Local advocates press FERC for stronger fish passage at Brunswick Dam ahead of 2029 relicensing

Chip Speeds, who helped found the local advocacy group Free the Ambro, told about a packed meeting that the upcoming Federal Energy Regulatory Commission relicensing is a “once‑in‑a‑generation” opportunity to improve fish passage at the Brunswick Dam. He asked attendees to participate in the FERC docket and local outreach as studies and agency reviews proceed toward a 2029 licensing decision.

Speeds framed the case around long‑standing monitoring that, he said, shows the existing fishway has fallen far short of its federal goals. “Instead of 85,000 shad, the average over the last 10 years has been only 215 fish, less than 1% of the stated federal goal,” he said, adding that herring counts also trail targets and that very few salmon have been observed above the dam in recent years. Those shortfalls, he said, indicate large populations remain downstream but cannot access historic breeding habitat.

The meeting combined a short video and a presentation that reviewed the river’s history, ecological role and local studies, and then opened for questions from the public. Speeds identified Brookfield Corporation as the dam owner and said the company, which operates widely in Maine hydro, will be a major participant in the relicensing process. He said the site’s annual generation was presented as roughly 90,000 (as stated at the meeting) and described that output as a modest share of statewide demand compared with the potential ecological and recreational benefits of improved passage.

Speeds described a range of technical alternatives on the table, including full removal, nature‑like bypass channels, improved vertical‑slot ladders, fish lifts and redesigned downstream passage. He said removal should be analyzed alongside engineered fishways and stressed that every dam site is unique: “it’s reasonable for FERC to make any future lease contingent on specific fish passage targets,” he told the room.

During audience Q&A, speakers raised sediment release risks from removal, ownership and legal constraints under the federal licensing process, the role of state agencies and water‑quality certification, and the potential leverage of endangered‑species protections for Atlantic salmon. Speeds said state agencies such as the Maine Department of Marine Resources and the Department of Environmental Protection will have input and noted the state’s water‑quality certificate as “probably one of the biggest levers the state has” in conditioning projects.

Speeds also encouraged local engagement: he described an active volunteer effort, partnerships with conservation organizations (including Maine Rivers, Friends of Merrymeeting Bay, Trout Unlimited, American Rivers and Restore), and outreach to town boards and committees in Brunswick and Topsham. He said public comments to FERC on the intermediate study report were being accepted and noted a comment window referenced at the meeting (the presenter cited a deadline of March 2 for a stated year) for input on next‑phase studies.

The meeting closed with organizers urging attendees to sign up to volunteer, follow a Bowdoin College clearinghouse of materials, and submit comments to the FERC docket. Organizers said they will continue to seek technical funding to review designs and to press for clearly measurable passage targets as relicensing proceeds.

Next steps: the relicensing process will continue with further studies and agency review, public comment opportunities on the FERC docket, and additional local outreach by the advocacy group and partner organizations.