Of Edwards Dam Removal

“I see the removal of the dam and the resulting Capital Riverfront Improvement District as a catalyst for the rehabilitation and restoration of the downtown and northern end of Augusta.”

Delaine Nye, citizen appointee by Governor King to the Capital Riverfront Improvement District.

Recreational Opportunities Abound

Boaters and anglers have returned to the area in large numbers.  Prior to removal of the Edwards Dam, access to the Kennebec River from Waterville to Augusta was difficult and slow without a sizeable motorboat. Today, kayakers and canoeists can select any number of day-long canoe trips along the river, from Waterville to Sidney, Sidney to Augusta or Waterville to Augusta.

Riverbanks have fully revegetated, creating new shoreline habitat and increased habitat diversity. Before the Edwards Dam was removed, any people feared that muddy banks, exposed by lower water levels after the dam removal, would be unsightly and deter recreational use.  Instead, the exposed river banks have grown back quickly and vigorously, creating new and varied habitat for native plants, birds, insects and animals.

Natural water levels have allowed the rapids, riffles and gravel bar islands of the Kennebec to re-establish themselves.  These scenic, submerged for 162 years by the Edwards Dam, provide beauty and variety for river visitors and critical habitat for fish, birds, insects and plants.

Communities Being Reborn Along the River

Augusta's Capital Riverfront Improvement District (CRID) is using the removal of the Edwards Dam as the keystone of its efforts to revitalize Augusta's downtown core. The District's legislative purpose is to “protect the scenic character of the Kennebec River corridor while providing continued public access and an opportunity for community and economic development ..." With funding and leadership from the August CRID, the Kennebec River waterfront is being cleaned and beautified, underutilized buildings are being renovated and converted into housing and commercial space, and the Edwards Mill Park is now on its way to completion.

The Edwards Mill Park is now a reality. Since removal of the Edwards Dam and the clearing of industrial debris from the Edwards mill site, the 17 acre riverfront parcel occupied by the former Edwards textile mill and dam has been converted to a highly used park, which features a summer carnival, a weekly farmers' market, a new canoe and kayak launch, and a wooded, riverfront nature trail. The City of Augusta's recent acquisition of 90 acres of land along Bond Brook, which joins the Kennebec at the Edwards Mill Park, is the centerpiece of a new effort to create hiking and skiing trails that connect Bond Brook to the Kennebec River and the Kennebec River rail trail from Augusta to Gardiner.

Kennebec River communities are restoring their downtown riverfronts. Since the Edwards Dam removal, the cities of Hallowell, Gardiner and Waterville have also begun major efforts to revitalize and renovate the Kennebec River waterfront in their communities.

Riverfront Community Development Bond.  In November 2007 Maine voters approved funding for the $5 Million Riverfront Community Development Bond, which provides matching funds to help Maine’s riverfront communities revitalize their underutilized riverfront areas – many of which harbor idle factory buildings or empty lots which can be renewed as attractive downtown housing and shopping areas, and community green space along the rivers.

Benton Alewife Harvest.  The town of Benton has reasserted its historic right to harvest alewives – a right that had been meaningless for over 150 years. With the removal of the Fort Halifax Dam in Winslow last summer, alewives were allowed into the Sabasticook, a tributary of the Kennebec, for the first time since the early 1800s. The town of Benton, on the Sabasticook, still holds a historic right to harvest alewives. The town decided to exercise its right, and contracted the alewife harvest out to a commercial harvester for a fee this year. The alewife harvest employed several people, generated funds for the town, and much of the harvest was sold to lobsterman for bait.

Likewise, alewives were also harvested on Vassalboro’s Webber Pond this year for the first time in centuries.

ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS

Of Edwards Dam Removal

“The thing about the Kennebec is that it’s so diverse.  We saw uncountable numbers of brown trout, we caught alewives, as many small mouth bass as we wanted and an unbelievable number of stripers.  We also saw eagles and osprey.  With its gravel bars, ledges and waterfalls, the river is beautiful.” – Bob Dionne, Aardvark Outfitters

 Water Quality has Significantly Improved

Water quality improves dramatically.  Before Edwards Dam was removed, the impoundment could not meet minimum water quality standards and could not begin to support a healthy river ecosystem.  Just months after the removal of Edwards dam, state scientists documented a dramatic improvement in water quality. The river has been officially upgraded to class B to reflect the improvement in river health.

 Fish and Anglers alike will welcome the dramatic increase in mayflies and stoneflies.  Mayflies and stoneflies, rarely seen in samples before the removal of Edwards, have dramatically increased in numbers.  

Migratory Fish are Returning

Alewives can now swim freely to the top of the Sebasticook River, 70 miles upstream from the former Edwards Dam. State fisheries biologists estimate that two million alewives returned to the Kennebec in 2009, which means it is among the largest river-herring runs in the United States! The Sebasticook River is the largest tributary of the Kennebec and enters the Kennebec at Winslow. Since 1999, fishways have been built at the two dams on the Sebasticook, at Benton and Burnham, and at the outlet of Sebasticook Lake in Newport. Alewives can now swim the entire length of the Kennebec and Sebasticook to their historic spawning grounds in the many lakes and ponds of the 1,000 square mile Sebasticook River watershed. The large historic alewife run of the Seven Mile Stream watershed in Vassalboro, at Webber Pond and Three Mile Pond, is now nearing full restoration, with the completion this year of a fishway at the outlet of Webber Pond.

American shad, the "poor man's salmon," are now travelling by the thousands upriver to Waterville and Winslow, where they have created a new recreational fishery at Fort Halifax park. American shad can reach 3 feet long and over 10 pounds. Kennebec River shad are now successfully spawning at many locations along the Kennebec from Waterville to Augusta, using habitat that was inaccessible and unusable before the removal of the Edwards Dam. With fish passage now in place on the Sebasticook River, American shad have access to their entire historic habitat on the Kennebec's largest tributary.

Atlantic salmon, the Kennebec's most famous and most endangered fish are increasing in number at Waterville, where the adults are trapped and transported to their prime coldwater spawning grounds in the Sandy River. In 2006, Kennebec River Atlantic salmon swam and spawned in the Sandy River for the first time in 150 years. It is believed there are fewer than 50 Atlantic salmon returning to the Kennebec each year. Salmon were documented spawning in the Kennebec River above the Edwards Dam site as soon as the dam was removed. Kennebec River Atlantic salmon are now protected under the U.S. Endangered Species Act.

Sea lamprey, have sucker like mouths that allowed some of them to climb up over the Edwards Dam before it was removed. Sea lamprey are vitally important native fish of the Kennebec which serve as food for adult and juvenile bald eagles and dig immense spawning beds in river gravel which assist female Atlantic salmon during their own spawning chores. The number of sea lamprey has dramatically increased since the Edwards Dam was removed and they are now a common sight at Ticonic Falls in Waterville during their early June spawning migration.

Striped bass, an angler’s favorite, known in Maine to reach up to 67 pounds, have become the principal recreational fishery in Waterville and Winslow, 18 miles above the former Edwards Dam, and all along the river reach in Sidney, Vassalboro and Augusta.

American eel, the Kennebec's most abundant sea-run fish, now have full and safe access up and down the Kennebec River from Waterville to the sea and free access up the entire Sebasticook River. American eel populations have declined dramatically in the United States in recent years and have recently been considered for listing under the U.S. Endangered Species Act. American eel still suffer severe mutilation and mortality at the remaining hydroelectric dams on the Kennebec River. In contrast to the Kennebec, the owners of the two hydroelectric dams on the Sebasticook River have installed state of the art, fish-friendly turbine bypass systems that do not kill migrating eels.

