Surface water
The Millers River drains a total area of about 390 mi2, about 313 mi2 of which are in
Massachusetts. About 78 percent of the basin is forested, 11 percent is open land, 8
percent is wetland, and 3 percent contains urban areas. Many wetlands in the basin
indicate areas of former shallow lakes and ponds that have gradually been filled. There
are a total of 107 lakes and ponds in the basin, 72 of which have an area of 10 acres or
more. Only one lake, Lake Monomonock (Lake Monomonac) in Winchendon (592 acres), is larger
than 500 acres.
The Millers River formed at the end of the last glacial period when several glacial
lakes joined and, eventually, drained into the Connecticut River. The river's headwaters
are in the White Mountains of New Hampshire and in Ashburnham and Winchendon,
Massachusetts.
The North Branch and the main stem of the river join in
Winchendon, and the river flows westward to the Connecticut River. Major tributaries of
the Millers River are the Otter, which enters the Millers River in Winchendon, and the
Tully River, which enters the Millers River in Athol. Both of these tributaries largely
flow through wetlands.Overall, the Millers River has a moderate gradient, averaging about
18 ft/mi from the headwaters area to the USGS streamflow-gaging station at Erving, a
distance of about 43 river mi. However, a 5-mi reach of the Millers River through a wooded
area between South Royalston and Athol has an average gradient of about 43 ft/mi, which is
about five times the average for rivers in Massachusetts. The gradient of the tributary
Otter River averages about 18 ft/mi for a distance of about 11.5 river mi, and that of the
East Branch Tully River, the major tributary of the Tully River, averages about 52 ft/mi
over a distance of about 13 river mi.
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