WESTBROOK — Sappi Fine Paper North America is considering removing its dam at Saccarappa Falls, which would open up recreational opportunities on the Presumpscot River while allowing for fish passage, the city announced Wednesday.

The city has applied for a grant from the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration to study the impact of removing the hydroelectric dam, according to a press release from the city.

The Inland Fisheries & Wildlife commissioner in 2009 ordered Sappi to build a fishway at its Cumberland Mills Dam, construction of which began in 2011 and was slated to be finished this spring.

Upon completion of that fishway, Sappi has two years to create fish passage at Saccarappa Falls, the next dam upstream. The company eventually has to create passageways at its four dams beyond that, as well.

The city recently has been focusing on the Presumpscot River as a valuable asset, and created a river walk along it and plans to install docks and ramps for kayakers this spring.

“The Presumpscot River runs through the heart of our community and we think it is the key to our environmental and economic revitalization,” Mayor Coleen Hilton said in the city’s press release.

William Baker, now the assistant city administrator and director of business and community relations, drew attention to the river’s recreational value when he kayaked down Saccarappa Falls as a fundraiser when he was the city’s police chief.

Last spring, Rob Mitchell, a local business owner and avid kayaker, made public his vision for a downtown water park in the river.


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