Presumpscot River

The Presumpscot River is a 27-mile long river located in Cumberland County, Maine, and it is the main outlet of Sebago Lake. The river flows through the communities of Windham, Gorham, Westbrook, Portland, and Falmouth before emptying into Casco Bay at Falmouth.

In addition to Sebago Lake being its primary source, three significant tributaries of the river are the Pleasant River in Windham, Mill Brook in Westbrook (which is an outlet of Highland Lake in Windham), and the Piscataqua River in Falmouth (which is an outlet of Forest Lake in Cumberland).

There are eight dams impeding the flow of the river as it makes its way to the ocean, some of which produce hydroelectric power. These dams are the Eel Weir Dam, North Gorham Dam, Dundee Dam, Gambo Dam, Little Falls Dam, Mallison Dam, Sacarappa Dam, and Cumberland Mills Dam. Dams upstream of Cumberland Mills served the locks of the Cumberland and Oxford Canal; and were modified to regulate water flow through the S. D. Warren Paper Mill after the canal fell into disuse. Since the removal of the Smelt Hill Dam in Falmouth in 2002, the last seven miles of the river after the Cumberland Mills Dam now flow unimpeded to the ocean.

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