SUN JOURNAL • June 19, 2025
The removal of dams on Sabattus River is transforming the ecosystem and the river’s relationship to the surrounding community as old industrial pollution is cleaned up and wildlife habitat restored, state officials say. In 2024, crews completed restoration work at the former Mill Street dam, the southern most of three projects. Remnant concrete was removed from the river channel and a natural fishway was installed. Already, the project is drawing attention as a good spot to observe herring return upstream. Upstream, the Upper Dam was removed in 2022 after sitting unused for years. The most complex work is still ahead between the Upper and Lower dams, where three projects in development are overlapping: the removal of a third dam, cleanup of a No. 6 oil contamination site and the closure of an old landfill near the river. While the oil cleanup is expected to begin this year, dam removal and landfill remediation may take until 2026.