Cocheco River Watershed

Coldrain Pond lies in a forested area north of Birch Hill Road. There is no development on it shoreline, which is comprised of emergent wetland. A small stream flows out of the eastern end of the pond and runs south, crossing Birch Hill Road. The stream passes through the backyards of several homes and then flows into Club Pond. The shoreline of this 40 acre pond is sparsely developed with a few homes at its northern and southern tips. Ela River flows out of the southern end of Club Pond, and passes under Old Bay Road, into a small forested area. It flows southeast, along the Henry Wilson Highway, passing a dozen homes and several industrial facilities. The river turns east and flows into a wide area of emergent wetland before crossing into Farmington on its way to join the Cocheco River.

The Mad River originates in a forested area on New Durham’s border with Alton, just north of Ten Rod Road. It flows east along this road, passing a farm and a few houses before crossing into Farmington.

Chalk Pond and Marchs Pond sit along Birch Hill Road, which separates the two ponds with a narrow causeway. Both of these ponds have a moderate level of development along their shores, with the highest density of homes along Birch Hill Road. Water flows from Chalk Pond, under the causeway, and into Marchs Pond, where it then drains into Hayes Brook. The brook flows south along Birch Hill Road for a mile, passing homes in the village of Coburn. It then crosses miller road and turns east. The brook flows through Jennings Forest and then joins the Cocheco River.

The Cocheco River originates in a forested area along Mountain Pasture Road. It flows south along the road, passing several farms, and runs through Jennings Forest. The river enters a small emergent wetland and then turns east into Middleton.

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New Durham is well served by Route 11 providing the community with gateway access to the seacoast of New Hampshire thereby making it commutable to Rochester, Dover and Portsmouth. The ease of commuting is contributing to residential development within the town. The current population is just around 2,500 and projected to increase to 2,920 by 2015.

New Durham is most fortunate to have within its boundaries, a large number of water bodies, the largest of which is Merrymeeting Lake, which provides boating and fishing. Boat access is also available on Merrymeeting River, Marches and Shaws Pond. The purity of the water in Merrymeeting Lake led to the establishment of the Powdermill Fish Hatchery.

Much of the land space in New Durham is still open and avails many recreational opportunities to the community residents such as snowmobiling, hiking, mountain bike riding. The natural splendor of the mountains and lakes attracts many visitors and seasonal residents. Several parcels of conservation land are found in New Durham. Jones Brook, Beaver Brook, and Merrymeeting Marsh Wildlife Management Area’s are state owned lands around significant habitat. There are also numerous town owned lands and several private easements including the Jennings Forest in the headwaters of the Cocheco River.

New Durham is heavily forested with development concentrated in the middle of town and around its lakes. Open space is sparse, though there are active farms in the area producing Christmas trees, peaches, berries, apples, greenhouse plants, and dairy products.

to learn more see The New Durham Master Plan