#brookfieldrenewable — Public Fediverse posts on home.social

Plans unveiled for removal of #BarMillsDam on #SacoRiver

#Brookfield is seeking public comment on its latest proposal to remove all parts of the dam that are visible from the Main Street bridge in #BuxtonME and #HollisME

by Madeleine Kaptein, June 30, 2026

"Brookfield White Pine Hydro, the Maine branch of #BrookfieldRenewable Partners, rolled out its latest plan for decommissioning the Bar Mills Project dam in Buxton and Hollis to the public last week. The company intends to conduct a full removal rather than the partial removal it proposed in 2022.

"The dam, which sits in the Saco River on the Hollis-Buxton border, has not operated since 2017, when it was found to have concrete issues that prevented it from generating electricity. The company had to decide whether to repower the station, reconstruct the powerhouse and install a fish passage, or surrender and remove the project. It chose to surrender.

"Brookfield is preparing to file its application in the fall for federal, state and local permits to move forward with the decommissioning work. It is seeking feedback on its new plan for the remainder of the summer. Initial questions and comments were heard at a public meeting at the Hollis Town Hall on June 25.

[...]

"[My hero] Rita Bradbury spoke at the meeting about concerns about the type of revegetation that will occur in the area, particularly invasive species like #JapaneseKnotweeds that she has seen year after year growing near Usher Island.

" 'I’d like to see a plan from Brookfield where you take it seriously that we don’t want to have an open area for invasive species,' she said. 'I’d like to see a wetland biologist involved so that the right things would grow at the right places and maybe see if there could be a replanting of #NativeSpecies.'

"She also called on Brookfield to remove every part of the dam that it is not using, including the powerhouse spillway, to protect the natural environment and eliminate safety hazards."

Archived version:
https://archive.md/3nhvA

#SolarPunkSunday #DamRemoval #MaineNews #JapaneseKnotweed #NativePlants #Fish #RiverHerring #Alewife #AmericanEel #BrookTrout