Project to remove dams on the Royal River in Yarmouth, Maine, is underway
YARMOUTH, Maine —
Work to remove the Bridge Street Dam, penstock, and concrete fishway on the Royal River in Yarmouth is underway.
Site prep began on Wednesday as crews get ready to demolish the dam. Contractors will first divert water away from the construction area and then begin restoration activities on the right side of the river when facing downstream, beginning with removal of the fishway. Crews will next remove the dam and associated impounded sediment, working gradually from river right to river left.
Access to the pedestrian pathway leading to Royal River Park will be closed during the project. Construction at the Bridge Street site is expected to be completed this fall.
Crews will also remove the East Elm Street Dam on the river. Both dams are owned by the town and the entire project is expected to cost about $3.8 million. The goal is to restore the natural river flow and to make it easier for migratory fish to traverse the river and reach other waters.
The Royal River in Yarmouth has been fully dammed for more than 250 years, with those dams once helping power and cool large factories and industry.
In addition to removing the two dams, it is expected that the “middle falls” section of the river (within Royal River Park between the two dams) will need modification due to previous changes for the Forest Paper Company.
The project also includes recreational access improvements on the river like updating two boat launches and establishing a dry hydrant for public safety uses.
Once the dams are removed, water levels upstream of the East Elm Street dam are expected to drop significantly – 5 to 6 feet – immediately adjacent to the current dam and by lesser amounts as the river moves upstream. The lower river level is not expected to extend beyond the Route 9 bridge in North Yarmouth near its intersection with North Road.
The work is being paid for with a combination of state, federal and private foundation grants. The Town Council passed a resolution in favor of dam removal in January of 2025.
In 2012, the remnants of another old dam on the Royal River in Yarmouth were removed after it collapsed. The dam stood for about 100 years and was 12 feet high before it collapsed in 2008, leaving behind dozens of giant granite blocks.