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AUGUSTA — The Maine Department of Marine Resources and Brookfield Renewable are holding a public hearing on the Kennebec River Managment Plan amendment, which updates the 1993 plan for the river and looks at possible removal of dams owned by Brookfields Renewables on the river between Waterville and Skowhegan.
The hearing will take place at 3 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 16, on Microsoft Teams. For information about registering for the meeting, visit the meeting page on the Department of Marine Resources website.
The hearing will include a brief overview of the proposal, and members of the public will have an opportunity to ask clarifying questions. The department will then take comment from those persons wishing to provide feedback
The goals of the original plan were to restore and enhance populations of shortnose sturgeon, Atlantic sturgeon, striped bass and rainbow smelt to historical habitat in the Kennebec River, including the segment from Edwards Dam (in Augusta) to the Lockwood Project (in Waterville) by removing Edwards Dam, which was done in 1999. It also aimed to restore and enhance American shad populations in the river by achieving an annual production of 725,000 shad above Augusta; and restore and enhance alewife populations in the Kennebec by achieving an annual production of 6.0 million alewives above Augusta.
While some parts of the project have been successful, others have been slow. The amendment expands the target species to include all of Maine’s native diadromous fish; updates descriptions of the physical, biological and ecological conditions in the watershed; revises goals, objectives and actions for restoration in the Kennebec River; provides a rational to decommission and remove dams; and provides performance standards for target species when available.
The state will submit the amendment to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission as a Comprehensive Management Plan Amendment once it’s completed. The deadline for written comment from the public by Feb. 26.