Atlantic sturgeon, the Kennebec's largest fish, reaching over 10 feet in length, are now regularly seen leaping out of the river from Augusta to Waterville during their mid-summer spawning migrations. Atlantic sturgeon is a candidate species for protection under the U.S. Endangered Species Act.

Shortnose sturgeon, the smaller cousin of the Atlantic sturgeon, now swim all the way to Ticonic Falls in Waterville, their historic migration limit, to spawn during the spring. Prior to the removal of the Edwards Dam, scientists were unsure if both sturgeon species would use the entire restored 18 mile reach of the Kennebec. The sturgeons have now answered this question. Shortnose sturgeon is protected under the U.S. Endangered Species Act.

Blueback herring, which closely resemble the alewife but spawn in rivers, rather than ponds, have now re-occupied their entire historic habitat in the Kennebec River from Waterville to Augusta and are increasing in number. Bluebacks spawn in June in the Kennebec's shallow riffles and rapids, which have been restored to their natural condition by the removal of the Edwards Dam. Reaching a length of 10 inches, blueback herring are the primary early summer food source for striped bass, osprey, great blue heron and cormorants.

Edwards Dam and the Kennebec River—A Timeline

1834          Maine citizens, fearing decimation of fisheries populations, protest against the concept of a dam in Augusta when it is first proposed in legislative authorization several years before the dam is even built.

1837    Kennebec River Dam Co. builds dam below the head of tide in Augusta.  Construction includes locks for boat passage and fish ladder.  Operator changes name to Kennebec Locks & Canal Company.

1838    Fish ladder washed away in spring flood.  Dam’s owners refuse to rebuild fish passage.

1939    Major breach of dam.

1842 - 1846 Dam powers 7 saw mills, a grist mill, and a machine shop.

1846    Major breach of dam.

1855    Major breach of dam.

1868    Saw mill and grist mill destroyed by fire.

1870    Major breach of dam.  Dam rebuilt to current configuration.

1882    Ownership changes to Edwards Manufacturing Company.  Large textile mill employing 700+ workers built on west shore.  Dam provides mechanical power for the textile mill.

1903    Eight water wheels in operation providing mechanical power by means of shafts, pulley, and belts.

1913    First electrical generators installed.

1973    Bates Manufacturing sells its Edwards Division to Miller Industries saving 800 area jobs.   Edwards name goes with the sale.

1974    -50' of dam washes out in winter flood. 

1975        Dam repaired despite pleas from fisheries biologists.

1980's  Textile mill ceases operation.  All workers laid off. 

1984    Edwards Manufacturing Co. signs 15-year contract to sell electricity at approximately 3 times market price to Central Maine Power. 

1986    Maine Department of Marine Resources initiates fisheries restoration for alewife.

1987   

·        Kennebec Hydro Developers Group (seven up-river dams) signs fisheries restoration agreement with State of Maine with commitments to restore alewife, American shad, and Atlantic salmon.  Edwards refuses to participate.

·        Kennebec River Anglers Coalition formed to advocate for dam removal and fisheries restoration.

1988    Edwards installs experimental fish pump to assist KHDG fisheries restoration effort.

·        Kennebec Coalition (American Rivers, the Atlantic Salmon Federation, the Natural Resources Council of Maine, Trout Unlimited and its Kennebec Valley Chapter) formed to advocate for dam removal through the federal relicensing process.

·        Massive fire destroys the closed textile mill buildings at the site.

·        Hydro generation equipment rebuilt following fire.  Remains of mill buildings demolished.

1991   

·        Edwards applies for new 50 year license to expand capacity from 3.5 to 11.5 megawatts.

·        Governor McKernan calls for dam removal.

·        Maine Legislature adopts resolve calling for dam removal.

1992    City of Augusta becomes co-licensee with Edwards Manufacturing Company with a contract that provides 3% of gross revenues to the city.

