Latest Brookfield Dam Shut-Down Hits West Branch of Penobscot Massive Fish Kills

TROUT UNLIMITED • July 30, 2026

A two-hour dam shut down and sparks from old electric transmission lines at facilities owned and operated by Brookfield Renewable on the West Branch of the Penobscot River triggered fish kills and forest fires this week. This is the latest such event, which is estimated to occur once a year and which kills hundreds of landlocked salmon, the State Fish of Maine.  The latest fish kills and fires renew repeated calls—so far ignored—for improved onsite dam monitoring and staffing, and proper maintenance of aging infrastructure. "Brookfield has shown no inclination to adequately maintain its transmission lines between McKay Station and Millinocket, and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has taken no action to change that since a similar event occurred last summer and many times before,“ said Steve Heinz, Maine Council of Trout Unlimited, representing some 1,500 resident conservationists and sportspersons. “On the current course of inaction, we can unfortunately expect more of the same -- fish kills and forest fires.”