BANGOR DAILY NEWS • December 7, 2020
Eight years ago, relicensing of the Ellsworth Hydro Project began. This project consists of Ellsworth and Graham dams and Leonard Lake and Graham Lake. The path forward remains uncertain and, absent a balanced solution, removal of the dams may be an unfortunate but necessary outcome. For 2021, we are voluntarily implementing a summer drawdown limitation of 4.5 feet for Graham Lake. Our relicensing proposal includes multimillion-dollar investments for robust upstream and downstream fish passage systems at the dams. However, if a water quality certification is not issued, we would be forced to consider decommissioning both dams. ~ Tom Uncher, Brookfield Renewable