There was no swimming at Dundee Park in Windham this week as Sappi Fine Paper lowered the water level of the Presumpscot River to perform maintenance on Dundee Dam.
The 5-foot drawdown of the river revealed islands of sand and muddy beaches of dead trees and stumps usually submerged below water. The shallow water made a sharp drop off along the park beach and created conditions too dangerous for swimming.
One family, out on a canoe trip along the river and unaware of the drawdown, met fierce rapids coming downstream the depleted river, Dundee lifeguards report.
Though they were able to navigate the rapids, the rapids filled their canoe with water and sank the vessel. As the rest of the family swam to safety, the father grabbed hold of a floating ring throw out by a nearby lifeguard and held onto the canoe as he and the vessel were pulled safely to shore.
The drawdown is only temporary and the river should be back to normal levels by this weekend. This lowering water near Dundee Park was necessary for the company to conduct proactive maintenance of the dams, said Sappi spokesperson Brooke Carey.
Regulated by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, Sappi Fine Paper controls water levels on the Presumpscot River through six hydropower dams, hardwired to the Sappi mill in Westbrook, that follow the river downstream from Sebago Lake.
This week, Sappi maintenance workers replaced “flashboards” at the dam, wooden boards that give extra height to the dam. The flashboards will wash away if faced with excess water levels to prevent flooding. The workers also cleaned out “trash racks,” which are used to prevent wood debris and trash from interfering with the dam’s turbines.
“If those trash racks are damaged, big logs coming down the river will just take out the turbines,” said Dana Murch, dam and hydropower supervisor for the Department of Environmental Protection.
The Dundee Park portion of the river has not witnessed this level of drawdown since the riverbed was drained completely 10 years ago. At that time, Sappi had to build a flood dyke near the dam ordered by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.
While the scenic Dundee Park should return to normal by the end of this weekend, a portion of the river downstream will be drained completely on July 10 to replace trash racks at the Little Falls dam.
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