Restoring the Lower Kennebec River
The Kennebec River experienced a dramatic resurgence in sea-run fish populations, wildlife, and economic opportunity with the removal of the Edwards Dam in 1999. Now it’s time to continue this success by reconnecting Atlantic salmon and other sea-run fish to the Sandy River.
Restoring a Free-Flowing Kennebec
The removal of the Edwards Dam in Augusta has been one of the nation’s biggest environmental success stories, with millions of river herring returning annually, along with shad, sturgeon, and other species. Communities along this section of the river have experienced major benefits, including revitalization of downtowns in Augusta and Gardiner.
Supporting healthy rivers also respects the Wabanaki people who have close connections to all of Maine’s major waterways and the species these rivers support.
Restoring access to the Sandy River will give endangered Atlantic salmon a chance to survive and help bring back millions of American shad, American eel, and river herring. These fish species support Maine’s iconic commercial fishing industries.
This moment is our best chance to shape the future of the Kennebec.
It is impossible to save Atlantic salmon from extinction and see meaningful restoration of river herring, shad, and other sea-run fish in the Kennebec River above Waterville without major changes at the four lower Kennebec River dams. We need to work together on a solution that works for the river, for the fish, and for local people and businesses.
NRCM and our partners are applauding an agreement between The Nature Conservancy and Brookfield Renewable that sets the stage for the removal of four dams that are barriers to fish passage on the lower Kennebec.
Reuniting the Kennebec Restores the Entire Gulf of Maine Ecosystem
The Kennebec was once the most productive river in Maine for sea-run fish, with Atlantic salmon runs in the hundreds of thousands, but now Atlantic salmon are critically endangered.
Atlantic salmon and other sea-run fish species face a gauntlet of four dams between Waterville and Skowhegan, making it impossible to reach the Sandy River, a tributary of the Kennebec that provides some of the best spawning and rearing habitat in the Northeast.
Healthy sea-run fish populations are critical to the Maine lobster industry, to the countless birds and wildlife that prey on them, and to any hope of restoring coastal ground fish (such as halibut and cod) populations in the Gulf of Maine.
The four dams above Waterville generate a negligible amount of hydroelectric power, and the damage they do to the Kennebec’s ecosystem far outweighs their limited benefits.
Four Dams Stand in the Way of Atlantic Salmon and Other Sea-run Fish
Mainers have played a vital role in bringing life back to our rivers because clean water is so central to Maine’s economy and way of life. Removing four ecologically harmful dams on the Kennebec River is an urgent next step that will improve the health of the Gulf of Maine, enhance riverfront communities, and bring back millions of sea-run fish, including endangered Atlantic salmon.
The Kennebec was once the most productive river in Maine, supporting Atlantic salmon runs in the hundreds of thousands and shad and river herring runs in the many millions. Today, the future of the Kennebec River is at a critical point. Atlantic salmon are on the brink of extinction, and their survival depends on further restoration of the Kennebec more than any other river in the United States.
Four Dams Stand in the Way of Salmon Recovery
The Sandy River and its tributaries in interior Maine provide some of the best spawning and rearing habitat for Atlantic salmon and other sea-run fish, but these fish cannot reach it because four dams above Waterville block their passage. (see & zoom in on map below)
- Lockwood Dam — Waterville
- Hydro-Kennebec Dam — Waterville
- Shawmut Dam — Fairfield
- Weston Dam — Skowhegan
progress toward established climate goals.
The Kennebec and Atlantic Salmon Need Help Now
Atlantic salmon will go extinct in the U.S. without safe access to the Sandy River to spawn. Removing the four dams would open up the Kennebec River to its confluence with the Sandy River, helping recover Atlantic salmon and restoring millions more shad and river herring as well.
A free-flowing Kennebec River will also support increased recreation opportunities and complement community development along the riverfront.
When fish are once again able to reach their historic spawning grounds above Waterville, a lively and rejuvenated river will inject new energy and life into the region that will benefit Mainers for generations to come.
Selected News
- Op-ed in the New York Times: “Let the Salmon Run Free,” by Dr. John Waldman, author of Running Silver: Restoring Atlantic Rivers and Their Great Fish Migrations
- Perspective: “Sturgeon’s Return Show Power of River Restoration Work,” by Patricia Hart
- Perspective: “The Kennebec River belongs to all Mainers, not just Brookfield,” by Sean McCormick
- Perspective: “Kennebec River Dam Debate Hijacked by Red Herring,” by George Lapointe
- Perspective: “Our Rivers Should Be Alive and Productive. Brookfield is Not Helping,” by Richard Lawrence
- Perspective: “Restoring the Kennebec, the Nucleus of Wabanaki Life,” by Mali Obomsawin
- Perspective: “Enough of ‘pickerel vs. payroll’ on Kennebec,” by Willie Grenier
- Letter: Patagonia letter to US Commerce Secretary urging Kennebec dam removal