The Maine conservation community has celebrated the recent announcement of the sale of four Kennebec River dams from the energy company Brookfield to environmental nonprofit The Nature Conservancy (TNC) on September 15. This announcement marks a watershed moment in a decades-long fight for habitat restoration, endangered species preservation, and cultural heritage.
Maine has a long history of dam removals, with the Kennebec River watershed leading the way in total removals. In 2000, the Edwards Dam on the Kennebec in Augusta was removed. In 2008, the Fort Halifax Dam in Winslow was removed, allowing the Sebasticook River to flow freely into the Kennebec. Numerous dams have also been removed on the Penobscot River, home to the nation’s largest Atlantic salmon run, as part of an effort to restore sea-run fish habitat. Right now, only the four Kennebec dams block fish access to the Sandy River, home to some of the best Atlantic salmon spawning habitat in the Northeast.
These dams have experienced little success with their current fish passage systems, which are required for compliance with the Endangered Species Act (ESA). Trout Unlimited has criticised operations at the Lockwood Dam fish ladder for trapping and stranding the endangered salmon, saying that captured fish were “scraped up” and bruised.” Trout Unlimited’s Maine Director Jeff
Reardon said in 2021 that “Under the ESA, ‘Take’ includes harassing, harming, pursuing, or wounding salmon. If this is not a take under the ESA, it’s hard to imagine what would be. And this happens every year.” According to the Maine Department of Marine Resources, as of September 22, just 59 salmon have passed the Lockwood Dam this year.
The actual dam removal process is expected to take several years as TNC and Brookfield work through the decommissioning process. According to the Sierra Club, 232 out of more than 1,000 dams in the state provide electricity generation. Together, these four provide 46 megawatts of power generating capacity, or six percent of Maine’s hydroelectric capacity, according to the Maine Monitor. The sale includes two dams in Waterville, the Lockwood Dam downtown, the Hydro-Kennebec Dam, the Shawmut Dam in Fairfield, and the Weston Dam in Skowhegan.
Additionally, the Shawmut Dam provides the water supply for the Sappi Somerset Paper Mill in Skowhegan, which employs 780 workers. TNC believes dam removal and continued mill operation can coexist, saying that they and their partners are “100% committed to developing a solution with Sappi that fully addresses the Somerset Mill’s long-term water system needs.” The four dams also contribute about $16 million annually to the adjacent towns’ tax bases, per a report by the Mid-Maine Chamber of Commerce. However, removal of the dams is not expected to increase flood risks or negatively impact whitewater rafting in the new Skowhegan River Park.
The Kennebec River has not flown freely through Waterville to the ocean for nearly 200 years, and this change will bring cleaner water, restored habitat for wildlife, better recreational opportunities like kayaking and bird watching, and increased resilience to climate change. After all, in the 25 years since the Edwards Dam was breached, the river below the Lockwood dam has undergone a dramatic transformation in ecological health. Waterville will once again be home to river-run fish like river herring, elvers, sturgeon, shad, and of course, Atlantic salmon. At a time when good news — especially environmental news — is hard to come by, we can all celebrate a historic moment for the Kennebec River and for the community we call home.
~ Brynne Robbins `26
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