This is to add support for removing the four dams on the Kennebec River between Waterville and Skowhegan. The dams are blocking access to the Sandy River, the ancestral breeding ground for Atlantic salmon, which are critically endangered. Those four dams should be removed.

The dams have had a disastrous consequence for wildlife in the river. We’ve had successful fish restoration in the lower Kennebec after the Edwards and Fort Halifax dams were removed. Now we must remove Brookfield’s dams between Waterville and Skowhegan.

Not surprisingly Brookfield is an international energy giant that is spreading inaccuracies and misinformation. There is no evidence to back up their claim that making modifications to the dams could help fish. It is also clear that the hydropower produced by their dams is inconsequential in the fight to combat climate change. The minimal energy produced doesn’t justify the damage being done to the river and the wildlife that depends on it for survival.

Maine’s unrivaled natural resources are the backbone of its economy. Removing the four dams between Waterville and Skowhegan is a necessary step toward restoring a free and healthy river that can support a stronger recreational economy, more fishing, and increased access for future generations. It’s an investment worth making, and the least we should do.

 

Linda Monroe

Blue Hill