Roach River (Maine)

Roach River
Location
CountryUnited States
Physical characteristics
Source 
  locationMaine
  elevation1,303 feet (397 m)
Mouth 
  location
Moosehead Lake
  coordinates
45°41′53″N 69°32′38″W / 45.698°N 69.544°W / 45.698; -69.544 (Roach River)
  elevation
1,029 feet (314 m)
Length19 mi (31 km)
Basin features
River systemKennebec River

The Roach River is a river in Piscataquis County, Maine. From the outlet of Third Roach Pond (45°39′02″N 69°14′29″W / 45.6505°N 69.2414°W / 45.6505; -69.2414 (Roach River source)) in Shawtown (Maine Township A, Range 12, WELS), the river runs 19.1 miles (30.7 km) west, through a chain of ponds. The Flow sequence through the ponds is from the Fourth Roach Pond through the Third Roach Pond, Second Roach Pond, and First Roach Pond to empty into Moosehead Lake, the source of the Kennebec River, in Spencer Bay (T1, R14, WELS). The Seventh Roach Pond drains through the Sixth Roach Pond in a separate tributary to the Third Roach Pond. No fifth Roach Pond is shown on modern maps.

The headwaters of the Roach River, as well as Second Roach Pond, Third Roach Pond, and Fourth Roach Pond, lie on land purchased by the Appalachian Mountain Club in 2009. In 2014, a section of Roach River, which was viewed as essential nursery habitat for young fish, was temporarily dewatered during dam reconstruction on land owned by the Club.