The Penobscot River Restoration Project is a collaborative effort aimed at balancing fisheries restoration and hydropower production in Maine's largest watershed. As a founding member of this project, the Natural Resources Council of Maine (NRCM) has played a crucial role in its success. The project has opened up 2,000 miles of rivers and streams to sea-run fish, such as Atlantic salmon and shad, while maintaining hydropower production. It involved the removal of two dams that had blocked fish migrations for over a century and the construction of an innovative bypass around another dam, allowing fish to access historic habitat.
Completed in 2016, the Penobscot River Restoration Project has significantly improved access for sea-run fish to their historic river and stream habitat. The removal of the Great Works Dam and the Veazie Dam, along with the construction of a bypass channel around the Howland Dam, has opened up the lower Penobscot and allowed fish to reach nearly 2,000 miles of their habitat. The project has also resulted in increased hydropower production at other sites, ensuring a balance between restoration efforts and energy needs. Communities are now benefiting from the ecological and economic advantages of this innovative river restoration project.
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