Dover-Foxcroft enters into agreement with partners to facilitate Mayo Mill Dam removal, river restoration
DOVER-FOXCROFT – Following years of thoughtful analysis, research and leadership by many people in town, on June 10 the people of Dover-Foxcroft voted to authorize the select board to work with external partners to remove the Mayo Mill Dam and restore the town’s riverfront. At its Aug. 25 meeting the select board formalized that agreement with two nonprofit organizations: The Nature Conservancy in Maine and the Atlantic Salmon Federation.
Through this agreement, TNC and ASF will work with the town to secure funding and provide project management throughout the dam removal and restoration process. This will include direct support to the town in fundraising, developing final design and engineering plans for construction, preparing and submitting the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission license exemption surrender application, obtaining all local, state and federal permits and overseeing the dam removal construction and riverbank revitalization.
MAYO MILL DAM — Following June’s vote to authorize the Dover-Foxcroft Select Board to work with external partners to remove the Mayo Mill Dam and restore the riverfront, the board has formalized an agreement with The Nature Conservancy in Maine and the Atlantic Salmon Federation. Through this agreement, the organizations will work with the town to secure funding and provide project management throughout the dam removal and restoration process.
The first phase of project activities is supported through funding and technical assistance from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries Office of Habitat Conservation. While an exact timeline is hard to predict, the first step will be to work through the submission and acceptance of the FERC license exemption surrender application, which is expected to take between one and three years.
“We expect the earliest that dam removal construction will take place is summer 2028,” said Alsina Brenenstuhl, Dover-Foxcroft town manager. “The select board and I are committed to providing regular, open communication about the status of the project as we move through this process, and to ensuring community members have ample opportunities to participate in discussions and planning around river access, landscape design and other potential riverfront improvements.”
“We are pleased to partner with the Town of Dover-Foxcroft in support of a vibrant, healthy future for both the town and the Piscataquis River,” said Eileen Bader Hall, freshwater restoration manager with The Nature Conservancy. “Major changes to local infrastructure are always complex, but we are optimistic this project will provide a wide range of new and valuable benefits and opportunities for the town and the river alike.”
“The Piscataquis River continues to remain a top priority for Atlantic salmon recovery efforts, providing the greatest quality and quantity of critical habitat for this endangered species in the entire Penobscot River watershed,” said Jon Viti, Piscataquis River project manager with the Atlantic Salmon Federation. “ASF is pleased to support the advancement of the Mayo Mill Dam removal project.”