A peek at part of the New Meadows quahog fleet: Today, I begin a look at Maine's first hydroelectric dam: the Smelt Hill dam on the Presumpscot River in Falmouth. The Presumpscot River is approximately 24 miles long, drains an area of approximately 615 square miles, and flows through the towns of Standish, Gorham, Windham, Westbrook, Falmouth, and Portland. Smelt Hill Dam was located at the head of tide and was the first impediment to anadromous fish passage to the upper reaches of the Presumpscot River. The company treated dam removal as a nonstarter in its years-long court battle with conservation groups over fish passage, said Michael Shaughnessy, president of the Friends of the Presumpscot River. Walking n the left of the hockey rink to the river is the access to the Presumpscot River. Since the removal of the Smelt Hill Dam in Falmouth in 2002, the last 7 miles (11 km) of the river after the Cumberland Mills Dam now flow unimpeded to the ocean. • No other river in Maine has had virtually all of its hydraulic head developed with dams: until the removal of the Smelt Hill dam in 2002, there were 9 dams impounding 22 of 27 miles of the river (see attached Profile of the Presumpscot River). We have canceled the Flash Flood Watch for the Presumpscot River in Cumberland County, ME. The first dam in the series, the Cumberland Mills Dam, is at Sappi’s paper mill in Westbrook. Warren, a subsidiary of South African Pulp and Paper (SAPPI). Fly fishers are cetainly fishing later in … The river is still being fought over. The dam is owned by S.D. The river drops an impressive 270 feet through a series of falls, many of which lay submerged behind numerous dams. At the same time, the city is looking into extending its Riverwalk, which now runs along the southern bank of the Presumpscot, to the other side of the river. Now at the take out at Lincoln Street in Westbrook ME. It flows for about 25 winding miles through the towns of Standish, Windham, Gorham, Westbrook, Falmouth, and Portland before emptying out in Casco Bay. Warren Company (d.b.a “Sappi North America,” otherwise known as “Sappi”), the U.S. Department of the Interior and U.S. I heard from anglers using flies discussed in my books that they were working well including the Cosohammer streamer, brook trout egg patterns, and bright-bead nymphs. • Earliest dam at Presumpscot Falls (site of recent Smelt Hill Dam) in 1732. In the 2007 preliminary agreement, Sappi had agreed by 2011 to remove Cumberland Mills Dam, a non-power water control structure, the farthest dam downstream on the Presumpscot near Westbrook. The lower Presumpscot River flows from Sebago Lake through Cumberland County to Casco Bay. There are eight dams impeding the flow of the river as it makes its way to the ocean, some of which produce hydroelectric power. WESTBROOK — Crews began removing the first of two dam headwalls on the Presumpscot River in Westbrook on Tuesday, allowing water to flow freely over Upper Saccarappa Falls for … The Eel Weir Dam was first built at the outlet of the lake around 1827 and dam was later raised to its present height in 1884. Its woodsy 3.5 miles (5.6 km) of trails had decent views up and down the river. Removal of the dam opened about seven miles of the lower Presumpscot River and its tributary streams for passage of migratory fish, including shad, blueback herring, alewife, rainbow smelt, striped bass, and Atlantic salmon. Looking upstream, the rushing waters from the bottom of the Mallison Falls. Portland Trails has purchased land along this segment of the river to protect it, and trails have been built down to the falls. Share this: Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window) Its name originates from the local Native American word of the Abenaki tribe meaning "many falls" or "many rough places" because prior to dam construction there were at least twelve falls. The Smelt Hill Dam, the first upriver dam from the Martin’s Point Bridge, was removed in 2002, which revealed the Presumpcot Falls for the first time in several hundred years. The threat for a flash flood has diminished but there is still an small chance waters could rapidly rise again. What’s changed at the Cumberland Mills Dam? The Saccarappa Hydroelectric Project, the second dam on southern Maine’s Presumpscot River, is expected to be removed as early as 2020, according to an agreement filed today by project operator S.D. In a milestone for the health of the Presumpscot River and Casco Bay, crews removed the dam at Saccarappa Falls over the summer. The Presumpscot River Dams. Presumpscot River from Falmouth to Westbrook. Since the dam's removal in 2002, the annual run of alewives here has increased to about 70,000. Best trails in Presumpscot River Preserve, Maine 307 Reviews Explore the most popular trails in Presumpscot River Preserve with hand-curated trail maps and driving directions as well as detailed reviews and photos from hikers, campers and nature lovers like you. The removal of the dam structures themselves will not be the end of the work. In 2009, in a proceeding initiated and prosecuted by CLF and the Friends of the Presumpscot River, the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife ordered Sappi to construct a fishway through the dam. It's a series of slow moving pools and ponds with warm water species of fish in most areas. And before all the dams were built, it was home to lots of ocean and landlocked fish. A dam blocked the migration of alewives up Mill Brook, a tributary of the Presumpscot River, for more than 250 years. Westbrook officials held a press conference Monday afternoon to provide an update on the landslide that blocked the Presumpscot River last week, triggering a state of emergency declaration. Be sure to bring a camera! These dams are the Eel Weir Dam, North Gorham Dam, Dundee Dam, Gambo Dam, Little Falls Dam, Mallison Dam, Sacarappa Dam, and Cumberland Mills Dam. (HNN 7/16/07) It also agreed to install fish lifts … Then there are the amenities that are already in place. The Presumpscot River Preserve lies on either side of the former dam site and next to Presumpscot Falls—now flowing freely for the first time since the dam was built. It includes the Presumpscot Falls, which used to be the site of the former Smelt Hill Dam (built 1731). Please be aware that the river geomorphology may change here significantly as the river readjusts. An outdoor hockey rink. The river drops an impressive 270 feet between Sebago Lake and the ocean through a … "So, many trees, bamboo, rocks, and soil that went into the water [is] causing a dam, which obviously we do not want. Nine dams are located on the Presumpscot River. The Eel Weir Project is located at the outlet of Sebago Lake near the cities of Standish and Windham, in Cumberland County, about 14 miles northwest of Portland, Maine. It flows for about 25 winding miles through the towns of Standish, Windham, Gorham, Westbrook, Falmouth, and Portland before reaching the Atlantic Ocean in Casco Bay. Saccarappa Dams 1 and 2, Presumpscot River, Maine This project included the removal of two separate adjacent dams on the Presumpscot River, both originally built in 1911 for hydroelectric power— the Saccarappa Dam 1 (12-foot tall by 239-foot long) and the Saccarappa Dam 2 … It was a busy river all the way back to the Abanakis. The put in to the Presumpscot River below the Mallison Falls Dam in Gorham ME. Removal of the head-of-tide dam at Smelt Hill has opened seven miles of the Lower River, providing habitat for an estimated 6,000 to 24,000 American shad, 78,000 blueback herring, 150,000 to 200,000 alewive and perhaps 25 to 100 Atlantic salmon. Dammed in 1735 and with generating capacity installed in 1889, the Smelt Hill dam was the first hydro dam to be built in Maine. Sebago Lake’s water level is controlled by the Eel Weir Dam at the outlet of the lake and the headwaters of the Presumpscot River. This 60-acre (24.3 ha) nature preserve spanned both sides of the historic Presumpscot River to the river’s edge. The Presumpscot River is the outlet of Sebago Lake. The Presumpscot River originates at the outlet of Sebago Lake and flows in a southeasterly direction for about 25 miles before emptying into the Atlantic Ocean at Casco Bay. At this time, it may be preferable to paddle the other sections of the Presumpscot River. Presumpscot River still has eight dams that change the flow of the river. Ramps with floating docks were installed on the river in the spring of 2013 and quickly put to use by fishermen. The upper Presumpscot River continued to fish well in early December even with the colder water. Saccarappa Dams 1 and 2, Presumpscot River, Maine This project included the removal of two separate, adjacent dams on the Presumpscot River, both originally built in 1911 for hydroelectric power— the Saccarappa Dam 1 (12-foot tall by 239-foot long) and the Saccarappa Dam 2 … Removing the Saccarappa Falls Dam opens five miles of the Presumpscot River to migratory fish for the first time in roughly 200 years. 'Chief Polin is smiling.' Together with instream monitoring, that model concluded that the lower reaches of the Presumpscot River from Cumberland Mills dam to the estuary were not in attainment of class C water quality criteria. The Presumpscot River in southern Maine is only 25.8 miles long, but in that short distance it drops an impressive two hundred and seventy feet. In 1995 a water quality model was developed for the Presumpscot River, from Little Falls dam downstream to the estuary at Martin Point Bridge. Crews start removing dam created by Presumpscot River landslide by Nick Sambides Jr. September 28, 2020 September 29, 2020. For the first time in more than two centuries, the waters of the Presumpscot flowed freely over the falls through the heart of Westbrook. Station Number Station name Date/Time Gage height, feet Dis-charge, ft3/s Long-term median flow 1/20 St. John River Basin The Presumpscot River represents the outlet of Sebago Lake. Note: In the summer of 2019, the Saccarappa Dam in Westbrook was removed, impacting water levels upstream, possibly as far up as Mallison Falls Dam. "We're really lucky that it's been such a dry summer and that the Presumpscot River is relatively controlled with dams, because it can probably hold … The Smelt Hill Dam, erected in 1731, was removed in November 2002. 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