Auburn dam removal begins, aimed at freeing up fish, improving water quality

SUN JOURNAL • August 2, 2026

A little-known dam built in the early 1900s for hydroelectric power generation on the Little Androscoggin River is being dismantled. The $3.5 million project, funded by the federal government, has been in the works since 2018, while the concrete structure has been obstructing the waterway for decades. There are 5 dams on the Little Androscoggin River. As long as the Littlefield Dam is obstructing the river, fish are not able to safely navigate it and water temperature and dissolved oxygen levels are negatively impacted by it. There are over 200 Atlantic salmon habitat units and more than 8,000 acres of potential river herring ponds upstream of the dam. NOAA, the state, and conservation groups say the dam’s removal has the potential to reconnect habitat for sea-run fish species like American shad, blueback herring, alewife, and Atlantic salmon.