October 27, 2010 - removing Maine dams, or not

Fall foliage over Center Pond, in Phippsburg, Maine.  Center Pond was a tidal marsh that was dammed years ago to facilitate the commercial production of ice.  It's a fine place to paddle.

Dam removal is a hot topic.  On the Olympic Peninsula of Washington, two large dams are currently slated for removal.  In Maine, a number of dams have been removed in the past twenty-five years.  The Maine DEP maintains a list of Maine dams that either have been removed (PDF) or are "currently proposed or under study for removal".  This list presents their status as of January 1, 2010.

Twenty dams are cited as having been removed by that date:

	DAM NAME	LOCATION	AFFECTED WATERS	YEAR REMOVED
1.	Milton Leatherboard Lower Dam	Lebanon, ME & Milton, NH	Salmon Falls River	1986
2.	Bolster’s Mill Dam	Harrison & Otisfield	Crooked River	1987-88
3.	Columbia Falls Dam	Columbia Falls	Pleasant River	1988
4.	Bangor Dam	Bangor & Brewer	Penobscot River	1995
5.	Mast Point Dam	Berwick, ME & Somersworth, NH	Salmon Falls River	1997
6.	Grist Mill Dam	Hampden	Souadabscook Stream	1998
7.	Temple Mill Dam	Hampden	Souadabscook Stream	1999
8.	Brownville Dam	Brownville	Pleasant River	1999
9.	Edwards Dam	Augusta	Kennebec River	1999
10.	East Machias Dam	East Machias	East Machias River	2000
11.	Mill Dam	Corinna	East Branch Sebasticook River	2000-01
12.	Sennebec Dam	Union	St. George River	2002
13.	Main Street Dam	Newport	Sebasticook River	2002
14.	Smelt Hill Dam	Falmouth	Presumpscot River	2002
15.	Sandy River Dam	Norridgewock & Starks	Sandy River	2006
16.	Fort Halifax Dam	Winslow	Sebasticook River	2008
17.	Fields Pond Dam	Orrington	Sedunkedunk Stream	2008
18.	Sherman Lake Dam	Newcastle	Marsh River	2009

19.	Mill Pond Dam	Brewer	Sedgunkedunk Stream	2009
20.	Little River Dam	Lisbon & Topsham	Little River	2009

To these, 2010 has brought at least two additions: the Montsweag Dam, on Montsweag Brook in Wiscasset and Woolwich.  You can watch 19 days worth of demolition work on that dam in a 3-minute time-lapse Youtube video.  Also gone in 2010 is the West Winterport dam on Marsh Stream in Winterport and Frankfort.