn, Maine)) where the rivershed is 1,654 square miles (4,280 km2). ByFort Fairfield, Maine the rivershed is 2,301 square miles (5,960 km2). At Masardis, the maximum recorded flow is 29,500 cubic feet per second (840 m3/s) and the minimum 41 cubic feet (1.2 m3) per second.[5] At Washburn, the maximum recorded flow is 49,500 cubic feet (1,400 m3) per second and the minimum 75 cubic feet (2.1 m3) per second.[6] Annual maximum flows occur during the spring snow melt and minimums in the fall. The highest flood levels at both gages occurred during ice-dam induced floods, which occur relatively often on this river. Such flooding occurred in March and April 1999, April and May 2003, and April 2004.[7]
TheInternational Appalachian Trail runs along the river for several miles. Hikers cross the river, pass through customs, and cross the international boundary atFort Fairfield, Maine.[8]
The river has a small run ofAtlantic salmon. From 1998 to 2001, the number of adults returning to the river ranged from seventeen to thirty.[9]
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
