by
Dusti Faucher
(photo Friends of the Presumpscot)
It seems like the most natural thing in the world, water flowing
quickly over rocks…forming little eddies and pools as it
makes its way from its source to the sea. But since we harnessed
rivers and streams for our own uses, the natural flows of many
streams do anything but flow quickly and abundantly as nature designed
them to do.
to
Maine’s shores, we have used the awesome power of rivers
to improve our lives. When there were no alternatives to using
water power to grind our flour and mill the logs necessary for
homes and businesses, it was logical to build as many dams and
pull as much water from streams as needed to make our cites and
towns flourish. Now we are beginning to see a shift in the paradigm,
where we value rivers not only for what they can do for us, but
for their intrinsic value and for their value to the creatures
that live in the rivers or depend on them for survival.
once
a rocky, swiftly moving river that bombed its way down from Sebago
Lake, is one river whose flows are drastically changed from the
river’s historic and natural course. Smelt Hill dam, at
the head of tide on the Presumpscot River, was removed in the
fall of 2002. This dam, built by Colonel Westbrook in 1735 as
the first dam in Maine, changed the way water flowed in the Presumpscot
for 268 years by blocking fish passage, altering the river’s
character and diminishing the food sources for Native Americans
and settlers alike.
of
Smelt Hill dam, the river flows once again over Presumpscot Falls
in the same manner it did in 1735. The reemerging pools and eddies
are shelter for fish and the water is filled with oxygen as it
tumbles over the rocks and ledges. It no longer blocks passage
for migratory fish that swim up the river to spawn in the spring,
or for larger predatory fish that chase the schools of smaller
fish as a food source. Water levels are lower than the flooded
conditions that once existed in the pond behind the dam, causing
less shoreland erosion and less warming of the water temperatures.
The lower segment of the river, above the former dam site, has
two significant tributaries, the Piscataqua River and Mill Brook,
distributing the fisheries into a larger portion of the watershed.
These streams provide habitat and passage for several species
such as alewives, American shad and Atlantic salmon, that could
not migrate upstream before dam removal. |
 dam is gone, the Presumpscot
has eight more dams, which have altered the river. Its character
is now that of a slow moving series of ponds, home to a small
warm water fishery instead of its historical population of
coldwater and migratory fish. Several waterfalls and rapids
are flooded by the ponds behind the dams, and the natural aeration
of the river is lost.
the
most populated land area in Maine, including
its fastest growing communities such
as Windham, Gorham and Falmouth, as well
as the city of Portland. While the surrounding
towns are densely populated in some areas,
the shores of the Presumpscot are not
very built-up. There are small pockets
of development, but large tracts of land
are in farm fields or woodlands. As the
towns in the watershed look to the future,
the protection and restoration of this
watershed is critical in maintaining
a sense of why we live in Maine. The
Presumpscot is situated where it can
contribute greatly to the economy and
enjoyment of thousands of people, especially
those who would not have the opportunity
to travel significant distances to the
North Woods to enjoy unspoiled nature
and fisheries. Restoration of its nature
features, preservation of riparian land
and its migratory populations will enhance
the rest of the Presumpscot as it has
the lower river since Smelt Hill dam’s
removal.
(photo Friends of the
Presumpscot)
mirrors
so much of Maine and New England’s
history: Indian wars with settlers over
the building of dams and taking of land,
the loss of fisheries as food to the
inland settlers due to dams and the blocking
of migratory fish, the conversion of
the mechanical power of the rivers into
hydroelectric power for the industrial
age. And now finally, the realization
that we need these rivers for more than
waste disposal and power generation;
that the watershed, including the river,
the lakes and the oceans are all connected;
that what we do to one has an impact
on the rest; and that we need nature
to sustain us as people.
P.O. Box 223
S. Windham, ME 04082
FOPR@presumpscotriver.org
www.pre-maine.org
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