Removal of the Cumberland Mills Dam will open an additional mile of the Presumpscot River in downtown Westbrook to migratory fish, could allow canoing down to the Atlantic and will change the look of the river in the city.

A preliminary deal announced Tuesday between Sappi Fine Paper North America and environmental groups also means the water level will likely drop, possibly exposing some rocks and sections of rapids, as the water runs freely from the Saccarappa Dam to Casco Bay for the first time since dams were installed on the river in the 19th century.

“What it will do mostly is enhance the fishing in the Presumpscot River,” said Randy Peters, director of recreation for the city. Peters also said there is a chance people will be able to canoe from Riverbank Park down to the Atlantic.

Some local citizens have been concerned that the river will drop to extremely low levels, leaving only a small stream or brook.

Peters doesn’t agree, and Laura Wildman, a professional engineer for American Rivers who specializes in river restoration and dam removal and has been working on the recent settlement, said the fears are unfounded.

“It’s often a concern,” said Wildman, “but there will be nothing too dramatic.”

Wildman said vegetation will fill in the shore of the river where the water level does drop, but overall it will look like the river does farther downstream.

Wildman was unsure whether canoeing down the river would be an option considering the river passes through the Sappi property and under some of its buildings. But, she said, it could be a part of future discussions as the preliminary agreement moves toward finalization. Wildman said the talks are intended to be transparent, and they intend to involve the community as much as possible in the process.

American Rivers is a conservation group that has been working with Sappi on the preliminary agreement announced Tuesday. Friends of the Presumpscot River, the Maine Department of Marine Resources and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service are also involved in drafting the terms of the agreement. If finalized, the dam would be removed and the waterway operational by May 2011.

Sappi would also institute a “trap and truck” program that would catch fish at the Saccarappa Dam and transport them upriver, jump-starting the migration of native fish impeded by the dam. Coupled with the removal of the Cumberland Mills Dam, it is estimated to cost Sappi $6 million.

Under the deal, fishways would be installed at the Saccarappa Dam by 2016.

“It’s been a very long fight,” said Dusti Faucher, president of Friends of the Presumpscot River, a local conservation group working on restoring water quality and natural habitats of the river. “We’re very pleased where we are.”

“It’s a big step for us,” said John Martis, managing director of the Westbrook Sappi mill. “We’ve been strong supporters of the environment for a while.”

“I’m truly pleased to hear that a preliminary agreement has been reached,” said Dan Martin, commissioner of the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife.

Wildman said removal of dams is always what American Rivers shoots for, and is always the best route to restoring a river. For Wildman, however, dam removal isn’t just about the fish.

“Fishways are great if a dam is economically viable,” Wildman said. “But they don’t restore entire ecosystems, or the dynamic features of the river.” She said the removal of the dam may uncover some rapids and falls.

Earlier this year, a petition was presented by environmental groups to the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife to begin proceedings on requiring Sappi to either remove the Cumberland Mills Dam or install fishways. Sappi originally requested hearings, at which it was expected the company would argue against any new requirements, citing cost concerns.

Martin said the tentative agreement circumvents the need for the hearings, and he intends to honor a request to hold off on the proceedings when Sappi formally requests a stay.

“It’s a real tribute to the staying power of citizens,” Faucher said.

Because the deal Sappi reached is preliminary, Martin expects the stay to hold through Dec. 1, when the deal should be finalized. If it is not finalized, the hearings would then commence to work through the details of what needs to be done at the dam.

The Presumpscot River and its dams have long been a point of contention for conservation groups. In 2002 the Smelt Hill Dam in Falmouth was the first dam to be removed after it was damaged, leaving nine dams along the river between the ocean and Sebago Lake. Of those, all but two are hydroelectric dams, and eight are owned by Sappi. The dams prevent sea-run species of fish like Atlantic salmon from traveling from the ocean to fresh bodies of water to spawn. In addition to salmon, other sea-run fish native to the Presumpscot River are blueback herring, alewife and shad.

Many of the dams previously had fishways installed in them, though after years of neglect and aging they were no longer operational, according to Faucher.

After the Saccarappa Dam fishways are installed in 2016, dams farther upstream – such as the Mallison Falls Dam and Little Falls Dam – will receive fishways as soon as fish begin migrating in sufficient numbers, according to federal regulations.

Francis Brautigam, a regional fisheries biologist for Maine’s Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, said three state agencies have an interest in the Cumberland Mills Dam removal – the Atlantic Salmon Commission, which focuses on management of Atlantic salmon; the Department of Marine Resources, which focuses on migratory fish; and his own department, which focuses on internal waterways.

“The big benefit (of the dam’s removal) would be the restoration of some of the migratory species like herring and shad,” Brautigam said. “The hope is that we’ll rebuild some of the historical fisheries.”

The increased ability for fish to migrate will enhance the food web in the entire area, he said. Herring are an important prey species for whales, ground fish and stripers. Birds will also see an increased food supply.

But Atlantic salmon are not destined in the short-term plan to be restored all the way up into Sebago Lake, where the local native species once did migrate to spawn.

“There’s potential impact on existing traditional fishing opportunities,” Brautigam said. There are certain restrictions in place regarding Atlantic salmon that would likely follow them if they were to return to Sebago Lake. Management of land-locked salmon would also be affected.

Brautigam said that there will be new opportunities available, such as bringing in sea-run brown trout, which currently are found mostly in the Ogunquit River in Ogunquit, and the Mousam River in Kennebunk. A provision in the preliminary agreement with Sappi allows for that opportunity to be looked at.

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