Dam decision requires courage
To the editor,
Last Tuesday, I attended a Zoom meeting held by Kennebunk Light and Power. At issue, whether to keep or remove three dams on the Mousam River within Kennebunk. Since KLP found it is no longer economical to produce electricity at these sites, the dams now serve no purpose. They obstruct the flow of the river and the passage of migratory fish to approximately 15 miles of habitat including the river and streams that could serve as spawning grounds.
Maine’s migratory fish number only a small fraction of what they once were. In our area, river herring, excellent bait for lobster and ground fish, are in short supply. Trout and shad, prized by sport fishers are also stymied. You can see hundreds stranded below the dam in spring. These fish have multiplied in other Maine rivers after dams were removed.
About 40 people attended, and the vast majority who spoke favored removing the dams. Several mentioned the high cost of maintaining the dams and the dangers of possible floods. Several years ago, three houses on the Mousam were lost to a flood.
Several agencies and NGOs would likely help pay for removal, if that decision were made, because fish and other wildlife would benefit. While removal would temporarily expose muddy banks, vegetation would cover them in a season. Some said the river would be 18 inches deep, but studies say it would range from 18 to 40 inches even in August. The free flowing river would offer excellent opportunities for kayaking, canoeing and fishing.
Kennebunk Light and Power and the people of Kennebunk have been studying this situation for five years. Now it is time for us to be courageous and say, yes, remove these deteriorating dams. Then we can watch our beloved river return to its natural purpose and beauty.
Victoria Adams
West Kennebunk
Consider dam removal instead of walking away
To the editor,
The trustees of Kennebunk Light and Power are proposing to the federal government that they “surrender in place” the three dams on the Mousam River. Their application suggests that they intend to walk away from their responsibilities. Dam maintenance? They say it will be minimal. Fish passage? Dismissed out of hand.
Worse, they say that the dams have “no environmental impact.” They chose to ignore that the natural state of things is a free flowing river, not an impaired pond with warm, low oxygen water. The natural state is a river with a complex ecosystem that includes sea run fish that cannot now pass the dams.
The Mousam River dams were first created to saw lumber, then to run mills and finally to generate electricity. Now that they have no economic value, the owners (us) should clean up our mess. Consider this analogy. A manufacturer seeks a permit for and then creates a dump for its waste. This waste contains some toxic material. Economics force the manufacturer to close. To avoid costs, the manufacturer asserts that the dump should be allowed to remain – as the dump will have no additional environmental impact.
I have lived in Kennebunk for almost 45 years. I know my neighbors. We are hunters, walkers, fishermen, kayakers, hikers, birdwatchers, bikers and surfers. We care deeply about our environment. We don’t knowingly leave our trash behind. We clean up our messes.
So I have a simple request for the trustees of Kennebunk Light and Power District. I ask that they thoroughly and transparently evaluate the costs and benefits of undoing the damage that the dams have done. Consider fish passage or dam removal instead of walking away from our environmental responsibilities.
Curtis A. Mildner
Kennebunk
Leaving dams to rot is irresponsible
To the editor,
Kennebunk Light and Power District board members and General Manager Todd Shea got an unexpected earful last Tuesday night at the public meeting soliciting input on their dam surrender plan. They’ve proposed to essentially gut the equipment within the Dane Perkins, Twine Mill and Kesslen dams and leave the dams to decay in place.
Twenty-six speakers, most of them Kennebunk residents, strongly advocated for removing the dams to allow the river to run naturally – vs. eight. Representatives from the Maine Department of Marine Resources, Sebago Chapter of Trout Unlimited, National Marine Fisheries Service, and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service spoke either in favor of total dam removal or offered technical assistance to KLPD to pursue that possibility.
Several of these have made sincere overtures in the past, but KLPD has never accepted their substantial and valuable guidance. This is a complex issue and one would think that their professional advice would be welcomed.
The power district’s surrender plan was criticized on a number of fronts. For example, on page 9, it states that gutting and retaining the dams “would have no environmental effects.” Speaker after speaker begged to differ citing numerous studies and personal testimonials of the effects of dams on migratory fish and the river’s diverse habitats.
Other speakers stated their fears for public safety if the dams were abandoned in place and left to slowly disintegrate. A future generation should not be saddled with this responsibility.
Please watch the video of the meeting, available on KLPD’s YouTube channel via their website. After KLPD submits this plan (also available on the website), concerned individuals will have a short time to write to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to state their views.
Gutting the dams and merely leaving them in place is an irresponsible choice and unbelievable in this day and age. As KLPD is rightly surrendering the dams, they should finish the job and take full responsibility for removing them to open the river and restore the health and vitality of the Mousam. It is in Kennebunk and the world’s best interest.
Susan A. Bloomfield
West Kennebunk
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