Veazie Dam removal begins
Photo/Bridget Besaw, Courtesy Penobscot River Restoration Trust
Demolition of the Veazie Dam, pictured above, is scheduled to begin today. It is the lowermost dam on the Penobscot River and proponents of its removal say it will restore hundreds of acres of natural fish habitat connected to the Gulf of Maine.
Workers from Stillwater-based Sargent Corp. will begin demolition work today on the Veazie Dam, the farthest downriver dam on the Penobscot River.
The Penobscot River Restoration Trust, which crafted with several stakeholders a plan for removing dams and installing fish passage structures along the Penobscot River, said in a press release that the Veazie Dam is the last remaining barrier to connecting the river with the Gulf of Maine. That dam has been in place for almost 200 years and its demolition, the trust said, will restore 1,000 miles of habitat for endangered species such as Atlantic salmon, shortnose and Atlantic sturgeon and 10 other species of native sea-run fish.
The trust successfully removed the Great Works Dam in June 2012 as part of the project to restore fisheries and provide other cultural, economic, recreational and wildlife benefits while maintaining or even increasing hydropower generation on the river
The Bangor Daily News reported the demolition project could last through next summer.
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