After years of deliberations, a Camden committee has recommended that the town remove the downtown Montgomery Dam ahead of a vote on the matter next spring.
The Megunticook River Citizens Advisory Committee voted 8-1 to approve a recommendation for fully removing the 254-year-old dam, which will be presented to the Select Board on Tuesday, according to information that will be presented to the panel.
The committee argued that fully removing the dam is the best option for a few reasons, including the financial burden of rebuilding and maintaining it, the increased flood risk that would come with keeping it and the hindrance it now creates to marine species that would benefit from a free-flowing river.
Local voters will likely decide in June on whether to fully remove, partially remove or fully reconstruct Montgomery Dam.
The advisory committee had previously planned to put the vote on the dam’s future to voters last November, but delayed the decision to allow more time for accepting feedback and information.
The future of the Montgomery Dam has been contested in Camden, with some residents arguing that it should be preserved given its historical role in the center of town, including its proximity to the scenic Harbor Park that was designed by the famous architect Frederick Law Olmsted Jr. and his half-brother, John Charles Olmsted.
The debate — like another one that has been underway over the fate of a historic dam in Dover-Foxcroft — has underscored that it’s often much less expensive for communities to remove dams given the funding available for that work, even though residents may have strong attachments to them for cultural, historic or economic reasons. In Dover-Foxcroft’s case, the town is now facing a steep tax hike after the town voted to retain the Mayo Mill Dam.
In Camden, the Megunticook River Citizens Advisory Committee argued that the Montgomery Dam and three others on the lower portion of the river — Knox Mill Dam, Knowlton Street Dam and the Powder Mill ruins — once were integral to local industry, but no longer serve their original purposes. It also noted that the dams no longer play a role in controlling floods, supplying water or generating power.
At the same time, the committee argued in its recommendation that keeping the Montgomery Dam would be more harmful for water quality and marine life, including the fish species that seasonally swim up the river.
The town previously received a $1.6 million grant from the National Coastal Resilience Fund to help with planning for flooding and fish passages along the Megunticook River.
If fish passage is restored in the area of the Montgomery Dam, the committee said, it would be easier for the town to seek funding for removing the three other dams and making upgrades to others that are further up the river: the Seabright Dam and East and West dams
“Therefore, choosing to fully restore the Montgomery Dam equates to costly management not only for the Montgomery Dam, but also for the upstream dams,” the committee said in its report.
The committee also argued that removal of the dam and restoration of a natural river system would be consistent with the mission of the Olmsteads, who designed Harbor Park and “were pioneers in sustainable design and conservation who championed human connection to nature.”
“Seamless integration of the river into the surrounding landscape can enhance the aesthetic appeal to locals, property owners, and tourists alike, and play an integral role in maintaining the picturesque beauty for which Camden is known,” the committee said.