Richardson Lakes (Maine)

^[5]Upper Richardson Lake and Lower Richardson Lake are impounded as a single reservoir by Middle Dam at the outlet to Rapid River on the western shore of the lower lake. Rapid River flows 5 miles (8.0 km) to Umbagog Lake headwaters of the Androscoggin River. Upper Richardson Lake is in the western portion of Richardsontown township, and the lower lake is on the border of Magalloway and Maine Township C. Primary inflow is discharge over Upper Dam on Mooselookmeguntic Lake on the eastern shore of the upper lake. Smaller tributaries entering the north end of the upper lake include Mill Brook draining the Richardson Ponds, Fish Brook draining Fish Pond, and Beaver Brook draining Beaver Pond, Little Beaver Pond, and Aziscohos Pond. Other small tributaries include Rand Brook on the western shore, and Mosquito Brook, Metallak Brook, and Bailey Brook on the eastern shore.^[2] The lake offers excellent habitat for adult trout, but with dams on the outlet and no major inlet, fish populations are limited by the insufficient spawning and nursery areas of these small tributaries. The public boat launch area at the north end of the upper lake is 1 mile (1.6 km) off Maine State Route 16; and the boat launch area at the south end of the lower lake is accessed by driving 12 miles (19 km) north of Andover on South Arm Road.^[4]

LocationOxford County, Maine

Coordinates44°47′N 70°54′W^[1]

Lake typeReservoir

Primary inflows

Mooselookmeguntic Lake

Quick facts Location, Coordinates ...

Richardson Lakes
Richardson Lakes Location within Maine Show map of Maine Richardson Lakes Location within the United States Show map of the United States
Location	Oxford County, Maine
Coordinates	44°47′N 70°54′W[1]
Lake type	Reservoir
Primary inflows	Mooselookmeguntic Lake
Primary outflows	Rapid River
Basin countries	United States
Max. length	14 mi (23 km)[2]
Max. width	1.4 mi (2.3 km)[2]
Surface area	7,751 acres (3,137 ha)[3]
Max. depth	108 feet (33 m)[4]
Water volume	147,096 acre⋅ft (181,440,000 m3)[3]
Surface elevation	1,447 ft (441 m)[1]

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Original Names The Richardson Lakes were known locally by their original Abenaki names well into the 20th Century. Upper Richardson was Molechunkamunk and Lower Richardson was Welokennebacook or Welokenegagcook. According to Daphne Merrill (“The Lakes of Maine: A Compilation of Fact and Legend”, 1973), Molechunkamunk meant "stream in a deep ravine", and Welokennebacook meant "the place of the river coming from a lake".