River Restoration Bill Would Entail Many Costs ; Fish-Friendly Dams Are a Laudable Goal, but LD 1528 Pushes Too Hard.

There was a time when diadromous fish – those with life cycles in both salt and fresh water, including alewives, shad and Atlantic salmon – abounded in Maine.

Those fish were important parts of our early economy – until dams posed even greater economic promise. Paper mills and hydroelectric power companies capitalized on the tremendous energy of water flowing through turbines rather than freely through its natural channel.

Unfortunately, turbines, dams and fish did not mix, and many species were decimated as spawning runs became impassable.

A bill before the Legislature, LD 1528, would aim to restore Maine’s diadromous fish populations by requiring that owners of dams in fresh and estuarine (salt-and-fresh) provide “safe and effective upstream and downstream passage” of diadromous fish. The bill also allows hefty fines and the ability of citizens to sue by alleging noncompliance.

A restoration of fish populations would be a benefit to Maine, but LD 1528 is too sweeping an approach. The cost to hydroelectric companies and paper companies such as Sappi Fine Paper in Westbrook is not known, but must be weighed. According to Sappi officials, fish passages can cost in the millions of dollars. Even if that’s a high estimate, a mandate of widespread dam retrofitting could threaten jobs.

In the meantime, progress on river restoration is being made. A recent federal mandate calls for fish passages to be added to five Sappi-owned hydropower dams on the Presumpscot River. Another proposal is looking at a passage on the Cumberland Mills Dam in Westbrook, another Sappi property.

River restoration is a worthy endeavor with many long-term benefits, but we just can’t afford to shackle other interests right now.

(c) 2007 Portland Press Herald. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.