A Citizen's Guide to Dams, Hydropower, and River Restoration in ...

Delaine Nye, AugustaCity Councilwoman“I grew up on a farm about 50miles north of Augusta. Almost 20years ago, I can remember drivingthrough the city on a hot summerday and smelling the putrid odorfrom the river. Down the road, Ithink this will be an incrediblelocation for reinvestment and thatreal estate values are going toincrease. People have been used toturning their backs to the river for solong. I see the removal of the damand the creation of a riverfrontimprovement district as a catalystfor the rehabilitation and restorationof thedowntownand northernend ofAugusta.”sturgeon were stifled because oftheir inability to reach areas wherethey could reproduce. The damblocked the passage of canoes andother boats. Water quality sufferedbecause the dam slowed the flowof the river – reducing oxygenationand natural flushing of silt andpollutants.Not everyone was in favor ofremoving the dam. Land ownersabove and below the dam fearedthat their property would bedevalued if water levels droppeddrastically. Others were concernedthat a shallower, quicker flowingriver would also expose ugly debrisleft on the river bottom from the lastlog drives.Despite these concerns, in1997 the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission(FERC) made a landmark decision not to renew thedam’s license and to order its removal. Following adecade of public meetings, FERC’s decision reflectedtheir belief that the benefits of removing the damoutweighed the benefits of relicensing it.The dam was breached in July 1999. Just monthslater, striped bass had returned to the Waterville-Winslow section of the river. In January 2000, theriver’s water quality had improved sufficiently to earna higher rating from the Department of EnvironmentalProtection. Scientists found that the number anddiversity of organisms living in the river bottomupstream from the old dam had increased by several orders ofmagnitude. This change is a strong indicator of improvedecosystem health.“The fishing is unbelievable...the river was waiting for the right moment.”– Bob Dionne, Aardvark Outfitters14 A Citizen’s Guide to River Restoration