Millers River
| Millers River | |
|---|---|
Millers River at Athol, Massachusetts
|
|
| Basin features | |
| Main source |
Lake Watatic, Ashburnham, Massachusetts 1,124 feet (343 m) at Lake Watatic |
| River mouth |
Connecticut River at Millers Falls, Massachusetts 175 feet (53 m) |
| Basin size | 390 square miles (1,000 km2) |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Length | 52 miles (84 km) |
| Discharge |
|
Coordinates: 42°35′50″N 72°29′48″W / 42.59722°N 72.49667°W
The Millers River is a 52.1-mile-long (83.8 km) river in northern Massachusetts, originating in Ashburnham and joining the Connecticut River just downstream from Millers Falls, Massachusetts. The river was formerly known as Paquag or Baquag, a Nipmuc word meaning "clear water".
Sections of the river are used for whitewater kayaking, and a section upriver is popular with flatwater racers (canoe racing).
The Millers River drains a total area of about 390 square miles (1,000 km2), about 313 square miles (810 km2) of which are in Massachusetts, with the remainder in New Hampshire. About 78 percent of the basin is forested, 11 percent is open land, 8 percent is wetland, and 3 percent contains urban areas. The watershed is made up of all or part of 17 municipalities, with a population of approximately 87,000 people. Population centers are concentrated around Gardner, Athol, and Orange.
Many wetlands in the basin indicate areas of former shallow lakes and ponds that have gradually been filled. There are a total of 107 lakes and ponds in the basin, 72 of which have an area of 10 acres (40,000 m2) or more. Only one lake, 592-acre (2.40 km2) Lake Monomonac in Winchendon, Massachusetts, and Rindge, New Hampshire, is larger than 500 acres (2.0 km2).
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Wikipedia