[dropcap]There[/dropcap] will be a meeting on January 21st at 7 PM at the Whitefield School to discuss Coopers Mills dam options. The Coopers Mills Dam Committee will be presenting its findings, options, and recommendations for the Coopers Mills dam. All are welcome, even if you’re not a Whitefield resident. The following information comes from a Midcoast Conservancy email I received the other day:
Options include: 1. Do nothing; 2. Repair the dam at Town expense; or 3. Remove the dam and create public access along with historical and environmental displays at the dam site, fully funded by the Atlantic Salmon Federation (ASF).
There is an important water source for the fire department behind the dam. There are engineering proposals for alternative sites within the river with some redundancy. These options, which would also be funded by ASF, deserve your careful consideration along with fish passage, historical, community and financial considerations. Please consider attending this meeting to voice your opinion.
Andy Goode with the Atlantic Salmon Federation sent me a site plan (with legend) showing the proposed design for the Coopers Mills dam site. The PDF at left consists of 2 pages, the plan and a legend page that I made from the original PowerPoint presentation, which was quite large. The PDF is still pretty large. To make it easier to view I’ve blown up a section of the original plan and saved it and the legend page in separate files.
What happens to Long pond when this dam is removed?
Hi-
My understanding is there will be no effect on the level of Long Pond if the Coopers Mills dam is removed, they’re not hydraulically connected. Not even close. The Coopers Mills dam has an elevation of around 153 feet and the structure that determines the level of Long Pond is an old concrete weir (in disrepair) at what is called the Basin, located about 1/2 mile above the Coopers Mills dam at an elevation of about 178 feet.