I’m responding to Stephanie Wilson’s letter about the Royal River dams published in the Jan. 29 Northern Forecaster (“Yarmouth residents should vote on dam removal“). Is Ms. Wilson deliberately underinformed or deliberately misleading? Yarmouth Town Council voted 7-0 in favor of dam removal after 13 years of scientific study culminating in the Army Corp’s comprehensive study and removal recommendation publicly released in August 2024. A very open, transparent public outreach and discussion process then followed. The town and Army Corps solicited citizen comments and questions about dam removal for four months at public meetings and online. The town posted all the river studies and detailed FAQ responses on the town website for all to see and read.

By the terms of the council vote on Jan. 2, no town monies can be used for dam removal. Grants are being sought for the full cost. No one petitioned for a public referendum following the council vote.

The dams were industrial and never served a flood protection purpose. They no longer serve any purpose except blocking fish passage. Removing the dam impoundments in fact will lower flood risks. Flatwater paddling will continue on long stretches of the river. Fishing and wildlife watching opportunities will improve. Exposed riverbanks will be reseeded with native, non-invasive plants as part of the project. Sea-run fish such as alewives and American eel will migrate upriver in quantity and spawn the first year after dam removal. The dams are well over 100 years old, are in need of repair and would cost the taxpayers substantial sums to maintain or rebuild if retained. The right decision was made to remove the dams and to restore our natural local ecosystem.

Bruce Drouin
Yarmouth