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In her May 14 letter in the Bangor Daily News about the Megunticook River, Jo Ann Simon decries the potential destruction of a man-made dam as part of the restoration of the river. Simon states that “there is no demonstrated history of the Megunticook ever being a river used by migratory fish because of the granite ledge at its foot inhibiting the passage of fish,” and her letter links to a feasibility report. The study actually says the opposite of what she claims.
True — the Montgomery Dam diverts water over a bedrock ledge, preventing fish from swimming upstream. What Simon does not say is that this is not the historic path of the river. The same report cited indicates that the river was diverted from its historic path — now buried beneath parts of Harbor Park. The same report points out that “the natural channel would have flowed down the more gently sloped approaches to the harbor that surround the bed rock outcrop.” It continues: “there are lines of evidence which suggest that the river conditions supported sea‐run fish, including the ability for the fish to ascend from the harbor upstream through the watershed to the headwater lakes” and “there is evidence that an alewife run existed historically.”
I respect the opinion of those who prefer a man-made structure and associated waterfall over the restoration of a natural river system. And I believe that a restored Megunticook River, along with a restored fish migration, would be an even greater asset to the town and the watershed.
John Morrison
Hope
