Wiscasseteers who long ago trademarked their town “prettiest village in Maine” apparently haven’t been to Camden.
To see the waterfall torrent that rips its way beneath Route 1, under rickety storefronts held up by wooden pilings, across from a natural tree-shaded amphitheater, eventually dumping into the Atlantic Ocean is an experience to behold, many residents and almost all visitors agree.
But all the beauty on God’s great earth inevitably must become a sitting duck for environmental wrath.
Witness the controversy flowing from the Montgomery Dam responsible for the eye-catching falls of the Megunticook River to really understand the imperfect human condition.
For five years, since a federal review of dams along the Megunticook, townspeople have been divided over the study’s conclusion – that the 200-year-old concrete dam that backs up the river flowing from Megunticook Lake should be removed.
The town’s select board earlier this year voted to accept the Megunticook River Citizens Advisory Committee’s recommendation to remove the dam and let Camden voters make the final decision. A vote is set for June 10.
A group of residents addicted to something as undefinable as beauty comprise the Save the Dam Falls Committee.
“There’s a lot of talk about removing it,” group member Tom Rothwell once told Down East magazine. “We’re happy with this beautiful waterfall the way it is.”
Waterfall fans started spreading their message on pins and stickers, penning newspaper editorials and social-media missives, according to the magazine’s Joel Crabtree.
“Dam Straight” is an ongoing series of opinion pieces in the Camden Herald, with headlines such as “The Great Camden Flood – of Propaganda.”
The small dam – only about four feet tall at most points – has served a number of uses in its lifetime, from powering a grist mill to generating electricity. In 1992, the dam’s ownership was transferred to the town, which has since been on the hook for upkeep, even though the dam’s days as an economic asset are long gone.
The main arguments for removal are threefold: it would allow for fish passage, reduce risk of upstream flooding and, over the next 50 years, save the town hundreds of thousands of dollars, according to preliminary projections from the 2019 study.
The Save the Dam Falls Committee contends that a fish ladder would suffice and that the risk of flooding is overblown.
