II. The Exeter River Nomination
The Exeter River nomination begins at the crossing of Route 102 in Chester and flows for approximately 32 miles through the communities of Sandown, Danville, Fremont, Raymond, Brentwood and Exeter. The Exeter/Squamscott drainage basin encompasses an area of 126.2 square miles. From its headwaters in the Town of Chester, at an elevation of 400 feet, the Exeter River drops at a gradual slope of about 12 feet per mile to the Town of Exeter. Along the way, the river often doubles back on itself and passes through several short stretches of rapids in the Town of Brentwood.
Land use along the Exeter River is primarily rural. In the upper reaches of the river, through the towns of Chester, Sandown and Danville, there are scattered farms and single family homes and the riverbank is well forested and interspersed with large areas of wetlands. In the lower reaches of the river, from Fremont to Exeter, there is more industrial and commercial land use. The river corridor in this area is characterized by a mix of forests, wetlands, and residential, institutional and commercial development. Most of the manmade modifications in this area are well-screened from the river by a buffer of trees.
B. River Values and Characteristics
The Rivers Management and Protection Act (RSA Chapter 483) lists nine river values and characteristics which may qualify a river for designation into the program. The Exeter River supports many of these natural, managed, cultural, and recreational resource values and characteristics at a level of either statewide or local significance. The resource values which qualify the Exeter River for designation include wildlife, fish and plant resources; water quality; open space; scenic values; water withdrawals; wastewater discharges; historic and archeological resources; community resources; and recreational resources.
a. Wildlife and Plant Resources: The Exeter River supports a diverse habitat of wetlands, forest and open fields that is home to a variety of wildlife and plant species. The river corridor connects large forested tracts of land in Chester, Raymond, Fremont and Brentwood with the downstream Great Bay ecosystem. As a tributary to the Great Bay National Estuarine Reserve, the Exeter River plays an important role in maintaining the overall health of the bay's environment. The river supports a number of endangered and threatened bird species including the federally-listed bald eagle which is known to winter at the Great Bay and believed to forage in the river. An osprey nest at nearby Chapman's Landing is one of only two known nests in southern New Hampshire. Like the bald eagle, this state-threatened species is thought to rely on the river habitat for food and shelter. The New Hampshire Natural Heritage Inventory lists six endangered or threatened plant species and the threatened great blue heron as occurring along the Exeter River.
b. Fishery Resources: The Exeter River is both a cold and warm water fishery that provides habitat for approximately 17 resident species. Naturally-reproducing species include small and large mouth bass, brown bullhead, chain pickerel, american eel, yellow perch and sunfish. The river is stocked annually with brown, brook and rainbow trout and shad by the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department. There is an ongoing anadromous fish restoration effort for river herring and shad and the river serves as spawning area for alewife, blueback herring and shad. Fish ladders at Pickpocket Dam and Great Dam enable anadromous fish to reach upstream spawning and nursery habitat.
c. Water Quality: The Exeter River has been designated a Class B water by the General Court. The river is currently fully supporting the standards of this water quality goal. The significance of improving and maintaining a high level of water quality in the Exeter River is evidenced by the use of the river as the primary source of municipal water supply for the Town of Exeter and its important link to the Great Bay National Estuarine Reserve.
d. Scenic Values: Broad wetlands, forested riverbanks, and gently-flowing waters, interrupted by short stretches of rapids and falls, combine to make the Exeter River an important scenic resource. From the river, few signs of development are visible and there are excellent views of the large wetland areas in Sandown and Fremont. Scenic views of the river are afforded from a number of bridge crossings particularly at Pickpocket Dam and in the center of Brentwood.
a. Historic and Archaeological Resources: There are a number of sites of historic interest along the Exeter River. Many buildings in the area were constructed before or during the early 1700s and there are numerous indian and colonial archeological sites. In Exeter, there is a local historic district that is listed in the national register. The Exeter Historic District is significant for its maritime history and early settlement. Several houses in Fremont are also eligible for national listing.
b. Community Resource: The importance of the Exeter River as a community resource is reflected in the local planning and protection efforts of the communities along the river. Several adjacent towns have ongoing river corridor planning or protection efforts. The towns of Exeter and Brentwood have adopted local shoreland protection ordinances that include a 150-foot setback from the Exeter River. The river has special community importance for the Town of Exeter which uses the river as its drinking water supply.
a. Boating: The generally free-flowing nature of the Exeter River provides excellent flatwater and quickwater boating opportunities for canoes and kayaks. Whitewater boating is limited to high water conditions. A 5-mile stretch above Fremont has been described in an AMC boating guide as ". . . the finest on the river for scenery . . . and probably the best quickwater in the Piscataqua Watershed." Public and informal launching areas found at bridge crossings provide canoe and kayak access to the river. Motorized boating opportunities are generally limited to deeper areas of the river behind the Great Dam in Exeter. This stretch of the river is accessible from a municipally-owned boat ramp located at Gilman Park in Exeter.
b. Fishing: Trout fishing is very popular in the upper reaches of the Exeter River especially in the vicinity of traditional stocking points. While stocking sites may vary from year to year, the river is stocked annually with brook, brown and rainbow trout as well as shad.
c. Other Recreation: Swimming, hiking, birdwatching and camping are other recreational activities that people enjoy on or near to the Exeter River. The Town of Exeter owns conservation land and a public park adjacent to the river. The conservation land provides access to the river for canoeing as well as opportunities for hiking and fishing. The public park includes a picnic area, ballfields and a boat ramp. In Sandown and Fremont, an abandoned railroad bed, owned by the State of New Hampshire, provides multiple-use recreational opportunities. There are a number of privately-owned campgrounds located next to the river that have facilities for seasonal camping, including one which offers canoe rentals. Hiking, jogging, and skiing opportunities are available on a trail system through a tree farm owned and maintained by Phillips Exeter Academy that has several miles of frontage along the Exeter River.
a. Impoundments: There are nine active dams on the mainstem of the Exeter River that impound water for a variety of purposes including storage, recreation and hydroelectric power production. Two of these dams are owned by the Town of Exeter which controls one for public water supply purposes and the other for recreation. Two other dams on the river are also maintained for recreational purposes. An operating hydroelectric facility located at one of the remaining dams provides power for about 25 homes.
b. Water Withdrawals: The major water withdrawals from the Exeter River are used for municipal water supply and institutional use. The Exeter River is the source of municipal water supply for the Town of Exeter and also provides irrigation and heating water for Phillips Exeter Academy. Both withdrawals are of more than 20,000 gallons per day and are registered with the Department of Environmental Services.
c. Wastewater Discharges: There is one facility that has been granted a permit from the Department of Environmental Services to discharge wastewater to the Exeter River. Phillips Exeter Academy discharges ice rink coolant water to Little Brook just upstream of its confluence with the Exeter River.