Lakes & Watershed Information

Winthrop is the center of the Winthrop Lakes Region, which is situated between Lewiston and Augusta. The region is a popular recreation area in central Maine, with over three dozen lakes and ponds offering a variety of boating, hiking, cycling, camping and fishing opportunities. Winthrop's lakes and ponds are the defining feature of the Town's landscape. Large, open bodies of water provide scenic views, a variety of recreational opportunities, important fish and wildlife habitats, sources of drinking water, and prime real estate development opportunities.

There are three public access points in Winthrop: Cobbossee ramp off Route 135, Maranacook ramp at Norcross Point (Bowdoin Street), and Upper Narrows carry-in off Route 202. Additionally, there is carry-in access for Berry Pond off Route 133 in Wayne.

Winthrop is part of the Cobbossee Watershed District. The District charter was established by the Maine Legislature in 1971; it was then ratified by the following cities and towns having streams and bodies of water contributing to the watershed: Augusta, Gardiner, Manchester, Monmouth, Mount Vernon, Readfield, Richmond, Wayne and Winthrop. The entire district includes 240 square miles, 22 dams, some 17-29 lakes and ponds (depending on accepted standards of size) and 13 towns in 2 counties that directly affect the watershed drainage system. All of Winthrop's bodies of water except Apple Valley Lake and Kezar Pond are part of the Cobbossee Watershed District.

The topography of the watershed is mostly rolling, low elevation hills and valleys, with the highest relief in the northwestern section (Winthrop), and the lowest relief in the southeastern section (West Gardiner, Richmond). Water flow is generally from northwest to southeast, except for the southernmost portion, where water flows abruptly northeast from a topographical low near the outlet of Pleasant Pond to a short and abrupt drop in downtown Gardiner. The configuration of surface lakes, ponds and streams in the watershed suggest a young, glacially deranged system controlled by a northeasterly trending Paleozoic bedrock fabric.

The following bodies of water are located in Winthrop: