Efforts to restore access to the St. Croix River for several sea-run fishes moved a big step closer to reality on Thursday.
The U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee voted 28-0 to approve nearly $7.8 million to replace a failing fishway located at the Woodland Dam, which is owned by Woodland Pulp, an item championed by Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, the top Republican on the panel.
The money is included in the Interior, Environment and Related Agencies appropriations bill. It is awaiting approval by the House of Representatives and Senate.
If approved, the new money will be added to a $2 million grant from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s National Fish Passage Program that was announced in April for the restoration that would help restore heritage fish in the area.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced in November 2022 that it is also providing $5 million for the work at Woodland Dam through the America the Beautiful Challenge, which is a partnership of the Biden-Harris administration and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation.
“Restoring the failing fishway at Woodland Dam on the St. Croix River would allow for greater passage of important species like river herring and American eels, which are critical to the families and communities who rely on the health of Maine’s lobster and elver fisheries,” Collins said.
The St. Croix River forms the eastern boundary between parts of Maine and Canada.
The new fishway, located at the Woodland Pulp mill, will replace a structure installed in the 1960s that is too small, poorly designed, a safety hazard, and hampers fish migration.
It’s expected to give fish that spend parts of their lives both in the ocean and in fresh water the opportunity to to reach spawning areas that were part of their historical habitat.
“This project is an excellent example of balancing restoration efforts with protection of a major regional employer,” said Sean Ledwin, director of the Bureau of Sea Run Fisheries and Habitat for the Maine Department of Marine Resources. “Building this state-of-the-art fish passage at Woodland Dam on the St. Croix River will restore native sea-run fish passage to over 600 miles of historic fish habitat and improve the mill infrastructure at Woodland Pulp, the largest employer in Washington County.”
DMR is working to restore six anadromous species in the St. Croix, giving them access to more than 60,000 acres of habitat. The species affected include alewives, blueback herring, Atlantic salmon, eels and shad, whose populations had declined after a series of dams constructed on the St. Croix prohibited fish from reaching their spawning grounds.
The Woodland Dam efforts will coincide with the removal of the Milltown Dam, located downriver in Calais and St. Stephen, New Brunswick. The dam, owned by New Brunswick Power, was originally built in 1881 to power a cotton mill and was one of the oldest hydroelectric dams in the world, according to a story from CBC.
Taking out the Milltown Dam will restore 10 miles of the St. Croix to fish.