Chapter 6 

 The Riverine 

 System 



Authors; Russell McCullough, Stewart Fefer 



This chapter characterizes the riverine system of coastal Maine. The riverine 

 system includes all bodies of fresh flowing water: streams, rivers, brooks, 

 tributaries, and creeks. The term "stream" is used to refer to all of these 

 bodies. The term "river" is used to refer to those streams commonly known as 

 rivers. Streams are among the most conspicuous and valuable natural features 

 of coastal Maine. Approximately 381 streams are named on U.S. Geological 

 Survey (USGS) maps of the characterization area (atlas map 1). The four 

 largest rivers in Maine (Penobscot, Kennebec, Androscoggin, and St. Croix) 

 flow through the coastal zone and the lower portions of their drainage basins 

 are located there. Major portions of several intermediate-sized rivers (e.g., 

 Fore, Presumpscot, Pleasant, Chandler, Sheepscot, Pemaquid, St. George, Union, 

 Narraguagus, Machias, E. Machias, Orange, Dennys , and Pennamaquan) and their 

 drainages are located within the coastal zone, also. These rivers are among 

 the most heavily used natural resources in coastal Maine. For many years 

 Maine's streams have been used for waste disposal, power generation, log 

 transport, and navigation. These uses have caused disruption of natural 

 riverine functions and frequently have interfered with the uses of streams for 

 water supply and recreational purposes. 



The National Wetlands Inventory (NWI) of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 

 (FWS; Cowardin et al. 1979) classifies riverine systems hierarchically, 

 according to physical and biological features (figure 6-1). Riverine systems 

 include four subsystems: tidal (segments influenced by tidal rise and fall); 

 lower perennial (segments having a slow current and water in the streambed 

 year-round); upper perennial (segments having a rapid current and year-round 

 water) ; and intermittent (segments where the streambed is dry part of the 

 year). The named streams on USGS maps of coastal Maine include both riverine 

 and streamside palustrine systems. The specific areas identified as riverine 

 systems by the NWI are included in atlas map 1. Common names of species are 

 used except where accepted common names do not exist. Taxonomic names of all 

 species mentioned are given in the appendix to chapter 1. This chapter 

 details the distribution of riverine systems in coastal Maine and presents 

 some of the basic concepts and available data on riverine function. 



6-1 



10-80 