1993    Edwards and Augusta’s Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) license to operate the dam expires.  Dam continues to operate on annual permits pending action on license application.

1994    FERC issues new policy concluding it has authority to deny an application for relicensing and to order a dam removed at the dam owner’s expense.  Edwards and Augusta object.   

1995    Edwards/Augusta withdraw their proposed 11 megawatt expansion and amend their application to maintain status quo electrical capacity.

1996   

·        FERC issues preliminary recommendations to relicense the dam with fish passage.

·        US Fish & Wildlife service specifies $9 million fish passage design.

·        Kennebec Coalition files extensive comments on FERC recommendations.

1997    FERC reverses preliminary decision as Final Environmental Impact Statement recommends dam removal, ruling that economic and environmental benefits of dam removal exceed hydropower benefits.  FERC orders dam removal at owner’s expense.  Edwards/Augusta begin the appeals process.

May 26, 1998: 

·        Settlement agreement signed.

o       State of Maine will accept the dam from the Edwards Manufacturing Co. on January 1, 1999;

o       State of Maine will remove the dam with funds provided by Bath Iron Works and from upriver KHDG dam owners;

o       Settlement provides for extended anadromous fisheries restoration program.

o       Settlement establishes a new working partnership between the State of Maine and the City of Augusta for improvements on the Kennebec River waterfront.

January 1, 1999: State of Maine acquires the site.

February 25, 1999: All generating equipment sold at public auction.

Late May, 1999:  Contractor began mobilization of equipment for dam removal.

Memorial Day, 1999:  Hundreds of thousands of sea-run fish gather below the Edwards dam on their spring spawning migration, unable to reach their upstream spawning habitat.

July 1, 1999:  Dam is breached.

Fall, 1999: With the dam fully removed, striped bass are caught by anglers for the first time in over  160 years in Waterville. Atlantic salmon, sturgeon and other sea run fish have free swim access to an additional 18 miles of the Kennebec River.

May, 2000:

• FERC denies industry’s requests for rehearing of Edwards removal orders thus affirming FERC’s right to remove the dam.
• Shad, alewives, two species of sturgeon and striped bass arrive in Waterville 18 miles above the old Edwards dam site taking advantage of the new free flowing Kennebec.
• A “fish pump” is installed at the Ft. Halifax Dam to provide passage for alewife into the Sebasticook River watershed; 125,586 river herring pumped and trucked to upstream habitat.

2006: 

·        Lockwood Dam fish lift constructed and operational in Waterville to provide passage to upper portions of the  Kennebec River. 4094 river herring and 15 sea-run Atlantic salmon are lifted in the first year.  Shad do not use the fish lift, although they are caught nearby by anglers.

·        Fish lifts constructed and operational at the Benton Falls and Burnham Dams on the Sebasticook, although they remain largely unused because fish passage at Fort Halifax Dam is not yet completed.

2007:  

• The Lockwood Dam fish lift passes 3,448 river herring, 15 Atlantic salmon, and 18 shad.
• At Fort Halifax, the fish pump lifts 461,412 river herring.

2008:

• In its final year of operation, the Fort Halifax fish pump lifts 401,331 river herring.
• The Lockwood Dam fish lift passes 93,775 river herring, 22 Atlantic salmon, and no shad.
• Fort Halifax Dam is removed to provide fish passage at the mouth of the Sebasticook River.

2009:

·     With Fort Halifax Dam removed, 593,465 river herring pass through the fish lift at Benton Falls in the first week of May.  By mid-June, 1,287,630 river herring have passed upstream.

·     In May, the towns of Benton and Vassalboro begin the first town-managed river herring commercial harvests since Edwards Dam was constructed, restoring a long dormant local tradition.

Judy Berk * JBerk@NRCM.org * www.nrcm.org * Natural Resources Council of Maine * 3 Wade Street Augusta, ME 04330 * 207-430-0103 * 800-287-2345 ext 203 * fax 207-622-4343