Summary:
On October 15–16, 2016, Friends of Merrymeeting Bay (FOMB) discovered a massive fish kill at the Brunswick/Topsham Dam on the Androscoggin River, operated by Brookfield Energy. Observers found hundreds of thousands of young-of-the-year alewives and other fish dead near the dam’s outlet and Green Bridge. FOMB volunteers counted around 500–800 dead fish at the boat ramp alone.
FOMB reported the incident to Brookfield via its emergency line. When the site was revisited Tuesday, dam maintenance was underway—turbines were shut off and a diver was present, while Taintor gates were opened on the Topsham side to allow fish passage.
Under normal conditions, migratory fish must navigate through a narrow 18-inch pipe with a grated intake and a flow of just 40 cubic feet per second, adjacent to turbine intakes that deliver thousands of cfs—5,075 cfs for Unit 1, and 2,672 cfs through Units 2 and 3. Fish drawn toward these high-flow turbines often suffer fatal injuries due to decapitation, concussive forces, and pressure-related damage such as ruptured swim bladders, all of which were observed in this event.
FOMB emphasized that similar mortality events occurred at Brookfield’s Union River dam in Ellsworth. Despite years of legal action under the Endangered Species Act and Clean Water Act to improve fish passage, interim species protection plans implemented during litigation proved inadequate. FOMB criticized these plans and stated Brookfield and involved agencies must be held accountable.
