YARMOUTH — The Town Council will host a public hearing Thursday evening on the possibility of removing two dams in the Royal River to restore its natural flow into Casco Bay.

Five of seven councilors agreed in December that the town-owned dams – one just above Bridge Street and one just below East Elm Street – should be removed. Two councilors weren’t at the meeting.

Thursday’s council meeting will be at 7 p.m. in the Log Cabin on Main Street.

If the council decided to remove the dams, the town would still need to secure funding and permission from several government agencies, Woods said.

Town leaders have been seriously considering the idea of removing the dams for several months.

The granite and concrete barriers, which create a lake effect in the river, once served industries that occupied its banks in the past.

Municipal officials dropped the water level to inspect the Bridge Street dam last summer and advocates for removing the dams recently held two informational forums.