Pleasant River

The Pleasant River is a river in Washington County, Maine. It starts at the outflow of Pleasant River Lake in Beddington and runs 44.8 miles south, east and then south to Pleasant Bay. Its mouth lies on the border between Harrington and Addison. Its tributaries include the West Branch Pleasant River, the Little River, the Western Little River and Taylor Branch. The head of tide is at Columbia Falls, where the falls drop into a pool about half a mile across. Above the falls the river is fresh water stained brown by tannins. Below them it runs through salt marsh and tidal water. A small hydroelectric dam owned by the Pleasant River Hydroelectric Company once blocked the falls. Starting in 1989, the Downeast Salmon Federation worked to have it removed. The 1,920-acre Pleasant Bay Wildlife Management Area lies along the river's east side near Addison.

Maine's Bureau of Parks and Lands lists state-sponsored and state-assisted boat access sites on the river. Addison Point Town Landing is a hard-surface ramp owned by the town of Addison. Carry-in sites are held by Worcester and the Pleasant River Fish & Game club near Columbia, by the club and the town near Columbia Falls, and by the state in T18 MD. Kayakers and canoeists use the Addison landing to paddle the tidal stretch between Addison and Columbia Falls, timing their trips with the tides. The upper river below the lake is shallow and has fallen trees and beaver dams.

The Downeast Salmon Federation runs the Pleasant River Hatchery in Columbia Falls, which received its first salmon eggs in January 1991. Fishing for sea-run Atlantic salmon is banned statewide. Old wharf remains along the West Branch are left over from the area's shipbuilding past.