River restoration | Dam removal | Fish Passage
Coopers Mills Dam Modification Concept Plans
Client: Atlantic Salmon Federation & Inter-Fluve Inc.
Town of Whitefield, ME | 2016
In the Fall of 2015, LVB became involved in a multi-year effort led by the Atlantic Salmon Federation (ASF) and Inter-Fluve Inc’s Maine office to restore the free passage of Atlantic salmon, river herring, alewife, and American eel along the Sheepcot River.
Despite a fish ladder installed decades earlier, the historic Coopers Mills spillway blocked alewife from migrating to and from their headwater rearing ponds. The goal was to remove the spillway, preserve an overlook at the site for public access, and educate visitors on the Sheepscot River’s rich milldam and riverine history.
Conceptual site design illustrations drawn by LVB were presented in town hall meetings to help the public visualize the engineering and site design proposal. After years of opposition, the town voted YES in 2016 to remove the stone spillway and let the river run free again. The project also received NOAA grant funding to take the project into construction documentation and implementation.
The project was complete in 2019 and dedicated on May 25, 2019, in celebration with the community and project stakeholders.
The Coopers Mill Dam pre-dam removal on the Sheepscot River, 2016, Photo by Interfluve Inc.
Free flowing Sheepscot River after dam removal at the historic Coopers Mills Dam site. Photo by Atlantic Salmon Federation
Historic Coopers Mills Dam Kiosk at overlook structure (ASF) Map design and graphic design of interpretive panels by LVBrown Studio.
Click image to expand and scroll through concept plan and elevation renderings.