CAMDEN —  The nine-member citizen advisory committee that has spent almost two and half years studying the Megunticook River, its dams, and the health of its 32-square-mile watershed has finalized its findings and recommendations in a report that was submitted Feb. 15 to the Camden Select Board in anticipation of its regularly scheduled Feb. 18 meeting.

"We, the Megunticook River Citizens Advisory Committee, in an 8-1 decision, are recommending full removal of the Montgomery Dam, creating a free-flowing river that reduces damage to the shoreline and complies with Camden Public Library’s Statement on Harbor Park from April of 2024," the Recommendation Summary reads. "This recommendation aligns with our mission of preserving and improving the sustainability and resiliency of the Megunticook River and its watershed and is based on close examination of environmental, ecological, financial, aesthetic, historical, cultural, and community input considerations."

The Montgomery Dam is one of seven dams on the Megunticook River is closest to Camden Harbor, just below Main Street and several storefronts.

On Tuesday evening, Feb. 18, the Board will consider the committee's report, and where to proceed with the recommendations. Read the Megunticook River Citizens Advisory Committee Report in the Select Board's premeeting packet.

It is a weighty report, complete with appendices and a list of potential funding sources, and reflects the time and effort the committee took to research, listen and debate environmental, cultural, social and economic aspects of the river watershed. The committee noted in its report that it has held 34 meetings since September 2022, all open to the public, "recorded, and published online," the report said.

The committee substantiates its Montgomery Dam recommendation by saying its continued existence at the head of Camden Harbor, where the 3.5 mile-long Megunticook River empties into the ocean, blocks fish, traps sediment, degrades water quality and disrupts watershed continuity.

"A river impounded by the dam lacks aquatic habitat quality and diversity," the report said. "Its removal would restore sea-run fish habitat for alewives, Atlantic salmon, and brook trout, and provide the greatest potential for recovery of ecological health in the Megunticook Watershed. Removal also aligns with Maine's current broader commitment to ecosystem recovery and supports the cultural and economic significance of sustainable fisheries in the Gulf of Maine."

The Montgomery Dam has been the topic of discussion since 2018, when the idea of removing the Montgomery Dam was floated. But the debate heated up in 2021, when a municipally commissioned 200-plus page Megunticook River Feasibility Report included a recommendation to remove several dams — the Knox Mill, Knowlton Street, Powder Mills and Montgomery dams.

That report had followed a 2019 Feasibility/Alternatives Analysis Report, Montgomery Dam, Megunticook River, which described the Montgomery Dam as, "a low hazard structure in a degrading condition, requiring repair or management to address its structural deficiencies. The dam influences upstream flooding patterns, and requires frequent management by Town staff to control the potential for flooding impacts to upstream structures.

"There is evidence of a historical population of sea‐run fish in the river, but there is no fish passage presently available at the site. A series of additional dams fragment the Megunticook River watershed between Montgomery dam and headwater areas including Megunticook Lake."

The agenda for the Feb. 18 Select Board meeting places the  Megunticook River Citizens Advisory Committee recommendation on Montgomery Dam as an action item.

The committee said in its report: "This decision is rooted in a comprehensive evaluation of available alternatives, with a focus on the broader benefits for Camden’s ecosystem, economy, community, and infrastructure. We carefully considered the full range of technical reports and research expert-led presentations, as well as community input.

"The Montgomery Dam, originally constructed to support industrial operations, no longer serves its original function and now poses significant ecological and financial burdens. The dam acts as a barrier to migratory fish species such as alewives, brook trout, and Atlantic salmon, disrupting vital spawning cycles and reducing river health and biodiversity. The dam also degrades water quality by trapping sediment, causing mud buildup, and warming the river water, further harming aquatic life."

The committee membership consists of Ray Andresen, Courtney Cease, Deb Chapman, Elphie Owen, Ellen Reynolds, Tyler Smith, Seth Taylor, Rick Thackeray and Susan Todd.

Read their individual statements here.