October 22, 2020 by Anne Berleant on News, Waterfront, Ellsworth American
ELLSWORTH — In a long-running effort to make Black Bear Hydro address fish kills attributed to the energy company’s Union River dam operation, Downeast Salmon Federation has requested that the Department of Environmental Protection issue an immediate cease-and-desist order on turbine operations during the seasonal alewife migration.
The Oct. 15 request cites multiple observations of juvenile alewives being killed in the prior two weeks. “We’ve been fighting these fish kills for years,” Downeast Salmon Federation biological scientist Brett Ciccotelli said. “We’ve been patient. We want to see some real steps made to make this place safe for native fisheries.”
However, Black Bear Hydro holds that the dam is shut down and has been since a Sept. 24 “fish mortality event,” except for the brief redirecting of water flows, Senior Communications Director Andy Davis said.
Read the full article here: https://www.ellsworthamerican.com/maine-news/waterfront/cease-and-desist-order-sought/