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Natural Resources Council of Maine

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Great Works & Veazie Dams Removed from Penobscot River

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Celebrating the Penobscot River’s Revival: Removing Great Works Dam

June 11, 2012
Indian Island, Old Town, Maine

June 11, 2012, was a great day for the Penobscot River and all of the wildlife and communities that depend upon it. The removal of the Great Works Dam is a landmark in the Penobscot River Restoration Project, of which NRCM was a founding member. In addition to the environmental, economic, and cultural benefits of a revived Penobscot River, the people of Maine will continue to benefit from the same amount of energy generation because Black Bear Hydro increased energy development at its other facilities in the river system. The decommissioning and removal of the Great Works Dam was part of a broad collaborative effort that eventually included removal of the Veazie Dam and creation of new, upstream fish passage at Milford and Howland Dams. The Project improved access to nearly 2,000 miles of historic fish habitat, benefitting 11 species of native sea-run fish including endangered Atlantic salmon. The entire Project took 16 years to complete.

Imagine the Penobscot teeming with fish—shad, striped bass, sturgeon, and alewives. They are all important to our Gulf of Maine ground fisheries. Imagine thousands of Atlantic salmon pulsing through its waters. This is what the people of the Penobscot Nation experienced centuries ago on the river, the lifeblood of their culture. The Penobscot Project was a giant leap toward that river that once ran freely, leading sea-run fish from the Atlantic Ocean to their breeding habitat deep in Maine’s North Woods. That is the river we want to leave for all of our grandchildren.

NRCM and our partners gathered on the banks of the Penobscot River for a a day of activities, as we witnessed the start of the removal of the Great Works Dam that has blocked the river for 200 years. Throughout the day there were a wide array of activities to celebrate this momentous occasion.

The day kicked off at Sockalexis Hall with a live broadcast from the site where dismantling of the Great Works Dam began. The Penobscot Nation then hosted a community-wide luncheon with ceremonial drumming and remarks by Project leaders. The celebration continued with opportunities to explore interactive and cultural exhibits, canoe on the river, and participate in other activities on Indian Island. The day culminated with a final community-wide celebration in the late afternoon.

(Speakers, in order of appearance: Nick Bennett, NRCM Staff Scientist; Chief Kirk Francis of the Penobscot Nation; Brownie Carson, former NRCM executive director; Ken Salazar, Secretary of the U.S. Department of the Interior; Lisa Pohlmann, NRCM CEO, and Sam Day, high school student and son of Laura Rose Day, Penobscot River Restoration Trust executive director)

About the Speakers

A wide array of dignitaries offered remarks at this event; both at the actual breaching as well as at Sockalexis Hall. These dignitaries included, among others:

  • Ken Salazar, Secretary of the U.S. Department of the Interior
  • Commissioner Pat Keliher, Maine Department of Marine Resources on behalf of State of Maine
  • Eric Schwaab, the Acting Assistant Secretary for Conservation and Management, NOAA
  • Maine’s Congressional Delegation or their representatives
  • Lisa Pohlmann, CEO of the Natural Resources Council of Maine
  • Representatives from our partner organizations as well as the local business community

News Stories about the Great Works Dam Removal

Watching removal of Veazie Dam
People gathered to watch the start of the removal of the Veazie Dam as part of the Penobscot River Restoration Project. 2013 photo.

Veazie Dam Breaching Celebration & Commemoration

Hundreds of people joined us on July 22, 2013, as we Reconnected the Penobscot River to the Sea!

This event reopened the Penobscot River to the sea so that Atlantic salmon, sturgeon, river herring, American shad, and other species of sea-run fish can swim freely all the way to Old Town for the first time in nearly 200 years!

Breaching the Veazie Dam marked a monumental step in the Penobscot River Restoration Project, which sought to restore self-sustaining populations of sea-run fish to the Penobscot River watershed by opening migration paths between the ocean and upstream habitat critical to rebuilding fish populations. Reconnecting the river to the sea is revitalizing culture, recreation, ecological health, and economic opportunities for the region and Maine.

Media from Veazie Dam Breaching