Outlet Stream Restoration: Lombard Dam Removal

The Outlet Stream Restoration Project at Lombard Dam will remove a non-generating relic dam and restore an approx. 5-acre impoundment to riverine conditions. The impoundment is situated along Route 32 in a light residential setting, where much of the stream frontage is undeveloped and wooded. Lombard Dam is the third of six dams to be addressed on Outlet Stream, which connects China Lake's 3900 acres to the Sebasticook River in the Kennebec River Watershed. The project is a collaborative effort of Sebasticook Regional Land Trust, the private dam owner, Maine Rivers, Maine Dept. of Marine Resources, Natural Resources Conservation Service and China Region Lakes Alliance. Site engineering will be completed this fall and winter and, with sufficient fundraising, the dam will be removed in 2017. Post-restoration monitoring will continue for a minimum of six years. When complete, the Outlet Stream Restoration Project will restore connectivity for native migratory fish and will yield an estimated 950K alewives per year to the Sebasticook River fishery, which has enjoyed tremendous recovery since the removals of the Fort Halifax and Edwards Dams. In addition to alewives, the project benefits American eel, Lamprey eel, and Atlantic salmon. The property owner has sold the rights to remove the dam and entered into a long-term management agreement with project partners to assure the long-term preservation of the restored stream.