Dam operator says Penobscot River flows met federal requirements during outage

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • July 31, 2026

The operator of the McKay Station hydroelectric facility said water continued to flow into the West Branch of the Penobscot River during Monday’s turbine shutdown, meeting the minimum release requirements under its federal license. The shutdown renewed criticism of Brookfield Renewable’s operations after a similar 2023 shutdown killed fish and aquatic life. Anglers, guides and conservation groups say the latest event again exposed fish to sudden dewatering, while a preliminary estimate suggests thousands of juvenile landlocked salmon may have died.