The Town of Camden has been awarded a $5,933,000 grant from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation’s National Coastal Resilience Fund, enabling the town to remove Montgomery Dam, restore the Megunticook River channel, and protect the shoreline along Harbor Park.

On June 10, Camden citizens voted 1,391 to 995 to remove the Montgomery Dam and spillway at the head of Camden Harbor, with the caveat that the project's fiscal responsibility would not fall on property owners through local taxation.

"The Town is authorized to fund the work only from non-property tax revenue sources, e.g., grants and private donations; and 2) Any portion of the project impacting Harbor Park shall be subject to the approval of the Library Board of Trustees as stipulated in the deed of gift from Mary Louise Curtis Bok to the inhabitants of the Town of Camden...." the town's June Town Meeting  Warrant Article 7 read.

Funding for the dam's removal was sought through two grant applications, one with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) Restoring Fish Passage through Barrier Removal program, the other through the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation's Coastal Resilience Fund.

The latter is the grant award that Camden learned recently it will be receiving.

"Receiving the NFWF grant is a monumental step forward for our community," said Camden Public Library Director Kristy Kilfoyle, in a news release issued Dec. 5. "Most importantly, it will ensure flood resilience at the base of Harbor Park and repair this beloved property."

Harbor Park is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as a "contributing resource" to Camden's High Street Historic District. 

The grant launches Camden’s first large-scale implementation phase of its long-term resilience strategy, the release said.

Key project components include:

• Removing Montgomery Dam, and opening the lower river for the first time in more than a century.

• Restoring the natural river channel, with the goal of  improving the system’s ability to handle extreme rain events.

• Revitalizing Harbor Park by constructing a 500-linear-foot hybrid stepped granite and living shoreline to reduce overtopping, absorb wave energy, and reinforce the park's shoreline with a blend of natural materials and engineered stability.

Camden had submitted its NFWF grant application July 17. 

NFWF had $78 million in funding available in its current funding round and is distributing it to 68 projects across the country that protect coastal communities from extreme weather while enhancing habitats, the release said.

"Camden’s project was selected as a top priority for its ability to reduce flood risk and improve ecological function in the Megunticook Watershed," the release said.

“This was an incredibly competitive grant cycle, and Camden’s selection speaks to the importance of this project not just for our community, but as a model for coastal resilience,” said Town Manager Audra Caler. “We are thrilled to bring these federal funds to Camden to solve a long-standing flood risk and restore our river’s health without burdening local taxpayers.”

Although the Town of Camden is providing no direct funding, the project benefits immensely from support from numerous partners and hundreds of hours of volunteer time dedicated by community organizations, committee members, and additional in-kind contributions, the town said. 

Over the next several months, the town will finalize the grant agreement and work with Camden Public Library staff and trustees and other community partners to refine final designs and establish a detailed project schedule.

The period of performance for the grant spans from mid-2026 to late-2028. P

roject updates will post on the town's website, where conceptual designs and feasibility reports are posted now, along with links to the work of the Megunticook River Citizens Advisory Committee, the nine-member committee that led community outreach efforts and recommendations to the Camden Select Board over two years leading up to the town-wide vote on the project.

Visit the Megunticook River Watershed Project Resource Page online.

“We look forward to continuing to work with private property owners and community partners to ensure that the final design, construction, and finished products are something Camden will be proud of for the next hundred years and beyond,” said Caler.